Vendredi - un jour de l'histoire

Friday was another exciting and educational day. We started with a journey to Bayeux to see the Bayeux tapestry. This work of art is actually a work of embroidery and not a tapestry at all. It tells the story of the events of 1064 through 1066 of the death of the English king Edward the Confessor and the struggle for power that resulted between Harold Godwinson and William, the Duke of Normandy. The tapestry concludes with showing the Battle of Hastings at which William kills Harold and assumes the English throne. The tapestry stretches an incredible 68 meters long. The museum visit was quite interesting. We walked along the length of the tapestry with an accompanying audio guide to point out each part of this important story.

For the afternoon we were off to the D-day museum in Normandy and to see the D-Day beaches. We were fascinated to learn about the marvels of engineering that led to Allies' critical success at this battle. We watched a film that explained the design and strategy behind the Allies' plan and saw models of the floating causeways that were towed across the English Channel to create the makeshift wharf that allowed the Allies to gain a foothold in France. We looked out over the beaches and saw the remnants that remained from this momentous battle.

Finally, we finished the day with a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial that commemorates the lives of those who fought and lost their lives in the effort to liberate Europe from Hitler's control.

We really enjoyed our day. We learned a lot about the history of our country and the world.