We are scheduled to depart Paris by train at 3:10 p.m., bound for the town of Bayeux in Normandy, but we arrive at the station nearly five hours early--in time to catch an earlier train. However, we have no reserved seating on the earlier train and we are the last ones to board. Finally we find two seats together, then heft our luggage onto the overhead racks and collapse for the two-hour trip.
Before we know it, we're in Bayeux and we're once again faced with transporting our luggage across cobblestone streets and over uneven surfaces. Of course, it seems that the walking route from the train station to the Churchill Hotel (where we will spend the next four nights) is mostly uphill. But we are in no big hurry. We begin to notice that Bayeux is a very quaint and beautiful medieval city. Rhonda congratulates herself for choosing to stay in Bayeux instead of the larger, more industrial city of Caen.
We arrive at the hotel where we are greeted by a very friendly, English-speaking staff. We find that most hotel guests are Americans, many on spring break from Oklahoma and Texas. The hotel walls are covered with photos of Allied soldiers from World War II. We are aware that Bayeux claims to be the first town liberated by the Allies during the Battle of Normandy. The town of Sainte-Mer Eglise also claims this distinction. Both towns still seem to really love Americans.
After we stow luggage in our room, we are off for a bite to eat and a stroll around town. We find a walking path along the river, Bayeux's version of the River Walk, and enjoy a lovely evening stroll. Then we return to the hotel before we collapse. We have gone for 33 hours without sleep and our tour of American D-Day sites begins bright and early the next morning.
