Normandy, France
Normandy. The word alone conjures up images of conflicts, ancient and more recent. Norsemen, those men from the north, swept up the shallow rivers and swarmed the countryside. And then they stayed to give us Normandy. Proud prowed vessels ventured north from these same shores bearing knights and a future king to Hastings’ open plains almost a thousand years ago. Back and forth the conflicts raged until from Britain’s shores in nineteen hundred and forty-four a massive invading force arrived by sea and air to begin the acquisition of freedom once more. Tomorrow we will pause to honor these people of the past. Today our theme was creativity.
Patterns, shapes and forms were everywhere. The quiet waters of the Canal de Caen a la Mer captured images of fall-tinged foliage. Like a silent water-strider, a skuller’s oars rhythmically dimpled the surface leaving a trail in passing.
The narrow slate tiled buildings of Honfleur became smudges in the rippling harbour waters. Window frames in bright and joyful colors surrounded reflections of sky or fragments of neighboring buildings. It is little wonder that painters flocked to this picturesque village clinging to the banks of the Seine. Did Monet or Boudin peer at the same slate frontages or ornately banded hinges that we stopped to admire today?
But art is not just paint placed upon a palette. Tiny stitches painstakingly placed upon a fabric can tell a tale or two. Or in the case of the Bayeux Tapestry, can tell a very long and complicated story. How many hands held the linen fabric and how many eyes strained in the candlelight to record so accurately the story of Harold and William and the Battle of Hastings? History in words alone is incomplete. Clothes, weapons, ships and more are pictured accurately.
Canvas and fiber are easy to work compared to the mastery of stone. How did the master masons learn to build cathedral spires ever higher? Graceful arches unite in walls and ceilings. Gargoyles grimace from rainspouts and playful imps hide behind columns where leaves intertwine and saints stand proud. Stained glass windows cast colorful rays on floor or ceiling. Bayeux’s Cathedral quite possibly is one of the finest in the world, a work of art in stone.
Photography is art as well and many an image was captured no matter which direction one chose to go.
