Aventures en Calvados

Last weekend we spent exploring Calvados, département 14 in Basse-Normandie, about an hour and a half from Fauville-en-caux. Yes, this region is where Calvados (a very strong apple brandy) is made, and the region is home to Cambremer, where Camembert cheese is made. My region of Seine-Maritime is called the "Pays de caux," hence the Fauville-en-caux, St-Valéry-en-caux, etc. Likewise Calvados is known as the "Pays d'Auge" (towns such as the charming Beaumont-en-Auge) and has great regional products (those listed above as well as cider) and also known for its horses and horseback riding.

Photos of Beaumont-en-Auge:




I can't resist photographing lovely doors:



Honfleur, adorable coastal town even under gray skies:



Marina in Trouville, a bit further west along the Basse Normandie coast:



Hôtel de ville in Trouville:


Seafood market in Trouville-yum!!




Ever heard of the Deauville American Film Festival? To be honest, I hadn't (though upon reflection I'm sure I've heard of it, just didn't really take serious note of it) before visiting Deauville, small coastal (and very posh) town just across the river from Trouville (Deauville-Trouville are a bit like Buda and Pest). From the pictures you can tell that there's some serious money to be spent here. But not by me.

Mairie in Deauville:


Posh hotel (1400euros/night for the Presidential Suite overlooking the ocean)

Valmont, Vaucottes et Yport

This is the Château de Valmont, originally built in the 12th century by the d'Estouteville family, descendants of Vikings. It is said that Robert Ier d'Estouteville faught alongside Guillaume le Conquérant against the English in the Battle of Hastings, and throughout the centuries various d'Estouteville descendants defended other Norman territories in danger of British attack.

Beach at Yport

View of Fécamp from Yport:

Vaucottes:

Les grands manoirs à Vaucottes:

Veules-les-Roses, Cutest Town Ever!

I am in love with Veules-les-Roses! This lovely little town is home to the smallest river in France, La Veules. There are two words for river in French: a fleuve empties into an ocean whereas a rivière empties into another river. Since La Veules empties into the English Channel (La Manche), technically it is a fleuve and thus the smallest one in all of la France.




The charming houses with straw-thatched roofs make me think I'm visiting The Shire (and secretly I hope to see some Hobbits crossing the street).



There are several small mills here along La Veules. This wider spot in the river is home to a bed of cresson (watercress), which you can buy at a small hut by the bunch or in sauce form.

Sur la Côte Normande: St Valéry-en-caux

Last weekend I spent visiting the lovely coastal towns of the Pays de Caux with Gildas, my copain français. From Fécamp we went to Les Grandes Dalles (remember Oregon Trail? The Dalles? Dalles means cliff/rock face, often in connection with concrete), Saint Valéry-en-caux and Veules-les-Roses. Do these shots of a sunny day in St Valéry-en-caux make you want to come visit?

L'Abbaye de la Trinité & Le Château de Fécamp

The abbey here was a Benedictine abbey/monastery and has its origins in the 600s. The original church was built in 990 by the Duke of Normandy, Richard I (an ancestor of William the Conquerer). Its current façade is a conglomeration of bits added on here and there throughout history, but is a mostly is a 13th century Gothic creation.




The ruins of the Château de Fécamp date from the 9th or 10th century. When I look at this I feel like I'm on the set of "Braveheart." Richards I and II as well as good old Guillaume (and others...) used it as a fortress.

La Bénédictine

Have you ever heard of "La Bénédictine?" It's a really smooth liqueur distilled from 27 different herbs/spices/plants and it's made in Fécamp! It gets its name from the Benedictine monks who lived in the abbey (do monks live in an abbey?), L'Abbeye de la Trinité, in town. You can actually visit the distillery and museum, in the Palais de la Bénédictine, the gorgeous building below.





The Benedictine monks invented this elixir in several centuries ago, and it was well-known in the area. Later, in 1863, Alexandre le Grand learned the secrets (I don't think under bad pretenses) and decided to market it, naming it "La Bénédictine" after the monks who first invented it. Its success was immediate. It's sold all around the world, and there are about a dozen cocktails that use Benedictine in them, though I've only ever tasted it on ice.

D.O.M. (Deo Optimo Maximo, latin for "To God, the greatest and the best"

Les Ruelles de Fécamp

An hour's walk around Fécamp is a charming throwback to another time... Not sure if it's another decade or another century, but you definitely forget all about Internet connections, iPhones and high-speed trains.