France mon amour! Our week exploring Paris and Normandy 🇫🇷
Going to Normandy in August was definitely our highlight of this year and gave us the chance to visit some stunning sites and also learn about the rich history of that region. We didn't know France very well before this trip as we had only visited Paris and a few places in the South, so we definitely learned more about the beauty of this country and have now a different and improved view of it. Totally recommended if you're looking for a getaway which combines nature, culture and amazing food!
In this post we will not go into detail on the characteristics and history of each place as these are things that can be easily found anywhere online. Rather we will tell you about our experience and impressions, hope it will be useful for you!
We're sure most of you already know Paris very well. At first we thought "Should we really include it in the itinerary? It's so cliché! Paris in August will be hell!" and then we ended up getting drawn to its charm once again. We'll never resist the temptation of spending some time in Paris! Needless to say it was actually pretty packed being high season but we made an effort to visit also less touristy places and escape the crowds. Our first day started with the Musée de l'Orangerie, home of Claude Monet's Water Lilies. We couldn't recommend it enough! The atmosphere is special and, even though the museum itself is not very big, there are some unique pieces that are absolutely worth seeing, from Renoir to Cézanne and so on. Also if you then have the chance to visit Monet's actual gardens in Giverny you should buy a combined ticket at the museum, which is what we did. We were also lucky enough to be there when there was the summer exhibition Tokio-Paris, showcasing some wonderful Japanese art.
Our second day started with a visit of the National History Museum. The National Geographic was exhibiting in one of the pavillions! We found out about the exhibition just when we arrived and were thrilled: it featured a hundred stunning photographs accompanied by descriptions and interesting stories. After that, we visited the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution and were honestly disappointed. The building was impressive and well structured but, as animal lovers, we did not appreciate the huge quantity of stuffed animals and found it unnecessary. On the whole, it was a very educational afternoon! And how could we leave Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower once again? Its call was too strong! We headed there just before dinner and fought our way through the crowds to take a few pics (the things you do for a good shot ;) ). We had dinner a bit further away hoping to find less pricey restaurants (not very successfully). And went back to see the Tower shining in the night.
Our third day was also packed with visits. We started with Monet's house in Giverny and spent a few hours basically walking around his paintings in real life. The gardens were mesmerising! Absolutely beautiful, we're sure it is impossible not to be enchanted by this place. What also made us veeery happy is that, as we were moving away from Paris, restaurant prices were lower meaning we could have more food yayyy :)
Our fourth day was dominated by nature. We started the day visiting Fécamp. The town is best known for its breath-taking chalk cliffs. The best viewpoint is Cap Fagnet, which is the highest point along the Alabaster coast (110m). The place was so peaceful, we absolutely fell in love with it! The day was very foggy so we couldn't see much of the views but it still felt magical. On the path we could also see a lighthouse and a few German bunkers.
We then had lunch with moules frites (mussels and fries) and drove to Etretat. Here we found three natural arches which really reminded us of Dorset, in England! We climbed the cliffs and were welcomed by some of the best views we've ever seen. The walk was lovely and there were numerous places to stop and admire the arches. It is important to be really careful as there are very few safety railings. Fun facts: this landscape was often painted by Monet and other impressionists and the writer Guy du Maupassant spent most of his childhood here. An Arsène Lupin story was also based here! The old center is also pretty and worth a quick visit.
We were so positively susprised when we arrived in Honfleur! Its port is incredibly pictoresque with many colourful houses that were painted by artists including Monet. We could have spent the whole day walking around the port looking at the different boats and the pretty houses. We visited the Sainte-Catherine church, which is the largest French church made out of wood and a bell tower that seems to be coming out of a fairytale. We then had a quick lunch by the port but unfortunately couldn't find a restaurant with a view because of the incredible amount of tourists. Definitely come during low season to make the most of it!
In this post we will not go into detail on the characteristics and history of each place as these are things that can be easily found anywhere online. Rather we will tell you about our experience and impressions, hope it will be useful for you!
