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The Highlights of Normandy
A short guide to discovering the delights of a unique French region
by Richard Zahra
Though Mont St Michel is perhaps the most glamorous, keep on the lookout because you are sure to encounter many wayside abbeys like Cerisy and St Gabriel de Brècy. Every abbey has its own story to tell.
Moving on to events within living memory, the D-day landings have etched a deep mark on the land and its people. Movies like The Longest Day and more recently, Saving Private Ryan have put Normandy in the limelight. Sixty years onwards, the allied landing beaches are still littered with leftovers from that fateful 6th June 1944. From the environs of Bayeux, it is only a short drive to the coast. Visit Arromanches to see the dented but impressive remains of the Mulberry artificial harbour. French, British, American and Canadian flags flutter nostalgically from the rooftops and souvenir shops sell all kinds of paraphernalia related to D-day – postcards, coasters, tablemats and even GI jackets. A restored Sherman tank, half-track and an anti-aircraft gun guard the Musée de Débarquement where you can relive the events of the D-day landings.
The silent remains of the German coastal battery at Longues-sur-Mer have been left untouched since D-day. Doing a little detective work you can work out what happened to the German gunners as they engaged the allied battleships in a deadly artillery duel.
Omaha is perhaps the most awe-inspiring landing beach. Rambling along the remains of the German network of trenches, bunkers and gun emplacements overlooking the open stretch of beach, you will appreciate how the landing American troops must have been exposed to the heavy German fire.
At Omaha American Military Cemetery, thousands of white crosses commemorate the fallen soldiers that fought to free Europe from the Nazis. Each military cemetery, be it British or German, is unique. At the small British cemetery at Bezenville, every tombstone is inscribed with a message from the relatives of the fallen. ‘He needs no medals, ribbons or bars for his name is written across the stars,’ says one of the inscriptions.
Wash away melancholy with Normandy’s most celebrated drink - cider. Small-scale harvester-producers spread throughout the region have been producing cider and Calvados for hundreds of years. Calvados is an apple brandy that is as synonymous to Normandy as Whisky is to Scotland. These establishments are concentrated on the Cider Trail, within the Cambremer area. You can stop, taste and buy directly from the producers.
If you hate to drink on an empty stomach, why not drive south of city of Lisieux amidst the rolling hills and twisting valleys of the Pays d’Auge? You can explore small villages like Pont-l-Évêque, Livarot and Camembert to taste the renowned cheeses that bear the same names. At the same time, you can also admire wonderful examples of half-timbered cottages that abound in the area.
If you’re looking for some outdoor activities to burn up some of the calories you’ve tucked in, Normandy can offer a wide repertoire of landscapes. You can ramble along the vast swathes of tide-washed sandy beaches, or you can tread lazily along the lush Vire Valley, a good example of bocage country. Get a bird’s eye view of the valley from Roches de Ham and then sip a cider in the café at the cliff edge. If you’re in for water sports, go canoeing down the River Orne, in the area known as the Suisse Normande. You can let the current drag you gently downstream between cliffs, wooded hills and crags.
You will not take long to discover that the Norman people are so kind that you will want to go back. Help always seems at hand – when I could not find my way to Roches de Ham, an old gentleman, Monsieur Bunel, came with me all the way to see me through. At the 17th century Norman farm where I lodged, La Ferme de l’Église, the atmosphere was truly rural France, and the hosts made me feel like I was a family member. I was invited over to a raucous birthday party where I was introduced to the neighbours and treated with home made cider, pastries and saucy jokes.
Be warned that after a few days in Normandy you’ll start feeling dangerously at home. Completely forgetting I was on holiday, I ended up milking hippopotamus-sized cows that tried hard to power-wash me with great spurts of wee from beneath their tails.
Moving on to events within living memory, the D-day landings have etched a deep mark on the land and its people. Movies like The Longest Day and more recently, Saving Private Ryan have put Normandy in the limelight. Sixty years onwards, the allied landing beaches are still littered with leftovers from that fateful 6th June 1944. From the environs of Bayeux, it is only a short drive to the coast. Visit Arromanches to see the dented but impressive remains of the Mulberry artificial harbour. French, British, American and Canadian flags flutter nostalgically from the rooftops and souvenir shops sell all kinds of paraphernalia related to D-day – postcards, coasters, tablemats and even GI jackets. A restored Sherman tank, half-track and an anti-aircraft gun guard the Musée de Débarquement where you can relive the events of the D-day landings.
