The cliffs of Etretat
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Peintre
Notre-Dame Cathédrale Eglise
Monument Fleuve La Seine |
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Photo
by Remy Vallee |
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on the image for larger version |
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 Further
along the spectacular corniche is super-chic spa resort of Deauville,
complete with casino and an event roster ranging from the American
Film Festival to steeple-chase and other horse events. Among the
40 golf courses in Normandy (of which 21 play to 18 holes) three
are here in Deauville, and there are some two dozen town-owned tennis
courts.
Inland and along delightful country roads, one can
trace the designated routes for cheese---Camembert, Livarot, Pont
l'Eveque---made in villages of the same name in the Pays d'Auge
region; other villages are linked in routes dedicated to cider and
Calvados, with half-timbered cottages beckoning travelers to tastings.
From here, curve down the Seine to the Jumièges
abbey, a dramatic monastic ruin founded by St. Philibert in the
7th century. Continue to Caen with a must-do visit to its Museum
for Peace, which records the sights and sounds of World War II,
from Europe's descent in war to D-Day and the stunning Liberation.
Here also, you encounter William the Conqueror his wife Mathilde;
he founded the Abbaye aux Hommes and she the Abbaye aux Dames.
Continue west to Bayeux, a well-cared for medieval
town whose super-star attraction is the Bayeux Tapestry, displayed
in building constructed just for it across from Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Said to be woven by Queen Mathilde and her ladies-in-waiting, this
masterpiece measures 231 feet long and two feet high, and depicts
the conquest of Britain by her husband Willian in 1066.
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Cimetière
Américain de Colleville-sur-Mer |
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Photo
by Fabian Charaffi |
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on the image for larger version |
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Back by the sea are the landing sites---Omaha and
Utah, where the American forces landed at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944;
Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches where the British and Canadian forces
came ashore. Here as well is the Amerian military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer,
another site where citizens from both sides of the Atlantic will
be honoring the 60th anniversary of D-Day this year. Visitors can
also capture some of the landings' drama viewing the beaches and
their defenses from the sea on coastal day cruises.
The Mont-Saint-Michel
Heading west to the Brittany border, the visitor
will find the most impressive sight of all: Mont Saint-Michel, the
14th century abbey of abbeys, perched on its rocky pinnacle beside
the sea. t is one of the architectural marvels of the world, the
most visited monument in France after the Eiffel Tower and Versailles.
Through the ages, Mont-Saint-Michel has been thronged with pilgrims
of all kinds, so come in off season or late in the afternoon when
the tour buses have left and have the magic place to yourself. |
