Author: Kris Kemp
Two of the top places to visit in Normandy are Mont St. Michel and Giverny, at the opposite ends of Normandy. These sites are well known to travelers, but the charm of Normandy is visiting the smaller villages. There's a lot of history here--and artists have eagerly sought out the Normandy light.
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Mont St. Michel
Le Mont St Michel, a commune in Normandy, France, in Europe, is one of France's most iconic attractions and stands in the Gulf of St Malo. A commune is a village or a city, depending on the amount of people. Since 2006, the population of people living in Mont St. Michel has been 41.
Perched on a rocky island in the midst of vast sandbanks, the rampart-guarded medieval town is crowned by a majestic Benedictine Abbey. Mont Saint-Michel is on the border of Normandy and Brittany and is connected to the shore by a causeway.
According to legend, the archangel Michael appeared to Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches in 708 and instructed him to build a church. Aubert repeatedly ignored the instruction until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger. This seemed to do the trick!
The Abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force and is depicted in the Bayeux tapestry. As the 'Wonder of the West' and a sacred destination, it is France's second most visited monument and is included on the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites.
After visiting the arcaded cloisters, one can wander at leisure among the maze of rooms, staircases and vaulted hall that makes up the Abbey. Travel to Mont St Michel is easy and can be included in a day trip from Chateau de L'Isle-Marie. Saint Malo, Granville and Villedien-let Puetes make interesting stops to avoid the crush of tourism at the Mont-St. Michel.
Giverny
75 kilometers northwest of Paris lies Giverny, a village in Normandy, France. Besides being home to the artist Claude Monet's house and Monet's garden, Giverny is surrounded by large forests, which are ideal for walking or bicycling.
In Giverny, among other things to do, visitors can tour can see the Monet's gardens which
inspired his paintings and experience Giverny's "special light" that influenced the work of Monet and other impressionists.
Despite its small size, Giverny has many festivals throughout the year. In September, the big
Giverny Festival comes to town. Due to the cooler weather, Spring and Fall are the best times to visit Giverny
10 other places worth visiting in Normandy, France in Europe
Cote Fleurie
The Cote Fleurie is the coastline between the D Day landings and the mouth of the Seine at La Havre. The impressionists loved it, and a walk around the quaint artist's village of Honfleur will let you know why.
Currently, Cote Fleurie is home to film festivals that are second only to Cannes. In a New York Times travel article (http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/travel/08Cover.html?pagewanted=all), the writer lauded Cote Fleurie for being glamorous without the fanfare that's normally attached to quiet seaside towns that become ruined by discovery, and the subsequent influx of the masses.
Caen
Caen has a castle and two abbeys, but many come for the Peace Museum. Caen, as we mentioned before, is the gathering point for excursions to the D Day beaches. Fewer come for les tripes à la mode de Caen. You can perhaps guess why.
The historic city of Caen, capital of Basse Normandie, has played a crucial role in Normandy's history since it was founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror. Some six centuries after the city was sacked and torched by invading English armies in 1346, Caen's old town was levelled once more during the shattering bombardments of the Normandy campaign. The city was bombed and set ablaze on D-Day, and by the time it was liberated by Canadian troops on 9 July 1944, over 80% of the city had been razed to rubble. Practically all that remains of old Caen are the ramparts around the chateau and the city's twin abbeys; the rest has been rebuilt in a typically utilitarian post-war style, using plenty of
concrete and pale stone.
Today, Caen is a busy university city and commercial centre, with a clutch of excellent museums, including the groundbreaking Caen Mémorial. It's a useful base for exploring the D-Day beaches and nearby Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is home to the tapestry that carries its name, and is also a town full of museums, split between the war and artisan crafts practiced here. Bayeux, with its perfectly preserved medieval ensemble, magnificent cathedral and world-famous tapestry, is 23km west of Caen – a mere twenty-minute train ride. It's a smaller and much more intimate city, and, despite the large crowds of summer tourists, a far more enjoyable place to visit. If you like to stay in a Bayeux hotel.
Cherbourg
Cherbourg was once a little fishing village but now sports a large historic port. The Liberation Museum is nearby. If the somewhat murky metropolis of CHERBOURG is your port of arrival, it's best to head straight out and on: despite some busy pedestrian streets and lively bars, the town itself lacks anything of substantial interest, and there are some much more appealing places within a very few kilometres to either side. If you want to sleep in a Cherbourg hotel, have a look at this site. Napoléon inaugurated the transformation of what had been a rather poor, but perfectly situated, natural harbour into a major transatlantic port, by means of massive artificial breakwaters.
An equestrian statue commemorates his boast that in Cherbourg he would "recreate the wonders of Egypt", though there are as yet no pyramids nearer than the Louvre. Cherbourg-Octeville is a city and commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.
Originally just Cherbourg, it was formed when the city absorbed Octeville on 28 February 2000, and was officially renamed Cherbourg-Octeville. Cherbourg holds an arsenal of the French Navy.
Granville
Granville is another seaside resort and commercial fishing village, but everyone comes here for the Christian Dior Museum; Dior grew up here. Go to the Haute Ville for picturesque. Go to the casino to lose your money. Granville is situated on the Cotentin Peninsula at the mouth of Bosq and Pointe du Roc (Cap Lihou) which in part closes in the north of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Domfront
Domfront is a compelling medieval town visitors seem to like Domfront is a medieval city, on a hill at 215 metres above the sea level, on the way from Paris to Brittany. This position gives the town an exceptional panoramic view on the Low-Normand bocages of which Domfront is the capital. As it has constantly adapted itself through the time, the town has busy shops and industry. If Domfront used to be famous for its tribunal and fairs, it is the quality of the accommodations and restaurants that does still attract many people every year.
