calibusje
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A short description of a trip we took in the last week of October; it's wonderful to tour in autumn and enjoy the fall colours. Monet loved painting and living there, and you'll be amazed by the many manoirs, cathedrals, and castles you'll pass. You'll drive through beautiful villages, and be sure to visit the capital of this region: Rouen. Don't forget Honfleur, Bayeux, and Caen; they're definitely worth a visit too. It's a region of excellent cheeses (Camembert), cider, and calvados. Mont Saint-Michel is a top tourist destination, and the landing beaches are no less famous. Two lesser-known regions, the Perche and the Orne, will pleasantly surprise you; even more so: you'll enjoy touring with your cali along the fields, forests, and through beautiful villages.
Introducing: Normandy, France.
Did we do everything? No, our trip during the fall school holidays was too short for that (schoolchildren and partners in education).
I'll present our itinerary chronologically; of course, you can do everything in your own order and leave things out or add them. I hope I can give you a good idea of the region as it came to me.
We left Bruges for the Perche region. Many people associate Normandy with its beautiful coastline, wartime history, and tourist attractions, but there are also stunning nature reserves, and the Perche region is a gem to explore with its 126 charming and historic villages, manoirs, and forests (there's a forest with 300-year-old trees). Manoir de Courboyer in Nocé is a great place to visit.
You'll find peace and quiet in the Perche region, as there aren't many tourists during this period. There are, however, plenty of places to stay, including those with Park4Night and Camping Car Park. Saint-Cyr-la-Rosière is home to the Stone of Justice, La Chapelle-Montligeon boasts a basilica, completely out of proportion to its population, and Mortagne-au-Perche is the home of the boudin noir (a type of black pudding). At the parking lot of La Trappe Abbey, you can get free, very healthy water, and on the way to Bresolettes, you'll come across a roundabout in the middle of the woods: L'Etoile, built in the 18th century. In the Réno-Valdieu forest, you'll encounter 300-year-old trees, and you can even go for a walk among them. The Perche region's typical horse is the Percheron, a fun fact.
There are not only car routes but also marked hiking and cycling trails. These are easy to find, for example, in the villages themselves, signposted in the town center or near the church.
Then we entered another lesser-known region, the Orne. This green backyard boasts many forests and stud farms. This is also the region of cider, calvados, and perry.
We visited Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, a spa town popular with the upper class for centuries. It has lost some of its glory, but efforts are clearly underway to restore it to its former glory: many charming villas are being renovated. Another attraction is the striking Art Deco church. We took the vélotrain and found it quite enjoyable. Also worth a visit: Domfront, a medieval town, and Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, an idyllic artists' village; apparently, it can get very busy in the summer. Alençon is worth a visit, and there are, of course, many other towns and villages to explore or visit. Wherever you go, the surroundings are stunning. We had already visited Mont Saint-Michel several times, but this time we left it for the others.
The landing beaches. You'll encounter—unfortunately—many military cemeteries but also lots of museums dedicated to the landing. We'd already visited several on other trips along this coastline, and this time we chose the Pegasus Memorial in Ranville-Bénouville. British and Canadian troops had crucial tasks on D-Day, June 6th, and the days that followed. Highly recommended; you have to see this.
musee.memorial-pegasus.com
We started in Arromanche: not a landing beach, but heavily bombed. Then we continued to Longues-sur-Mer with its bunkers, still containing the guns, and the command bunker used in the film "The Longest Day." Continue via Le Chaos to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer with Omaha Beach. Then Pointe du Hoc. This area has been preserved (including the craters) as it was after the liberation. Beyond that, we continued to Utah Beach. Then to St.-Mère Église with the famous statue hanging from the church tower. This happened to a paratrooper when more than 15,000 were dropped.
We ended our trip with Rouen, the surprising capital of Normandy. Situated on the Seine, Joan of Arc and Rue de l'Horloge are two of the city's symbols. She was burned at the stake there, where a modern church now stands. Be sure to visit the Histoire Jeanne d'Arc museum (in the former archbishop's palace) and ask for an audio guide in your own language: fascinating, believe me.
Rue de l'Horloge is practically the heart of the city, but there are several other sights: take your time, as you can easily spend many hours in this city. As mentioned, it's certainly surprising! Just take a look at Notre Dame Cathedral. Monet certainly spent a lot of time there, painting the cathedral 30 times, each time the facade, with a different light and a different season.
Several other churches, courtyards (Aître Saint Maclou), museums, and the Palace of Justice ensure you won't want to leave this city anytime soon. But above all, the many half-timbered houses have stayed with us as one of the most surprising discoveries of this beautiful city.
