It didn’t turn out at all like Mick and I had expected it to.

Our first job this morning was to walk to E Leclerc to collect the hire car I had booked in late July through their website. Although it was cool this morning, the walk was quite pleasant, and Mick and I both commented that it was the biggest E Leclerc we had ever seen. We are talking huge.

That was the good part of the day.

Things turned a little sour when I was told there was no reservation even though I could show an electronic receipt for the booking. Apparently it was only a ‘quote’ and not a confirmed booking. Never mind I said, could I book a car now please?  “Non” was the reply. There was nothing available for a week, and we need a car to get to our house sit in two days time.

Mick and I headed back to our accommodation so I could sort something out using my laptop and the free wifi. Unfortunately, there was not a hire car company in Bayeux that had a car available for the dates we needed, no matter how fancy we wanted to go with the style of car or the price we were prepared to pay. But, (luckily) there were some cars in Caen. So, Mick and I are catching the train back there tomorrow to collect a car. And yes, it is costing us much more than the car I thought I’d booked through E Leclerc, but we had no choice really.

Once the hire car issue was sorted, Mick and I enjoyed a stroll through the weekly market, along with hundreds of other English-speaking tourists – the most we have experienced on our stay in France this year. People mostly our age or older, all here to visit the beaches and war memorials involved in the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. At the markets, we bought some over-priced potatoes and beans, and some very well-priced oysters, mussels and two small, whole mackerels. A feast of seafood for dinner!

We then headed off to visit the Bayeux Tapestry, passing the Notre Dame Cathedral on our way.

We had been told to follow the pathway along the River Aure to get to the museum.

When we arrived at the museum we were pleasantly surprised to find very few people there (we think most of them were still eating lunch). We paid €12 each which allowed us entry into see the tapestry as well as the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (where we will visit on another day, possibly tomorrow before our train to Caen.

The Bayeux Tapestry museum was very impressive. Mick and I were able to get up very close to every scene in the 70 metre long artwork depicting the key history points about William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. We listened to an audio guide describe what was happening in each section.There were signs everywhere saying taking photos was banned, not that they deterred one American who took a video of the whole thing!!. But, I didn’t take any photos – this one is an image borrowed from the internet. I would have loved to have bought a cushion cover as a souvenir, but reminded myself how heavy my bags already were.

As it happens, there was another ‘famous’ tapestry on show in Bayeux that we visited as well today, and this time entry was free and I could take as many photos as I liked.

This second tapestry was made in Northern Ireland and was 90 metres long. It comprised a woven fabric that was then embroidered by hand to provide the finer details, highlights and colour.

Have you worked out what the tapestry is about yet?

Game of Thrones.

It was nowhere near as good as the ‘real thing’.

We then stopped off in the Cathedral to explore its treasures and found this little shop inside. Weird!!

Last night we walked to a restaurant I had researched that sold tapas – which was very good. We passed by some half-timbered places that always catch my attention.

Bayeux has lots of treasures to explore and we are glad we are staying here for a few days.