Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Normandy Highlights
Normandy brings a dozen different images to mind: William the Conqueror, the
D-Day landings, Mont-St-Michel; the bleak landscape of the Cotentin coast, the
sparkling summertime playground of the Côte Fleurie; sumptuous châteaux,
historic abbeys, famous gardens; the orchards of the Auge, the picture-postcard
scenery of the Suisse Normande; Monet's home at Giverny, the Cabourg immor-
talized by Proust - or perhaps it's cider, calvados and camembert. Whatever
your list, it will barely scratch the surface of this rich and rewarding region.
Port Racine
Barfleur
Cherbourg
Val de
Saire
Baie de la Seine
Valognes
Ste-Mère-
Église
Carentan
D-Day
Beaches
Carteret
Arromanches-
les-Bains
P
8
Mont-St-Michel
Now iconic in its fame, this
solitary rock dominated by its
monumental abbey became a
place of pilgrimage when St
Aubert built an oratory here over
1,000 years ago
(see pp8-11)
.
Bayeux
Tapestry
2
Lessay
6
Périers
St-Lô
Caen
Coutances
e
Évrecy
Thury-Harcourt
Gavray
Clécy
Villedieu-les-
Poêles
Bayeux
Tapestry
Unique historical
document; aston-
ishing work of art.
The Tapestry tells
the story of the
Norman Conquest
of England in 1066
(see pp12-15)
.
Suisse
Normande
Vire
Granville
Flers
Brécey
Avranches
Mortain
1
Ducey
Mont-
St-Michel
Domfront
Bagnoles-
de-l'Orne
Ceaucé
Fougères
Abbaye de
Jumièges
These
magnificent,
eerie ruins - a
subtle blend of
Romanesque
and Gothic
architecture - are
the remains of
the Benedictine
abbey founded by
St Philibert in the
7th century
(see
pp18-19)
.
Honfleur
A magnet for artists today as
it has been since the 19th century,
this picturesque maritime town
was also an important centre of
trade
(see pp16-17)
.
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