DAY 1 & 2 - PARIS
We're sure most of you already know Paris very well. At first we thought "Should we really include it in the itinerary? It's so cliché! Paris in August will be hell!" and then we ended up getting drawn to its charm once again. We'll never resist the temptation of spending some time in Paris! Needless to say it was actually pretty packed being high season but we made an effort to visit also less touristy places and escape the crowds. Our first day started with the Musée de l'Orangerie, home of Claude Monet's Water Lilies. We couldn't recommend it enough! The atmosphere is special and, even though the museum itself is not very big, there are some unique pieces that are absolutely worth seeing, from Renoir to Cézanne and so on. Also if you then have the chance to visit Monet's actual gardens in Giverny you should buy a combined ticket at the museum, which is what we did. We were also lucky enough to be there when there was the summer exhibition Tokio-Paris, showcasing some wonderful Japanese art.
In the afternoon we decided to go a bit further away from the beaten touristy path and visit Chateau Vincennes, called the Versailles of Middle Age. We found it a very fascinating and interesting place and, most importantly, it was a good break from the crowds! If you decide to visit the Chateau you should get a guided tour to make the most of it, as there is no furniture and decorations so it inevitably leaves a lot to imagination.
We spent the evening enjoying the sunset over the city at Montmartre and had dinner there (average quality, avoid food there if you can!).
Our second day started with a visit of the National History Museum. The National Geographic was exhibiting in one of the pavillions! We found out about the exhibition just when we arrived and were thrilled: it featured a hundred stunning photographs accompanied by descriptions and interesting stories. After that, we visited the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution and were honestly disappointed. The building was impressive and well structured but, as animal lovers, we did not appreciate the huge quantity of stuffed animals and found it unnecessary. On the whole, it was a very educational afternoon! And how could we leave Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower once again? Its call was too strong! We headed there just before dinner and fought our way through the crowds to take a few pics (the things you do for a good shot ;) ). We had dinner a bit further away hoping to find less pricey restaurants (not very successfully). And went back to see the Tower shining in the night.
DAY 3 - GIVERNY AND ROUEN
Our third day was also packed with visits. We started with Monet's house in Giverny and spent a few hours basically walking around his paintings in real life. The gardens were mesmerising! Absolutely beautiful, we're sure it is impossible not to be enchanted by this place. What also made us veeery happy is that, as we were moving away from Paris, restaurant prices were lower meaning we could have more food yayyy :)
We then drove to Rouen, a medieval city famous for being the place where Joan of Arc was tried for heresy. If you pass by Rouen and only have a few hours to see it, don't forget to visit the Gothic Cathedral and the Gros-Horloge (the astronomical clock) and stop for dinner in one of the lovely restaurants in Place du Vieux-Marche.
DAY 4 - FECAMP AND ETRETAT
Our fourth day was dominated by nature. We started the day visiting Fécamp. The town is best known for its breath-taking chalk cliffs. The best viewpoint is Cap Fagnet, which is the highest point along the Alabaster coast (110m). The place was so peaceful, we absolutely fell in love with it! The day was very foggy so we couldn't see much of the views but it still felt magical. On the path we could also see a lighthouse and a few German bunkers.We then had lunch with moules frites (mussels and fries) and drove to Etretat. Here we found three natural arches which really reminded us of Dorset, in England! We climbed the cliffs and were welcomed by some of the best views we've ever seen. The walk was lovely and there were numerous places to stop and admire the arches. It is important to be really careful as there are very few safety railings. Fun facts: this landscape was often painted by Monet and other impressionists and the writer Guy du Maupassant spent most of his childhood here. An Arsène Lupin story was also based here! The old center is also pretty and worth a quick visit.
DAY 5 - HONFLEUR AND CAEN
We were so positively susprised when we arrived in Honfleur! Its port is incredibly pictoresque with many colourful houses that were painted by artists including Monet. We could have spent the whole day walking around the port looking at the different boats and the pretty houses. We visited the Sainte-Catherine church, which is the largest French church made out of wood and a bell tower that seems to be coming out of a fairytale. We then had a quick lunch by the port but unfortunately couldn't find a restaurant with a view because of the incredible amount of tourists. Definitely come during low season to make the most of it!
