Normandy (France)

In 1793 the revolutionary government, in a typical excess of zeal, abolished the ancient provinces of France. This was done both because they represented the heritage of feudalism, and because they were too varied in size for the uniform, "rational" administration for which the revolutionaries craved. Old local loyalties were to be swept away and the départements that replaced the provinces were mostly named after impersonal geographic features: rivers and mountain ranges. Only in a few cases were traditional names allowed to prevail. Among these few, I have always had a particularly soft spot ... more

When reading travelogues or reviews about areas I am visiting it's nice to get an overall picture of the area, places to visit, restaurants and such things. My motive for visiting Normandy was specific in visiting places connected to WWII. Obviously such recent history cannot be avoided (or should be) when visiting Normandy so there are lots of places to visit, see and learn about. Our gite (cottage) was in lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie) about 100 kms from the landing beaches of Omaha and Utah but that didn't stop us travelling up there on two separate days within the week to see them. Juno ... more

ow, i do not usually review places, but felt after holidaying here last year, i wanted to share some experiences of this magical place that i had the pleasure of going to. I do have personal reasons for going, which i will talk more about, but i wanted to let people know about this wonderful county only 3-4 hours drive from Calais, perfect if you are new to driving on the continent (like me!). Normandy is situated in the North of France, along the west coast. It sits below Picardy which is home to Calais. It has ports such as Caen, and inner sancturies such as the calvados region. The northern ... more

I can remember the day, no, the second that it happened. I had just joined the sixth form and was studying Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, drunk on the heady joys of French literature. I was also taking Spanish at A level but, though I liked it, it never wove the same spell that French did. And my third subject, English, well I’d known for a long time about the delights of that. This was all new, and magical. When I walked into Coventry City library, that late September morning, I had no idea that I was about to fall in love. I did some work on Flaubert, then looked at general books on Normandy ... more

All the reviews I have read have been on 'Basse Normandie'. Whilst this area certainly has its attractions (you can't argue with the Bayeux Tapestry or the Landing Beaches) so many English people are missing out on the secret attractions of 'Haute Normandie', long known to the French. Parisians have certainly discovered the pleasures of owning a second home in this peaceful and beautiful area 'entre Seine et mer'. The best way to visit the Seine Maritime is probably via Transmanche Ferries from Newhaven to Dieppe although the Speedferries terminal at Boulogne is only an hour and a half's drive ... more