Road Tripping through Normandy

After touring Paris for two days, we rented a car near the Louvre and--after managing to avoid colliding with the terrifying hordes of scooter-riding maniacs that plague that fair city's streets--we hopped on the highway and headed for Normandy. I loved this part of our trip for several reason. But first, a brief geography lesson...

Normandy is a region in northern France, known for its creamy cheeses, Calvados, and mussels. It's not a small region either, but encompasses several largish cities and many small towns and villages.

And it turns out that Normandy has a lot of really neat places to visit in addition to the D-Day beaches! Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

1. Cute coastal towns

Places like Honfleur give east coast towns like Rockport a run for their money in terms of cuteness. This pretty little harbor was a favorite of Monet's and other painters. Us, too--we ate a box of delectable macarons while people watching and enjoying the sunshine.

2. Beautiful chalk cliffs

After seeing postcards of dramatic cliffs while browsing shops in Honflour, we decided to take a little detour to Étretat. The postcards and my pictures just can't do it justice. The view from the beach is stunning, with the white pebble beach curving away towards a church set high on a hill above the sea.

But the most magnificent view is reached by walking up the cliff path. Wildflowers cover the tops of the white cliffs, leading down to dark turquoise waters. It reminded us very much of the west coast of the US.

But the west coast isn't littered with so many bunkers! These things were everywhere, tucked into towns, poking out of shrubbery in back yards, and greeting us at trailheads.

3. Historic sites
In addition to natural beauty, Normandy is also home to some very interesting history, all the way back to the Normans who gave the region its name in the 1100s.

In the pretty town of Bayeaux, we visited a 230 foot long embroidered tapestry from the 1070s, which tells the story of William the Conquerer's conquest of England. Created at a time when most people couldn't read, the tapestry was displayed annually in the Bayeux Cathedral. Since then it has changed hands many times, but finally it ended up in a very well-designed museum in Bayeaux. An audio tour guided us down the tapestry's entire length--the story is very engaging and the embroidery is beautiful.

About 150 kilometers to the east of Bayeaux sits the larger city of Rouen. Here Joan of Arc was held, tried, and burned at the stake in the 1400s.

the tower (previously part of a fortress) where Joan was kept & questioned

Rouen's cathedral is also famous, a favorite subject of Monet's--he was obsessed with the light around the building. It was rainy while we were there, so the light wasn't great but it was still very beautiful.

oh, and Richard the Lionheart is buried in the Rouen cathedral
you know, the one in Robin Hood

4. Charming stone villages and farms

In an effort to avoid to the painfully high tolls on the French highways, we set the GPS to take us on more economical routes, which meant winding, narrow back roads through beautiful farms and villages. Listening to horrible pop music on the radio with the windows down while driving through countryside was sublime.

When we visited Mont St. Michel, we stayed in an adorable farmhouse owned by a retired British couple. I missed seeing their new batch of chicks by one day (!), but while we were there I got to say hello to their Norwegian pony and the other chickens.

5. and, last but not least, the D-Day landing beaches

This part of the trip was so neat. Reading historical accounts and looking at pictures or videos just can't quite fully convey the scene. Standing on the hill looking down at Omaha beach gave me goosebumps. And seeing evidence of German gun emplacements, trenches, and  bunkers all along the coast made it even more real.

In fact, this part of the trip was so interesting that I think I'd better give it a post of its own. More soon!