After lunch, we drove to Caen to visit its war memorial commemorating World War II and the Battle for Caen. It was sooo interesting and well made, with so many original artefacts and stories! We had previously read that people usually need 3 hours to visit it but we felt like we needed even more than that. In fact, an afternoon wasn't enough for us to see it all but fortunately the ticket is valid for 24 hours so we decided to go back the following day.
DAY 6 - COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER AND OMAHA BEACH
The sixth day was definitely the most emotional. We spent the morning finishing our visit of the Caen Memorial and then went to Colleville-sur-Mer to see the American cemetery, where American troops who died in Europe during WWII are buried and honoured. We were struck by the size of it: it really shows how significant was the amount of lives lost during the war and we were very moved, there are 9000 crosses here! The museum was also very interesting, with video clips and items from that period. We particularly liked the fact that it didn't focus solely on facts regarding the war, but there were also descriptions of the lives and actions of the single soldiers who fought in Normandy.
Not far from there there is Omaha beach, which was a landing area used by Allied forces in the D-Day invasion. It is today a very quiet beach where people take their dogs for a stroll and families go to play with their kids. The only sign that such a big event happened there is the monument Les Braves, an abstract monument honouring the courage of "sons, husbands and fathers, who endangered and often sacrificed their lives in the hope of freeing the French people" (words of the sculptor). Standing there and imagining what happened is a very weird feeling and left us thinking for a while. It was an experience that, in a way, changed our mindset.
The sixth day was definitely the most emotional. We spent the morning finishing our visit of the Caen Memorial and then went to Colleville-sur-Mer to see the American cemetery, where American troops who died in Europe during WWII are buried and honoured. We were struck by the size of it: it really shows how significant was the amount of lives lost during the war and we were very moved, there are 9000 crosses here! The museum was also very interesting, with video clips and items from that period. We particularly liked the fact that it didn't focus solely on facts regarding the war, but there were also descriptions of the lives and actions of the single soldiers who fought in Normandy.Not far from there there is Omaha beach, which was a landing area used by Allied forces in the D-Day invasion. It is today a very quiet beach where people take their dogs for a stroll and families go to play with their kids. The only sign that such a big event happened there is the monument Les Braves, an abstract monument honouring the courage of "sons, husbands and fathers, who endangered and often sacrificed their lives in the hope of freeing the French people" (words of the sculptor). Standing there and imagining what happened is a very weird feeling and left us thinking for a while. It was an experience that, in a way, changed our mindset.
DAY 7 - MONT SAINT MICHEL AND CANCALE
On our last day, we went to Mont Saint Michel. It is possible to reach it by parking at 2.5km from it and either getting the shuttle or walking. What is very impressive is that it is only an island during high tide, while during low tide it is possible for tourists to walk on the land around it (apparently sometimes it is possible to see seals!).
Where to eat? We highly recommend eating before you get there as it is full of expensive touristy restaurants! If you want to try some local specialties, only an hour away is the town of Cancale, famous for its oysters.
On our last day, we went to Mont Saint Michel. It is possible to reach it by parking at 2.5km from it and either getting the shuttle or walking. What is very impressive is that it is only an island during high tide, while during low tide it is possible for tourists to walk on the land around it (apparently sometimes it is possible to see seals!).
Being a very popular UNESCO heritage site, we had great expectations on this place and were quickly disappointed. We didn't particularly enjoy the experience mostly because of the crowd. The shuttle to get there was packed and the journey very hot and uncomfortable. The view of Mount Saint Michel is amazing but when we stopped on the sidewalk to take a few pictures we were constantly pushed by tourists passing by. We then followed the Grand Rue, the main street, and arrived to the Abbey. The church itself is nothing impressive in our opinion, with barely any painting or decoration, but from up there we had great views of the town and the surrounding countryside.
Where to eat? We highly recommend eating before you get there as it is full of expensive touristy restaurants! If you want to try some local specialties, only an hour away is the town of Cancale, famous for its oysters.
Cancale is a fishing village specialized in the culture of oysters with flat shells. It is possible to buy 12 of them at very affordable prices (see picture!) and eat them in front of the oyster beds, throwing the shells directly in the sea. We ended up having 8 oysters each! The town itself is also very pretty with a lot of little restaurants facing the sea. The perfect conclusion to our trip.
Comments
Post a Comment