Carpet burns...
About five years ago, we went on a two-week tour of France starting from Dieppe, where we visited a cousin of mine. She settled there in the early sixties after she'd met and married a French soldier who was serving in Algeria. At the time it was a very delicate case of sleeping with the enemy. I was too young to understand the repercussions.
She and her husband welcome us with open arms and we spent a couple of days with them before heading South.
My carefully planned itinerary included Bayeux as it happened to be on the way to Saint Malo, our next stop.
After a leisurely late lunch we decided to visit the world-famous Tapestry.
We made our way to a large darkened room wearing earphones to learn about Harold, William and the battle of Hastings. The commentary was in 14 languages so I picked the French version to see if the facts had been embellished.
The tapestry hung in a huge glass cabinet that stretched 70 m along a slow moving walkway allowing visitors time to admire the 58 panels.
TIME!
I looked at my watch and realised that time was not on our side.
Ahead of us lay a two-hour drive to Saint Malo. We needed to arrive in good time to get a decent hotel room. I hadn't bothered booking any in advance in case we changed our route.
Have you ever seen desperate people running for a train, a bus or a plane?
You've got the idea!
We started taking longer steps, just catching sight of a colourful blur as we flew past the ancient Tapestry and many puzzled tourists.
If anybody asks whether I've seen the Tapestry, I just nod vaguely.
Now from the comfort of my armchair, thanks to the marvel of Youtube and technological advances, I am able to enjoy what I missed a few years ago. Check it out.
One of PI's posts jogged my memory...
Labels: daft stuff, Holidays, memories, Travel
I screamed and guess what?
19 Comments:
This is so neat! Enjoyed your memories of your visit. When I went to the Vatican it went on and on and on and on and on and on and well you can only absorb so much, your your story made me smile! Happy New Year Krimo!
The animated tapestry is so beguiling. I have left a little something for you on my blog/most recent post, Cream, if you fancy it (if not-a small accolade for your cyber shelf, with love and best wishes).
wonderful video. I wish all of the blurred, rushed corners of my vacations could be brought into focus that way!
Yes, Val, you're right. I remember the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. By the time we came to it, I really felt it was the Seventeen Chapel.
Thank you, Rising Kite. Thanks for the accolade. Much appreciated.
Wouldn't it be great if we could fast-forward things every now and then, Hayden?
definitely agree with Hayden. Thanks for the visual treat, cream
It's so annoying when you run out of time, it happened to us in London this year.
Thanks for finding the UTube clip, though the Tapestry is still on my 'to do' list. x
I remember 'doing' this in school, if only we had had You Tube then, thanks for the memories and you get my nomination too.x
That was wonderful- thank you. I am now going to e-mail my son. We didn't exactly run round but, as you can imagine, a teen- age son wasn't wild about tapestry. God bless You tube!
Oooo! I had to do a study on this when I was 11... we had to draw our own version - hilarious times :)
I vote that cream draws his own interpretation of the tapestry. Who's with me?? AYE!!!
You're welcome and Welcome! Minerva.
At school we did French history, Zooms. Our ancestors, the Gauls and so on...
Yes, Pat, God bless YouTube.
Ha ha, FH.
I'm sure I won't do it justice.
Well, the title of the post was sheer serendipity, wasn't it? ;-)
Hahaha, Merisi...
I see you've noticed the carpet burns...
;o)
Gosh, it's fabulous. And thank goodness for armchair travel.
Hahaha and the people and things move too, I bet they didn't when you saw the real thing, only you and yours moving, real fast.
Oh shucks, now I want to do a tapestry. I wonder how to animate embroidery, haha.
Hi Cream - thanks for welcoming me back!
Did you notice if you scroll through the Youtubereel really quickly you can relive your visit in full blur.
1066 was such an eventful year!!! I saw this when on a school trip in France, many years ago, if I remember correctly we stayed there for an age. I didn't mind to much as there was also a trip of school boys from Ireland, and one of them caught my *eye*....
Gigi, what a great idea! Animated embroidery!
I'm certain you will think up some lively stitches.
Welcome back, Caroline.
Yes, I usually do that with boring DVD's too.
Eventful and bloody, Queenie.
The Normans even had a game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.;o)
Them lucky Irish! But not lucky enough, though.
Proof reading skills can come in handy. :-))))
Thanks for writing this.
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