Once were done in the belfry we went for our tunnel tour. This was the best of the 3 tunnel tours we have done since being in Arras. The tunnels were first used in the 9th century as a source of chalk for the town. In the middle ages, merchants used the tunnels to store goods. In one section you could see the imprint of barrels in the soft chalk walls. In WWI it was used to house soldiers preparing for battle and in WWII townpeople used them for shelter. It was a pretty interesting tour. We had to duck through little passageways and go up different staircases.
After the tour, it was time to grab out luggage, check out, and head to the train station. Of course the train station was quite close when you went the direct route which we did not do when we first arrived. On the way there we stopped and got a waffle for Joe. He had been trying to get one all the time we had been in Arras but the line was too long and then we went and it was closed. Today it was open with no line. He said it was very tasty.
The train journey went from Arras to Paris where we had to change trains then on to Bayeux. I can honesty say the transfer was the most stressful 55 minutes in all of the trips we have done. We only had to go one station, from Gare du Nord to Gare St. Lazare. In my pre-trip research it had seemed straightforward, just had to grab the metro and go one stop. Not so easy....there wasn't actually a direct route by metro that didn't involve walking between stations. And, nothing was marked very well. We managed to buy a ticket and cobble together some instructions from screens in the station. We made it to what we thought was Gare St. Lazare but it was not. By this point I was seriously stressed because we had arranged to be picked up in Bayeux and I really wanted to make it on time. There were more trains but they were much later in the day with no guarantee of pickup on the other end. We got directions twice from a few nice people, Paris was so hot and every street smelled like urine. Somehow we made it to the station we needed by using my phone to guide us and getting some very good instructions from a lady on the street. European trains flash the track you will be going on about 15-20 minutes before you depart but we were so late those instructions were long gone. We finally managed to find the right track and made it to the train 3 minutes before departure. I was absolutely frantic. These were some of the most expensive tickets of the trip and I really thought we wouldn't make it. Yikes! Future note: 55 minutes is not enough time to find your way in the world's busiest train station (with the exception of |Japan apparently).
Once we were on the right train we could relax. We were late coming into Bayeux but we made it and our ride was waiting. The town of Bayeux is really picturesque, but definitely more touristy than Arras. The apartment we rented is fabulous. Really quaint with great views and everything we need. It is also very central, just a 2 minute walk to all the restaurants and shopping. We saw pictures of Charles de Gaulle in many of the shops, he must have visited Bayeux after the war. There is also a little canal with stone buildings. I hope we have some time tomorrow evening to explore a little more. We went for dinner and then picked up some groceries for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. We are going on our D-Day tour bright and early and are going to pack a lunch. It seems easier than trying to find something Mark can eat. It is very easy to gather picnic supplies in France. We even found some lactose free milk for Mark. Well, I am falling asleep sitting up so goodbye for now.
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