Le Havre lies at the mouth of the River Seine and is the gateway to Paris and northern France. We travelled through the countryside up the coast to the beautiful little seaside townships of Etretat and FeCamp. Breathtaking cliffs grace the coastline and it is easy to understand why so many famous artists came to this area to paint their interpretations of this magnificent scenery. One such famous artist who frequented this area was Claude Monet a young native of Le Havre.
FeCamp is the largest cod fishing port in France and is famous for its magnificent Abbey, which has been restored and rebuilt several times. FeCamp Abbey is also the home of the world famous Benedictine liquer.
There is a world of history here in Europe compared to our relatively short history in Australia of just over 200 years. The Normans from Scandanavia first raided the northern coast, then decided to stay as settlers. Norman French was a strong influence on the formation of the English language, which I guess would explain why we have many words that look similar to the French version.
William the Conqueror set out from Normandy to invade England in 1066. Normandy was also the site of the D Day invasion of Hitler's Europe in 1944. Visitors today would never know that Normandy took more physical damage during World War II than any other region, as the cities have all been restored and rebuilt.
We travelled the coast to Dieppe where surprisingly we found a Ivoirier - a Craftsman who carves pieces of art from ivory - it was different to hear his side of the story as opposed to thinking about the poor animals being mercilessly killed and butchered for their ivory tusks.
In the afternoon we left Dieppe and headed south for the little village of Ferrieres Haut Clocher where we spent the next three days with Vincent, Stephanie, Pierre and Adele, the French family we met in Egypt just last year. Vincent is a part owner in a Vineyard and we were welcomed with the tastiest wines I have had for some time. Over the next few evenings we tried Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Red wine, Cider and the spirit of Calvados. The most amazing thing for me was that I did not have one headache from drinking the wine - which was very welcomed.
Vincent drew up itineraries for us to follow each day - set us up with maps and off we would go. With Vincent's guidance we visited great places that we would not otherwise have known to visit. La Bouille on the Seine is a very quaint little village where Pat was able to have a leather belt made while he waited. We visited the beautiful abbey of St Martin de Bosherville before heading into the city of Rouen.
Rouen is truly an amazing medieval city to visit and is the city where St Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the Old Market Place. We walked the city area for several hours checking out the many medieval streets and visited many sites including: The Church of Saint Joan of Arc, the Church of Saint Maclou and the Atrium of St Maclou which was a hospice where lepers went to die. We visited the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral which was commenced in the 12th century on the foundations of a 4th century basilica and an 11th century Romanesque edifice. We also saw the beautiful Great Clock of Rouen which was fully restored in 2006.
We drove along the banks of the River Seine which winds its way through the picturesque countryside and then headed up into the hills to visit a beautiful place called Les Andeleys. Monet's Garden in Giverny is also a beautiful place but unfortunately it rained the whole time we were there so we did not get to do the full tour of the gardens - we had to settle for the short tour.
The city of Honfleur is a gorgeous city in Normandy where we visited the striking old timber Church of Saint Catherine, which has two parallel naves and a vaulted roof. A visit to Normandy would not be complete without a visit to the amazing Bayeux Tapestry. It depicts the history of William, Duke of Normandy's conquest of England in 1066 on an almost 70 metre length of linen cloth. This 11th century production depicts more than 600 embroidered people, 200 horses, about 40 ships and hundreds of animals and mythological figures. It was made at a time when most people could not read or write - so it tells the story in pictures - in embroidery.
As we travelled along the Normandy coast we visited the many locations of the D Day Landing Beaches, including Sword, Juno, Gold and Omaha. It was here at these landing beaches on June 6th 1944 that the courage and sacrifice of war servicemen and women brought freedom back to the European continent. It is a very thought provoking trip and particularly the visit to the American War Cemetery where over 10,000 servicemen are buried.
Further along the coast of Normandy is the magnificent Abbey of Mount St Michael which is a marvel of medieval architecture. All the rooms related to monastic life and are stacked one on top of the other around the top of what was once a rock. According to the legend, after the appearance of the Archangel Saint Michael, the monastery grew - the construction was carried out from the 10th to the 15th centuries on several floors around the Abbey - truly an amazing place to visit. The spire of the Abbey crowned with a statue of the archangel reaches skyward from atop the Abbey and can be seen in the countryside for miles. We checked into La Vieille Auberge Hotel right inside the fortress and really enjoyed our visit - our room had a balcony with views out across the bay. The tide was amazing to watch - incidentally, twice a month during the spring tides, the flood tide registers the biggest tides in Europe.
We travelled from the City of Blois in the magnificent Loire Valley onto Chambord Chateau - the biggest chateau from the Renaissance time. The Chambord Estate is the largest enclosed park throughout the world with an area of 5,440 hectares and its size is equivalent to the inner city of Paris. Francois 1st chose Chambord in order to satisfy his passion for hunting. We toured the gardens and checked out the furnished apartments, the panoramic views from the roof terraces and the outstanding double revolution staircase, a range of tapestries and works of art from the Renaissance.
We crossed the River Loire at La Charite sur Loire and headed for The Domaine Du Puits De Compostelle the home of Emmanuel - Vincent's close friend and owner of the Vineyard from where the beautiful wines we had been partaking of, had come. Emmanuel showed us around and we sat down to try some more wines - of course we bought some bottles for the trip!
About 40 klms north of the Vineyard here in the Burgandy area of France is the beautiful little village of Vezelay. We walked up the narrow winding street of the village to the Basilica of Saint Madeleine - at the time Benediction was underway - the singing and the sound of the organ was glorious. Vezelay has become one of the most important holy places of the Christian world and a departure point for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
This particular evening in the Burgandy area we stayed in a little village Arnay Le Duc - the full French menu and wine list in the restaurant was amazing. We sat down to a candlelight dinner, complete with fresh flowers on the table. Our meal was amazing - truly French and truly traditional - right down to the waitresses in traditional French folk costume. Tonight for dinner Pat chose Escargots while I settled for the Beef Bourgogne to be in keeping with the atmosphere!
We visited the city of Beaune famous for its undergound wine caves and the Hospice de Beaune Hotel Dieu. These buildings built in 1443 have been perfectly preserved from the Middle Ages and were built by the Duke of Burgundy. In the wake of the 100 year war Beaune was suffering from poverty and famine. Three quarters of the town's inhabitants had no supplies so with a plan to redeem the situation, The Duke and his wife, Guigone de Salins decided to found a Hospice for the poor. They endowed it with an annual income from a saltworks and with its own resources from the vineyards went ahead and engaged a large number of artists in its decoration. The Hotel Dieu, or Hospital with its gothic facades is today considered a jewel of medieval architecture. The multicoloured roof tiles are thought to have originated in central Europe - from whichever angle they are viewed they take on yet another pattern - truly wonderful.
What an interesting place. From the Middle Ages to the 20th century countless sick were taken in and cared for in several of the large rooms by the Sisters of the Hospices de Beaune. The Hotel Dieu rapidly gained a great reputation amongst the poor, nobles and middle class alike. It was subsequently enlarged with donations from the latter and embellished with new rooms and works of art, thus becoming a true "Palace for the Poor".
We drove around the grape growing areas north of Beaune in this beautiful Loue Valley, to the old Citadel city of Ornans. Just inside the border we stayed at the little village of La Vrine at La Ferme Hotel where we had the pleasure of meeting the friendliest Hotelier on the planet! Thank you Nadine for all your help and for a great visit!
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