Bagnoles
Bagnoles has its hydrotherapic baths which date back to the medieval times as well as some fine Art Deco architecture from the roaring 20s when Bagnoles came into its own as a tourist spa town.
This commune is famous for its hydrotherapic baths, which are known for their supposed healing powers for rheumatic, gynaecologic and circulatory problems. The origins of thermal activity are said to date back to the Middle Ages. The spa is centred around the lake, which is formed by the River Vée, a tributary of the Mayenne, before it enters a deep gorge cut through the massif of the Andaines Forest.
Local legend tells of the medieval lord, Seigneur Hugues de Tessé. Believing that his once-
glorious horse, "Rapide", was reaching the end of its life, Seigneur Hugues decided to abandon it in the Andaines Forest. He was amazed when the animal returned home some time later, strong and totally revitalized. Without resentment, "Rapide" took its master along to the waters of Bagnoles where he drank and was also rejuvenated. The spa was born.
According to another tale, a very old Franciscan monk who took the waters in Bagnoles found a new astonishing vigour and leapt across the highest rocks above the town, which are still called "Le Saut du Capucin" (The Monk's Leap).
Another facet of this fascinating place is the Arthurian legend, since Bagnoles and its
surroundings are supposed to be Lancelot's country. The village's calendar of cultural events includes a visit of the most famous Arthurian sites.
Camembert
Camembert is a small village you've heard of if you're a cheese eater. Gawk at the half-timbered houses and picnic by the river with your Camembert and bread. Camembert is a small village in the province of Normandy, in northwestern France. Perched on a hill in the fertile Pays d'Auge, overlooking the trout-filled Viette river, the village is composed of half-timbered dwellings huddled around the church. The origins of the village date back to the Dark Ages, well before the
Norman invasion of England led by William the Conquerer in 1066 AD. A certain "Mambert", of Frankish extraction, became the owner of a large tract of land. This area rapidly became known in old French as "Champ de Mambert", or "Mambert's Field" during the Middle Ages. Church records in the XVIth century list the village under the name "Campo Mauberti".
Successive generations transformed the name into the "Camembert" of today. The patron saint of the village is Saint Anne. Its population at the last census was 201 inhabitants; its area is about 2500 acres.
Evreux
Evreux has a fine cathedral with great stained glass. Évreux is a commune of Upper Normandy in northern France in the Eure department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called in French Ébroïciens. Évreux is situated in the pleasant valley of the Iton, arms of which traverse the town; on the south, the ground slopes up toward the public gardens and the railway station. It is the seat of a bishop, and its cathedral is one of the largest and finest in France.
The first cathedral was built in 1076, but destroyed in 1119 when the town was burned at the orders of Henry I of France to put down the Norman insurrection. He rebuilt the cathedral as an act of atonement to the Pope. Between 1194 and 1198, the conflict between Philippe Auguste and
Richard the Lion-hearted damaged the new cathedral. The architecture of the present edifice shows this history, with its blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. As did many towns in the regions of Nord and Normandy, Evreux and its cathedral suffered greatly from Second World War.
At Le Vieil-Évreux (lit. old Évreux), the Roman Gisacum, 3½ miles southeast of the town, the
remains of a Roman theatre, a palace, baths and an aqueduct have been discovered, as well as various relics, notably the bronze of Jupiter Stator, which are now deposited in the museum of Évreux.
Lisieux
Lisieux has a couple thousand years of history under its belt. See Le Musée d'Art et d'Histoire as well as all the historic religious buildings, especially those devoted to Therese Martin (no relation), then head over to Le Domaine St-Hippolyte where you can taste Normandy specialties.
Lisieux (French pronunciation: [li.zjø]) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France. Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. The inhabitants of Lisieux are known in France as Lexoviens (male) or Lexoviennes
(female). Lisieux is situated on the confluence of the river Touques and many of its tributaries: the rivers Orbiquet, Cirieux and Graindain. The town is in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, of which it is the capital. Lisieux is therefore surrounded by Normandy's typical hedged farmland, where there is a mix of livestock farming (mostly milk cows) and cider apple cultivation (from which cider and calvados are made, not forgetting pommeau).
Rouen
Rouen is where Joan of Arc met her sad end, and is very much an art city along the River Seine. Flaubert wrote here, and there's a museum dedicated to him in Rouen. Rouen (French pronunciation: [?w?~]) is the historic capital city of Normandy, in northern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) region.
Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe[citation needed], Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. It was in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431. People from Rouen are called Rouennais.
The population of the metropolitan area (in French: agglomération) at the 1999 census was 518,316 inhabitants and 532,559 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate. The city proper had an estimated population of 110,276 in 2007.
Travel in France, Europe
Travel to and and from these towns and villages can be easily arranged by train or, for those who enjoy the more adventurous excursion, hitchhiking across Europe is generally less frowned upon than in other countries.
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About the Author
I'm a minimalist, owning only essential items, which allows me freedom to travel and not having the obligations of unnecessary repairs, upgrades, or insurance. To find out more about my life, and to learn more about minimalism, visit http://kriskemp.com.
