Normandy
Étretat, on the north coast of Normandy, was our final destination of this big road trip before settling into Paris for two months —the second half of France Once Again.
We crossed over the Le Havre Pont de Normandie, a large cable-stay bridge that spans the wide mouth of the Seine River where it meets the English Channel. Honfleur? Sorry to say, we by-passed it, and we also had to ignore the road signs to Rouen, Dieppe and other great centres in Normandy. They will not be a part of this Grand Voyage.
Narrow secondary and tertiary roads took us through small villages and farm fields, all aglow with crops of rapeseed.
Day after tomorrow—May 1—our car has to be turned in, in Paris. Sadly, we have left only one day for Normandy.
We have seen and experienced a lot of France since we arrived on the first day of March. In some places we stayed for weeks at a time; in others, we stopped for a few days, and in places. We loved all of it.
Standing beside Joanne is a wonderful woman named Annick.
Annick is shorter than Joanne but larger than life itself. She took us in, she shared her home with us, a warm dinner and breakfast. And, of course, she shared her husband, John (Jean).
Jean and I traded stories of the sea. Like me as a younger man, he worked in the sea trade. I was crew (who among you readers knows this?) and Jean, supplying the ships as a supercargo.
We crossed over the Le Havre Pont de Normandie, a large cable-stay bridge that spans the wide mouth of the Seine River where it meets the English Channel. Honfleur? Sorry to say, we by-passed it, and we also had to ignore the road signs to Rouen, Dieppe and other great centres in Normandy. They will not be a part of this Grand Voyage.
Narrow secondary and tertiary roads took us through small villages and farm fields, all aglow with crops of rapeseed.
Day after tomorrow—May 1—our car has to be turned in, in Paris. Sadly, we have left only one day for Normandy.
We have seen and experienced a lot of France since we arrived on the first day of March. In some places we stayed for weeks at a time; in others, we stopped for a few days, and in places. We loved all of it.
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| Étretat Golf Club |
Annick is shorter than Joanne but larger than life itself. She took us in, she shared her home with us, a warm dinner and breakfast. And, of course, she shared her husband, John (Jean).
Jean and I traded stories of the sea. Like me as a younger man, he worked in the sea trade. I was crew (who among you readers knows this?) and Jean, supplying the ships as a supercargo.
More about sea stories soon: maybe while the blog is still on the coast of France before we head inland to Paris.
Let's go back for a moment to Biarritz (Ch 13). When we were there, Anne-Sophie asked us what our plans were for Normandy before going to Paris. We said we had intended to reserve a place in Étretat, but had not yet got around to it.
"That's my home town, where I'm from," she said. "My parents live near there. My mother helps international student home stays in the area, and rents out a little house in the back garden from April through September. Maybe she has a room available."
A call was placed to mom, but she was all booked up. Daughter lobbied with mother, and we were offered a bedroom in her house, on the top floor. This was Anne-Sophie's room when she lived with her parents. We were delighted. We were honoured.
Our new friend, with a very big heart, was waiting for our arrival. So, we began our last day, not as strangers taken in, but with a big embrace and smiling eyes. Joanne and I talk from time to time over a glass of wine about how alike the greetings were by both daughter and mother.
Let's go back for a moment to Biarritz (Ch 13). When we were there, Anne-Sophie asked us what our plans were for Normandy before going to Paris. We said we had intended to reserve a place in Étretat, but had not yet got around to it.
"That's my home town, where I'm from," she said. "My parents live near there. My mother helps international student home stays in the area, and rents out a little house in the back garden from April through September. Maybe she has a room available."
A call was placed to mom, but she was all booked up. Daughter lobbied with mother, and we were offered a bedroom in her house, on the top floor. This was Anne-Sophie's room when she lived with her parents. We were delighted. We were honoured.
Our new friend, with a very big heart, was waiting for our arrival. So, we began our last day, not as strangers taken in, but with a big embrace and smiling eyes. Joanne and I talk from time to time over a glass of wine about how alike the greetings were by both daughter and mother.
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| view from our table to the #10 T-Box |
Annick happens to be a member of the Étretat Golf Club. Our tour of the old city began from there, with a glass of Normandy cider at the 19th Hole. From the window of the clubhouse we overlooked a nerve jangling drive.
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| waiting to T-off from #1, on the left |
| The Étretat Golf Course is one of the most picturesque in France |
Étretat is a very popular destination in Normandy. It happened to be a long weekend in France so parking was hopeless. Annick left her car at the Golf Club and she guided us down into the city from there.
First through the woods, then along a hedgerow and on down into the old city.
Few people enter the town this way.
Once again, we were spared by the weather. It had been raining before and after our outing, but not a drop fell from the sky during our excursion.
Normandy has its share of Medieval half-timbered buildings, but here they are maintained well, and are situated in open airy quarters of the city.
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| the Porte d'Aval arch
Stand on the beach. Look to the left, the northwest, where you will see the Porte d'Aval. You can walk under it at low tide.
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To your right is the northwestern arch, Porte d'Amont. Zoom in and you will see that the beach runs right up to the cliff wall.
A little research revealed that these arches were originally formed by underground rivers. The sea has done the rest.
The limestone cliffs and arches are very accessible. If only we had planned our time better ...
There are many more cliffs, arches, and rock formations on the other side of this one. While I was excited about what I saw, there is so much more on the other side. I highly recommend to readers who are nature lovers, make an excursion to this part of France. Plan it well and take time to explore. If you are a visual artist, bring your creative tools - Claude Monet did, along with other Impressionist artists, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet ...
Take a look at my photo above with the boat on the shingle beach. Now do an online search for Claude Monet paintings at Etretat and browse his amazing number of paintings to see the different ways he saw this place. One of Monet's original works that looks just like mine - hah - is on display in the Musée D'Orsay.
Benedictine liqueur. It is not my favourite drink, but its story is very interesting. If one needs another reason to visit this region of Normandy, consider putting this historic institution on your list.
Annick, John, et Anne-Sophie, merci beaucoup. Joanne, my occasional editor, has reminded me that you celebrated our arrival with the sharing of a chilled bottle of champagne. Moi, I cannot imagine a more comforting way of spending the last night of our grand voyage.
...ooo0ooo...
So ends a personal review of a spectacular two months in France - March and April, 2017. Not all has been revealed, of course, but we have shared some highlights.
Google Blogger tells me that as of this posting, there have been 3,400 people checking in for a read. (though I suspect that some of these numbers are "crawlers" - not real people, but robots).
Thank you all for following along.
If I can say that this has been Part One, then the City of Light will be Part Two. Paris, however, will not get the amount of space that I have used in these twenty-two chapters.
a bientot!
