Monday morning started with a very early mad dash to what I thought would be a sleepy Edinburgh airport but actually it looked more like Laguardia during Friday rush hour. However we made our 7AM flight to Paris (and layover in London) with time to spare.

We got to Paris on time just around 1 PM.  It was a strange feeling to be on the taxiway in country where we didn’t speak the language.  So intimidated we were by this that we decided to eat at the McDonald’s in the airport!  We made our way to Hertz, picked up our rental, said a prayer and drove off for Normandy.  Within a hour or so, France was feeling a lot more comfortable and it was smooth sailing from there.

We arrived in Bayeux, Normandy around 5PM and got checked in at the hotel.  We stayed in a neat chateau dating back before the French Revolution.  Bayeux is a beautiful little town not far from the Normandy invasion beaches.  It was the first sizable town liberated after the invasion and would be our base of operations for the next 3 days.

Back yard of our hotel in Bayeux. Our room was right over the door.

Hotel from street. You drove up through the courtyard through an archway into the back.

The hotel at dusk

St Patrice street in Bayeux. They roll-up the sidewalks in Bayeux long before dark.

This mill was down the street from the Creperie where we had dinner.

We spent that first evening getting our bearings around town and practicing our bonjour’s, parlez-vous anglais, etc.  Dinner was at a local creperie and was very good.  Afterwards we made our way over to Bayeux Cathedral which is quite impressive itself.  It dates back a thousand years or so and is quite large I’m guessing for that size town.  The reason might be that the bishop who built is was brother to William The Conqueror who we understand made it to the dedication.

The square that Bayeux Cathedral opens up on. Front door of Cathedral is on right.

The other side of the square looking out cathedral’s front door.

Interior of cathedral

Monday was our halfway point of the trip and I arrived in France with virtually no clean clothes. I figured getting laundry done would not be too big a deal – WRONG!  Just let me say from what I can tell it’s not easy getting laundry done anywhere in France.  I spent the remainder of the trip washing a day’s worth at a time in the hotel sinks.  I noticed Smith keeping his distance more and more as the week progressed!