Today we started out by driving to Vieux-la-Romaine, which has been known since the Eighteenth Century as the Roman city of Aregenua. The site has been cleverly developed, with a museum, an educational / experimental area, and several outdoor sites that are in the small town and itself.
After this, we went down to the town of Falaise and saw the reconstructed chateau where William the Conquerer was born. Falaise saw immense destruction in August of 1944, and the Chateau de Guillaume was a German stronghold. When we saw the view from the ramparts and tower, over miles of countryside, we could see why. The reconstruction is nicely done, and follows the layout of the castle in the Twelfth Century exactly, some of the artistic details include a floor of glass and lead, where one can see through to the floor below. I have a real phobia of walking on floors where I can see between my feet, so it took everything I had to make it past the great hall, and I'm afraid Ian did the ramparts on his own.
Next we walked around the streets of Falaise and visited the
eglise (church) next to the chateau. It is a beautiful sandstone church which sadly shows the damage of the war. Ironically, the other end of the church, which was more havily damaged, is beautifully restored. It is sobering to think that 340 civilians from this one city died in August 1944.
More pictures:
Ian at Vieux-la-Romaine, with a tree -- those aren't leaves, but balls of mistletoe.
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| The richest house in town -- the house of the Peristyles |
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| The ongoing dig: the forum. This, quite reasonably, was blocked off. Good thing -- if it were open, Ian would have volunteered to help for a few days! |
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| A really nice example of a hypocaust. |
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| Bullet damage in the church. |
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| I could see through the glass bits. I almost refused to go in. |
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| The portal into the castle. |
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| The wooden ceiling in the reconstructed part of the church. |
William the Conquerer.
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