What else is there and might we do later? A more thorough visit to Caen and Bayeux. Also: Honfleur: definitely worth a visit (left this now because not long ago visisted): a charming and very touristy port town where you can enjoy delicious food but also find less crowded spots with beautiful views of the Pont de Normandie.
Another particularly beautiful drive, which we did on our way back to Bruges, was the route from Le Havre to Dieppe along the D940, passing Étretat, Fécamp, and Veules-les-Roses. But then we took the autostrada back to Belgium.
It was a short six-day trip but undoupted fascinating, and also incredibly relaxing. We enjoyed it, and perhaps this trip description will inspire some of you to visit Normandy and its lesser-known regions yourself. Have fun!
Introducing: Normandy, France.
Did we do everything? No, our trip during the fall school holidays was too short for that (schoolchildren and partners in education).
I'll present our itinerary chronologically; of course, you can do everything in your own order and leave things out or add them. I hope I can give you a good idea of the region as it came to me.
We left Bruges for the Perche region. Many people associate Normandy with its beautiful coastline, wartime history, and tourist attractions, but there are also stunning nature reserves, and the Perche region is a gem to explore with its 126 charming and historic villages, manoirs, and forests (there's a forest with 300-year-old trees). Manoir de Courboyer in Nocé is a great place to visit.
You'll find peace and quiet in the Perche region, as there aren't many tourists during this period. There are, however, plenty of places to stay, including those with Park4Night and Camping Car Park. Saint-Cyr-la-Rosière is home to the Stone of Justice, La Chapelle-Montligeon boasts a basilica, completely out of proportion to its population, and Mortagne-au-Perche is the home of the boudin noir (a type of black pudding). At the parking lot of La Trappe Abbey, you can get free, very healthy water, and on the way to Bresolettes, you'll come across a roundabout in the middle of the woods: L'Etoile, built in the 18th century. In the Réno-Valdieu forest, you'll encounter 300-year-old trees, and you can even go for a walk among them. The Perche region's typical horse is the Percheron, a fun fact.
There are not only car routes but also marked hiking and cycling trails. These are easy to find, for example, in the villages themselves, signposted in the town center or near the church.
Then we entered another lesser-known region, the Orne. This green backyard boasts many forests and stud farms. This is also the region of cider, calvados, and perry.
We visited Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, a spa town popular with the upper class for centuries. It has lost some of its glory, but efforts are clearly underway to restore it to its former glory: many charming villas are being renovated. Another attraction is the striking Art Deco church. We took the vélotrain and found it quite enjoyable. Also worth a visit: Domfront, a medieval town, and Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, an idyllic artists' village; apparently, it can get very busy in the summer. Alençon is worth a visit, and there are, of course, many other towns and villages to explore or visit. Wherever you go, the surroundings are stunning. We had already visited Mont Saint-Michel several times, but this time we left it for the others.
The landing beaches. You'll encounter—unfortunately—many military cemeteries but also lots of museums dedicated to the landing. We'd already visited several on other trips along this coastline, and this time we chose the Pegasus Memorial in Ranville-Bénouville. British and Canadian troops had crucial tasks on D-Day, June 6th, and the days that followed. Highly recommended; you have to see this.
Mémorial-Pégasus
musee.memorial-pegasus.com
We ended our trip with Rouen, the surprising capital of Normandy. Situated on the Seine, Joan of Arc and Rue de l'Horloge are two of the city's symbols. She was burned at the stake there, where a modern church now stands. Be sure to visit the Histoire Jeanne d'Arc museum (in the former archbishop's palace) and ask for an audio guide in your own language: fascinating, believe me.
Several other churches, courtyards (Aître Saint Maclou), museums, and the Palace of Justice ensure you won't want to leave this city anytime soon. But above all, the many half-timbered houses have stayed with us as one of the most surprising discoveries of this beautiful city.
What else is there and might we do later? A more thorough visit to Caen and Bayeux. Also: Honfleur: definitely worth a visit (left this now because not long ago visisted): a charming and very touristy port town where you can enjoy delicious food but also find less crowded spots with beautiful views of the Pont de Normandie.
Another particularly beautiful drive, which we did on our way back to Bruges, was the route from Le Havre to Dieppe along the D940, passing Étretat, Fécamp, and Veules-les-Roses. But then we took the autostrada back to Belgium.
It was a short six-day trip but undoupted fascinating, and also incredibly relaxing. We enjoyed it, and perhaps this trip description will inspire some of you to visit Normandy and its lesser-known regions yourself. Have fun!
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