Adventures With Harvey

May 26, 2022

Medieval Meanderings

Spoiler alert. This is a war-history-free-edition. Your faithful correspondent is aware that recent postings may, possibly, have been a little heavy on the aforementioned topic. So, in the interests of balance, nothing of the sort will be found in the following tome.

However, there is plenty to report – the last few days have had several pretty spectacular highlights so here goes…

We had heard quite a lot about the Bayeux Tapestry before arriving in Normandy and were eagerly awaiting our visit. And it most certainly did not disappoint! No-one knows exactly when it was made or by whom, however this tapestry was created sometime in the decade or 2 following the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is almost 70m long by half a metre tall and tells the story (in an almost cartoon-like fashion) of the lead up to and enactment of the clash between the armies of William and Harold for the throne of England. Which, as history tells us, was won by the invading Normans whose leader then became known as William the Conqueror. Not only is the tapestry an astonishing work of art but it gives an accurate depiction of so many aspects of life and warfare in the 11^th century. Also included are depictions of two structures with which we are familiar today: Westminster Abbey and Mont-Saint-Michel.

Which (with deft seamlessness) brings me to the next day of our adventure – yes, the island and monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel. It’s hard to know where to start when describing this place, at the very least you can say it’s an iconic French landmark and steeped in bucket-loads of history. When visiting places such as this Anita and I often comment on the amount of physical labour needed to construct them. The same applies to castles and cathedrals, just the sheer volume of stone that had to be sourced (in this case mainly from another island 35 miles away), hewn, transported and built. And all many centuries before any mechanisation existed – the creativity of the architecture and quality of the built are hard to fathom. For parts of its history the island was used as a prison and one ‘innovation’ was what we have termed the human hamster wheel. Located far up the structure is a huge wheel measuring several metres in diameter. This was turned by 6 prisoners at a time walking inside the wheel and used for hauling supplies up to where they were needed. All of which sounds a little cruel, but I imagine not as cruel as having the same 6 lads lugging the same supplies up hundreds of stairs. The views from the top are breath-taking of course and the little cobbled streets and alleys are great fun to explore.

From now we head into Brittany and towards much lesser known parts of France. Originally settled by Gauls before the time of Christ, our first stop was the walled city of Saint-Malo which was a real treat. The current settlement and structures date from the 6^th century and the circumference of the walls is only 1.7km which you can easily walk right around. In the harbour are a number of small islands, several of which have fortifications built on top. I said to Anita “can you imagine Roberton Island having been turned into a fort?”. Much of thecity was flattened by bombing during WWII but has been painstakingly and beautifully rebuilt. But enough about that because I promised no war stories! 😊

Heading south from there is another stunningly picturesque little town called Dinan. You’ll have to take a look at the pictures which in many respects don’t do it justice. The cathedral, clock tower and most of the centre ville are built up on the high ground however the ‘main road’ through town is a long cobbled alleyway which drops all the way down to a gorgeous little river-front area with plenty of eateries and other goings on. Above the town is a magnificent viaduct which, thankfully has been built in a style to match the town. Anita and I commented to each other how a steel monstrosity there would have been all wrong but thankfully the French showed plenty of foresight and good taste in this regard!

Lastly (for this edition) we find ourselves in the little town of Josselin which is home to a chateau (as they often are) and yet more cuteness. The chateau is walled and (was) moated and has been there in some form or other since 1008AD and, believe it or not, is still occupied by the same family who originally settled the site.

One of the frustrating aspects of this trip has been the inability of this author and his wife to correctly pack suitcases when leaving Harvey. Both times we’ve ended up packing in a hurry and being away from Harvey for 2-3 weeks. The first time it was freezing cold in Redditch but by the time we left London it was sunny & warm and we wished for t-shirts and dresses. This time on departing Rouen we’d had several 28deg days so the puffers etc were left behind however the last few days we’ve had temperatures only up to the high teens with chilly breezes. I guess you’ll all just have to get used to photos of your faithful author wearing the same blue hoodie!

And with that we’re done for another edition – much love to all!

AW(out)H signing off 😊

you weren't really supposed to take photos - oops

this is the famous scene where King Harold has an arrow in his eye. one story I've read indicates that this arrow was added in the 19th century by someone trying to correct history. there is big debates about whether Harold actually died due to an arrow in the eye or not...