The silent remains of the German coastal battery at Longues-sur-Mer have been left untouched since D-day. Doing a little detective work you can work out what happened to the German gunners as they engaged the allied battleships in a deadly artillery duel.
Omaha is perhaps the most awe-inspiring landing beach. Rambling along the remains of the German network of trenches, bunkers and gun emplacements overlooking the open stretch of beach, you will appreciate how the landing American troops must have been exposed to the heavy German fire.
At Omaha American Military Cemetery, thousands of white crosses commemorate the fallen soldiers that fought to free Europe from the Nazis. Each military cemetery, be it British or German, is unique. At the small British cemetery at Bezenville, every tombstone is inscribed with a message from the relatives of the fallen. ‘He needs no medals, ribbons or bars for his name is written across the stars,’ says one of the inscriptions.
Wash away melancholy with Normandy’s most celebrated drink - cider. Small-scale harvester-producers spread throughout the region have been producing cider and Calvados for hundreds of years. Calvados is an apple brandy that is as synonymous to Normandy as Whisky is to Scotland. These establishments are concentrated on the Cider Trail, within the Cambremer area. You can stop, taste and buy directly from the producers.
If you hate to drink on an empty stomach, why not drive south of city of Lisieux amidst the rolling hills and twisting valleys of the Pays d’Auge? You can explore small villages like Pont-l-Évêque, Livarot and Camembert to taste the renowned cheeses that bear the same names. At the same time, you can also admire wonderful examples of half-timbered cottages that abound in the area.
If you’re looking for some outdoor activities to burn up some of the calories you’ve tucked in, Normandy can offer a wide repertoire of landscapes. You can ramble along the vast swathes of tide-washed sandy beaches, or you can tread lazily along the lush Vire Valley, a good example of bocage country. Get a bird’s eye view of the valley from Roches de Ham and then sip a cider in the café at the cliff edge. If you’re in for water sports, go canoeing down the River Orne, in the area known as the Suisse Normande. You can let the current drag you gently downstream between cliffs, wooded hills and crags.
You will not take long to discover that the Norman people are so kind that you will want to go back. Help always seems at hand – when I could not find my way to Roches de Ham, an old gentleman, Monsieur Bunel, came with me all the way to see me through. At the 17th century Norman farm where I lodged, La Ferme de l’Église, the atmosphere was truly rural France, and the hosts made me feel like I was a family member. I was invited over to a raucous birthday party where I was introduced to the neighbours and treated with home made cider, pastries and saucy jokes.
Be warned that after a few days in Normandy you’ll start feeling dangerously at home. Completely forgetting I was on holiday, I ended up milking hippopotamus-sized cows that tried hard to power-wash me with great spurts of wee from beneath their tails.
Travel Brief
For information about what to do, places to visit, lodging and making contacts, visit the official Normandy website http://www.normandy-tourism.org/ (33 (0) 2 32 33 79 00).
For information about Normandy, lodging etc, visit the Western France tourist board’s website http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/normandy.html
For travel tips and information about border knowledge, driving, food and drink, money and how to get to Normandy visit
http://www.discover-normandy.info/generalinfo_traveltips.htm
For travel tips to Normandy and information about flights, driving, car hire and rail travel, visit the French Tourist Office website http://www.francetourism.com/index.htm
that contains detailed practical information.
The website http://normandy.angloinfo.com/ is a comprehensive English language guide to Life in Normandy and includes information about weather, events, shopping, property etc.
For information about what to do, places to visit, lodging and making contacts, visit the official Normandy website http://www.normandy-tourism.org/ (33 (0) 2 32 33 79 00).
For information about Normandy, lodging etc, visit the Western France tourist board’s website http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/normandy.html
For travel tips and information about border knowledge, driving, food and drink, money and how to get to Normandy visit
http://www.discover-normandy.info/generalinfo_traveltips.htm
For travel tips to Normandy and information about flights, driving, car hire and rail travel, visit the French Tourist Office website http://www.francetourism.com/index.htm
that contains detailed practical information.
The website http://normandy.angloinfo.com/ is a comprehensive English language guide to Life in Normandy and includes information about weather, events, shopping, property etc.