The sites of Normandy

Mustard shortage aside, it’s been lovely to be back in France. I’ve been lucky to stay with two of my French host sisters, and now, my French host mom, since arriving. A slightly funny story – I got my second booster shot two weeks before coming to France. The day after I got here, I awoke with a mild sore throat, and a runny nose consistent with allergies. In fact, as soon as I left my host sister’s house, all symptoms disappeared, only to return when back in the house at night. One evening, my host sister had me taste an apparently very strong alcohol called Killepitsch. When I practically coughed because it was so strong, my host sister inquired whether I tasted only the alcohol, or, whether I noticed the layers of fruit taste. I only tasted the alcohol, itself. That’s when she threw me a Covid home test, joking that if I didn’t taste the fruit, I must have Covid. And, well, it turned out to be true. Happily, I can’t imagine a better reason to think one has Covid, and I had a very mild case.

Joan Of Arc. Is it just me, or does she look like Scarlett Johannsen?

Once able to enjoy the outdoors again, I was delighted to discover some places in France, a country I’ve been coming to for 36 years (!) that I was not familiar with, as well as getting to visit a few places I know a bit better. Here’s an overview of the places covered in this post. Rouen is about an hour and a half train ride outside Paris. For many of these sites, you’re best renting a car, though some are reachable by train (SNCF) or bus (Blablacar Bus or  Nomad Car.)

Rouen

If you’re not familiar with it, this is the town where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy in 1431. She later was cannonized as a saint; her ultimate mission had been to save France from the English.

Today’s Rouen is a fairly modern city, though the old town has some beautiful places to see, such as the well known “gros horloge”, or clock tower. Walking along the streets, there’s a beautiful church, cobblestone streets, and a funny fountain, among many other beautiful sites.

Honfleur

This is one of my favorite cities in Normandy. The harbor with the moored boats is gorgeous and one of my favorite photos to catch. This time, I also enjoyed a fresh dinner of “moules-frites maison” overlooking the harbor with my host sister.

The Victor Hugo Museum.

Villequier

A wonderful small town in Normandy home to the Victor Hugo house, and someplace I’d never been. I enjoyed my visit to the museum, as well as learning more about the author. Tragically, one of his daughters died there at age 19, in a boat accident, just months after she was married. He dedicated his poem “Demain, des l’aube” to his daughter.

Allouville

Here you’ll find a very interesting church, built, directly, into a tree! It’s worth a visit, even if only a short one.

Fécamp

A beautiful town along the English channel, offering wonderful views, a casino, and beach. My host sister’s daughter brought me here for the afternoon. She’s just turned 18 so I treated her to her very first experience in the casino! Happily, I won back all that I spent on myself, so departed with everything I had brought. 🙂 Fecamp offers a lovely beach as well as a town that’s enjoyable to walk through. The beach, however, on a sunny day, will likely take most of your attention, whether to sit and admire the view, or walk along the boardwalk.

Veule-Les-Roses

Probably a lesser-known small town, rich with roses everywhere you look, as well as a wonderful walk through the town, complete with a watermill, and a lovely hotel cafe to enjoy a cup of tea and a pastry enjoying the view. This is a lovely small town where you probably won’t be surrounded by tourists as you enjoy a stroll or a pastry.

Lillebonne

A small village that boasts a Roman ampitheater. This is where many of the Romans who came to the area settled and each year the town has a Juliobona celebration where everyone is Roman for the day and you can learn how combs were made from animal bones, and see how a column is built from stone! (Check out my video below for an idea of the town during the celebration and for an amazing fire throwing show!)

Not far from Lillebonne is the Abbaye du Valasse. It’s a lovely place to wonder the grounds, and, you can see (and pet) some Normandy cows! If you prefer, you can simply visit the wonderful tea shop for a pastry and a coffee or tea to enjoy the afternoon.

Le Havre

My final stop before coming to visit my host mom was Le Havre, a wonderful port city. My host sister and I departed in her daughter’s car which had a dead battery. Unaccustomed to manual cars, I was astonished that she had me and her daughter push the car to get it started, drove around the block, picked me up, and made the entire drive to Le Havre, thinking the battery would recharge itself along the way. We learned, upon leaving, that this was not the case, and had to have my host-sister’s daughter and her friends come rescue us!

In-between car pushes, we managed to see the beautiful father/daughter statue overlooking the city, one of the newer churches (because Le Havre was bombed by the English in World War 2, supposedly to get rid of the German occupation, though, I was told, the real reason was not so clear) as Rouen is a city that has been mostly rebuilt since the war.

Want to travel with me? Watch the video below as I explore each of the cities mentioned above.