I was sorry to see the Bayeux part of the visit end. The hotel was full of horse show attendees from all over the US and they helped me secure some goodies for my horse jumping niece and a promise of some links to photographs when they return to the states. Normandy is a very proud host of the World Equestrian games and there are posters touting the games right below the photos promoting the 70th anniversary.
The walk yesterday made me a bit of a celebrity at the hotel as the couple women I told passed on my story and a few couples asked how it all went. They were impressed with the 15 km journey. The morning staff came on and all asked if I had really made it all. Honestly, it was not that hard, just a bit warm and it was kind of neat to in some small way share an experience with history.
At the train station I ran into a very nice couple from Ohio were the husband participated in a WWII reenactment on the shores of Lake Erie. They showed me some really cool photos. He said it was hard with his 25 lb pack so he had a deeper appreciation for what it must have been with a 75 lb pack and guns firing at you. I pointed out the places to visit in Bayeux as they waited 2 hours for their tour to start.
Then it was time for the train to Caen and the transfer to the very local train to Rouen. The Caen train is on the mainline from Paris to the port of Cherbourg so it is very modern. The train from Caen to Rouen is smaller and older but still reasonably fast and it is about 2 hours to cross this part of Normandy.
Rouen was built by the Romans and called Rotomagnus. The Viking Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy built it up in 911. The English controlled it under Henry II and Richard and Eleanor of Aquitaine spent a fair amount of time here. The Glishe then lost control of Normandy but regained it in 1419. Joan of Arc was martyred here in 1431. The French regained control in 1449.
As favorite quotes seem to be apart of this journal, I will add Mark Twain's comment on Joan of Arc.
"Joan of Arc stands alone and must continue to stand alone...there is no one to compare her with, nothing to measure her by...there have been other young generals but they were not girls; young generals but they have been soldiers before they were generals; she began as a general, she commanded her first army she ever saw, she lead it from victory to victory, and never lost a battle with it; there have been young commanders in chief, but none so young as she: she is the only soldier in history who has held the supreme command of a nation's army at age 17."
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