T minus 13 (or Enriching the Tapestry of one's life)

Yes, there is a pun in there somewhere. Something about the tapestry ;-)

But what do you expect when planning a bike trip that passes through the town of Battle, UK, site of the Battle of Hastings, where the Duke of Normandy (of Viking descendent) conquered England...

William the Conqueror (He probably would be called something else if he had lost)

and if this bike trip ALSO passes through Bayeux, a town famous for the Bayeux tapestry, a woven picture depicting, you guessed it, the battle of Hastings

The loser of the battle: King Harold pulling an arrow out of his eye. In other accounts he is chopped up (literally)  by William and 3 others.

Naturally, the politics of the day were even more convoluted than that but there is a VIDEO  of some bicycle travellers travelling that area with a detailed explanation of the Bayeux Tapestry that sheds some light on things ;-) (Well worth watching; history lesson occupies  2nd part of 5 minute video)

And there is something I'm really looking forward to and it is depicted in the following segment:

It hit me hard when looking at pictures of the cities of Rouen and Caen.

Caen

Rouen; A river runs through it

Church Spires indicating the Centre of Town.  Every tiny French hamlet has one.  I miss them! This is where you went when looking for where people were.  Sure, cities today have great wonderful bank or hotel erections in their centre, but have you ever wondered through a banking district at night?