Re. Your Trip to Normandy

Bayeux’s a bit heavy; suggest you leave it
for the last day of your stay.
Suggest allow whole morning for queuing -
toilets essential on arrival -
and getting in and out of the Tapestry Museum;
hire headphones for grope-control.
Follow with organised sunbathing
in the cathedral grounds -
plenty of bins for discarded packed lunches -
with junior member of staff, the vegetarian,
while rest of you have your last meal without the kids.

Conclude afternoon with a short drive
to the Musée Mémorial -
toilets inside the front door -
tickets needed for half-group only;
first pupils through will do the lot in two minutes
and pass their tickets on.
So, a few minutes in all plus a pee,
leaves ample time for the group photo: taking out the Panzer -
tendency at this point for worksheets to fly away -
then cross the road to the War Cemetery -
the duty-free can wait -
review the parade of eloquent standing stones …
even cynics like me, herding
children back to the coach,
grant futility some purpose …

if, translating
on the memorial arch,
“Nos a Gulielmo victi victoris patriam liberavimus”,

we aren’t patching together and embroidering.

(Nos a Gulielmo victi victoris patriam liberavimus

= We who were conquered by William have liberated his country)

.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

You could have come to Reading you know. We have an exact replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in the town hall and you wouldn't have had to queue for ages either. Does take a while to get round, it's mammoth. I enjoyed your trip to Normandy and I am left smiling and feeling satisfied at that Latin translation. A pleasing read.

Chris

[Gerald Parker]

Thank you for commenting.

[Chris Shaw]

The War Cemetery must have been quite something. An overwhelming feeling I would imagine.

[Gerald Parker]

A beautiful but moving. The WW1 cemeteries are even more distressing.

[Chris Shaw]

I have never been, but it is something on my bucket list and I plan to do it one day. Honouring those who died fighting for our country in a foreign land is the least we can do.