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Published: August 6th 2007
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Collenges Le Rouge
A pretty town near Brive built with characteristically red bricks. The country-side is typical of the region After leaving Nellie in Belves, we headed across country to Normandy. On the way we stopped in at the Chateau de Cheverny to see the 'Supper of the Hounds'. There was a lot of hype about it in the guide books, but basically, it was just a giant chow-down on chicken carcasses and dog pellets for a pack of ninety hunting dogs. There were a few minor skirmishes as they tore the chickens to pieces but not nearly as many as you might expect from so many hungry dogs in such a confined space. It is a testamony to the good management of the master who reputedly knows all of the dogs by name. Dinner was over in just a few minutes and they spent the next ten licking their paws and sniffing butts.
We also stopped in to see a really good zoo in St Aignan. Fortunately for us, the weather was still questionable and most people had stayed at home, leaving us to wander amidst the exhibits largely on our own. There were a number of indoor exhibits (designed to combat the cold of European winters I suppose) and the gorillas decided to take advantage of the quiet
Tin Tin Fans?
Chateaux de Cheverny - the facade was used as the inspiration for the home of the captain in the famous comic book series time to get amorous right at the front of their enclosure. The zoo also highlighted the Australian obsession (or is it need?) for safety. In St Aignan, you could put your hand right into the pirhana tank if you chose (although the signs warned against this) and a bridge took you right over the main tank with the manatees. It would also have been very easy to lean over to try to hand feed the big cats if you were stupid enough to try.
In Normandy, we spent four nights in Bayeaux and felt extremely comfortable - the town seemed to fit like an old shoe. It didn't take long to realise why - it seems that the locals feel a very strong affinity for the rest of the English speaking world. The town lies just across the channel from England and its history is inextricably entwined with the Brits.
Bayeaux is the home of the famous Bayeaux tapestry. This incredible slice of history is a 70 metre long pictorial representation of the Battle of Hastings. It was embroidered to tell the story of William the Conquerer to the common people. It is kind of like an enormous
stitched picture book and is incredibly interesting for both its artistic expression and the curiosities of mediaeval life it depicts. Originally, it was housed in the Bayeaux Cathedral (another masterpiece of the region) where it was displayed annually for the congregation. The story goes that King Edward of England (himself a former citizen of Normandy) was dying with no heir apparent. He nominated William of Normandy (his cousin) as his successor. The traitor Harold (according to the Bayeaux version of events) came to Normandy where he was captured by enemy soldiers then saved by heroic William. Harold promised William the British throne on Edward's death but later renigged on his promise. Naturally, William was pretty pissed off. He sailed his army to England and defeated treacherous Harold in the celebrated battle of 1066. We walked out of the museum feeling as if France and England were one and the same, like brother countries straddling the channel with their common history.
At Mont St Michel (a day trip out of Bayeaux), we discovered that the strange abbey on the island was the administrative centre for religious institutions across Britain in the Middle Ages. Many British abbeys owe the inspiration for
their architecture to the awe inspiring cathedral on the mount. We also discovered that Mont St Michel is surrounded by quicksand. Ill equipped people who venture out onto the sands around the Mont are still occassionally killed by fast rising seawater or sand. Fortunately, the locals have a well organised rescue service who vigilantly keep guard for unwary tourists.
It was just good luck, and not good planning, that saw us visiting the D-Day beaches of Normandy on the annual celebrations of the D-Day landings that liberated France from Nazi occupation and helped bring an end to WW11. Again, we felt in the grip of the common link between Normandy and England. There were too many museums dedicated to this historic event to visit them all, but we did manage to see the American cemetry and museum at Omaha as well as an excellent French 360' cinematic memorial. The cinema used original footage of the invasion intercut with modern images of the area to create a spectacularly moving homage to the bravery of the British, American and Canadian forces who gave their lives to liberate France. The modern scenes blended in well with the archival footage and were used
Hungry?
An orangutan offers me a morsel of nose juice. as a reminder that the incredible beauty that modern Bayeaux enjoys was won at an enormous price paid largely by foreign troops. During our stay in Bayeaux, we saw no sign of any hostility towards the large numbers of American soldiers who were also visiting the region.
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Cheryl
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Hi guys Those buildings look amazing. It looks like you've gotten the finger from the orangutan. Maybe he was enjoying the peep show! I can understand why Richard was thrilled with seeing the Okapi. Did this make up for missing the Kri Kri?