With Michael having just started a new job, he's not yet able to ask for days off of work. Which means that the occasional long weekends we've been able to take from time to time are on hold until further notice. So when Easter Monday rolled around this year at the end of March, which is a national holiday (thanks France), we jumped at the opportunity to get out of town for a few days. Our destination of choice: the beautiful coastal town of Honfleur in Normandy.
The weekend was a bit cold and rainy, but we managed to explore the town, including the 15th century Sainte-Catherine church (largest surviving wooden church in France), had a great meal at a small restaurant called L'Endroit, and took a day trip to another coastal town called Étretat, known for its white cliffs. I brought the eye candy with me. You can find many more photos from Honfleur and Étretat in my trip album here.
Our final stop of the trip was Bayeux, aka nerd heaven for me. Ever since I took a course on history of the English language during undergrad (favorite class ever, btw), I have wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the story of William the Conqueror's victory over England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. William was Duke of Normandy, whose people had descended from Vikings from Scandinavia. The word for Norman is derived from Norseman; watch out for Rollo in Vikings, people. Anyway, after William invaded England, French became the official language of the nobility in England for the for the next 300 years. Thanks to this moment in time, over 10,000 French words were brought into the English language. The Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned several years after the invasion in the 1070s by William's half-brother, and survives to this day. It is over 230 feet long, and an extraordinary piece of history.
1 Comment
Justin
4/17/2016 03:07:31 pm
Bonus: The tapestry was used as toilet paper somewhere along the way!
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