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Rediscovering Bayeux, France
FRANCE
Heather Markel, Best Selling Author, Speaker, Traveler, Full Time Travel Coach
Trying To Be A Tourist To A Place I Thought I Knew So Well
In my last post I spoke about Louvieres as the start of my passion for travel. To get there, you take a train to Bayeux.
I’ve been to Bayeux many times but more as a local. Every time I visit my host mom in Louvieres I get a moka cake at the Reine Mathilde bakery. This time was no exception. In fact I had them make 3 larger cakes while I was there!
This time I decided to play tourist. I went to the tourist office and got a map of a fun route to explore. There are small metal symbols on the street marking the path. How strange I never noticed them before!
I knew about the large mill in the town center which I visited but had never walked over by the hospital, or, not recently anyway. I enjoyed finding small carvings in stone as I walked, a small chapel and then, on the street another water mill! (Also great free toilets there if you need them.)
The water mill I was familiar with
The other water mill I had never noticed before this trip!
For some reason I also never noticed some of the amazing architecture on the buildings and so took photos and sought them out. There’s a great book that shows some amazing houses to be found there. I perused through it at my host mom’s house and got inspired to look for the spots that are not private, and, therefore, closed to the public.
A close up of the sculptures on an ancient Bayeux building
Another thing I’ve never experienced in the 36 years of visiting this region is the medieval festival! The entire city was transformed and I almost didn’t recognize parts of it. There were entertainers and booths all around the city center. I highly recommend it if you make your way there at the right time of the year!
As I perused the streets, somewhere between a local and a tourist, on a perfect summer day, I enjoyed seeing Bayeux with curious eyes, and discovering spots previously unknown to me.
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![Could taking time away from work be one of the smartest decisions you make for your career and your life?
In this episode of How to Travel Full-Time, I explore why intentional time away, including a career break, sabbatical, or travel reset, may become an important part of the future of work.
Inspired by the Harvard Business School Managing the Future of Work episode, "Why Time Away May Be the Future of Work," this conversation looks at how longer careers, workplace burnout, artificial intelligence, and rapid professional change are challenging the traditional idea that we should work continuously until retirement.
But taking time away is not only about recovering from burnout.
A well-planned travel reset can give you the space to reconnect with yourself, reconsider what you want from your career, and decide what your next chapter should look like.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• Why the traditional 40-year career model is beginning to crack • How burnout can be information, not personal failure • Why vacations often do not solve deeper dissatisfaction • How travel creates distance, perspective, and clarity • Why taking time away does not have to damage your career • How a travel reset differs from a vacation or permanent full-time travel • What keeps accomplished professionals from taking extended time off • Why time away could become part of a long-term career strategy
If your life looks successful from the outside but no longer feels aligned with the person you have become, this episode is for you.
🎧 Subscribe to this podcast for more conversations about travel resets, extended travel, burnout recovery, career reinvention, midlife transformation, and using travel as a catalyst for personal change.
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💬 Question for you: Have you ever considered taking one to six months away from work? What's the biggest thing stopping you?
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It is always fun to be a tourist in a town you thought you knew well. We love when we discover new gems for ourselves and our visitors. Fun to be at home for some of the regular festivals. We often miss the big ones in Toronto because we are away.
You’re so right! I often forget the feeling of discovery and miss it.
Thank you for introducing me to Bayeux! I had never heard of it before and now I am really looking forward to wandering its streets and trying the cakes at the gorgeous Reine Mathilde!
You might never leave the cake shop! 😂
I love this! There is something really special about finding something new in a familiar place. Nothing like seeing somewhere you clearly know very well with different eyes. And Bayeux looks beautiful too!
I know! I always forget that and can’t believe how much of the town I had missed before!
It is always so insightful to be a tourist in a place you have lived in for years or even only put up.
Loved reading this especially after hearing your story of being an exchange student. We will be stopping very briefly in Bayeaux next month as we drive from St Malo to Caen. I want my husband to see the Tapestry and I think we will also try to do the walking tour through the village. Thanks for the ideas!! Keep going…it’s great to see you out there again!
I hope you love Bayeux! It’s a wonderful town and the cathedral is beautiful as well. The tapestry is amazing. If you can find that book it’s nice to look at. Though many of the buildings are closed to the public, the ones that are open are quite lovely.
I love the fun trail with the markers I would love to do that, and also, to be there when a medieval festival was on must have been great. Bayeaux is a town in Northern France that I would love to visit.
It’s such a great town and that festival is amazing! People really get into the costumes.