Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the best view of Falaise d'Aval -
an extraordinary rock formation
with a natural arch, which
Maupassant likened to an
elephant dipping its trunk into
the sea - climb to Notre-Dame-
de-la-Garde, the chapel on top
of Falaise d'Amont. Nearby, a
museum and monument com-
memorate aviators Nungesser
and Colia, whose aeroplane was
last seen near here on the first,
failed attempt to fly the Atlantic
in 1927. In Étretat itself, visit the
place du Maréchal-Foch, where
16th-century houses cluster
around timbered halles - an
attractive 1920s reconstruction
of a wooden covered market. d
Map G2 Tourist office: pl. Maurice
Guillard. 02 35 27 05 21
The Seine
The second-longest, busiest and
most famous river in France, the
Seine has its source in Burgundy,
flows through Paris, and finally
meets the sea at Le Havre. Its
lower course through Normandy
is wide enough to accommodate
large ships and barges - hence its
historical importance for settlers
and invaders, and the location of
Rouen and the Norman abbeys.
Côte d'Albâtre
On first sight of the Alabaster
Coast, you might be fooled into
thinking that you were across
the Channel: it bears a striking
resemblance to the White Cliffs
of Dover. Stretching southwest
from Le Tréport to Le Havre, the
coastline is pitted by valleuses -
dry hanging valleys in the
clifftops, revealed as the cliffs
retreat before the combined
forces of sea and weather. The
harbours shelter in natural
shingle inlets, while the larger
towns cluster on the estuaries.
This coast offers some of the
region's most spectacular
scenery. d Map E2, G2, H1, J1
Fécamp
After a casket said to contain
precious drops of Christ's blood
was washed ashore in the first
century, Fécamp became a
pilgrimage centre. First an abbey
(now ruined) was built to house
the holy relic, then the glorious
12th- to 13th-century Abbatiale
de la Trinité (see p47) . More
prosaically, the cornerstone of
this no-nonsense fishing port
was the humble cod, as a trip to
the Musée des Terra Neuvas et
de la Pêche proves. Fécamp's
other claim to fame is
Bénédictine, first made in 1863
by merchant Alexandre le Grand
from an old monastic
recipe. It continues to
be distilled in his
overblown 19th-
century Palais
Bénédictine, which
contains laboratories,
museum and gallery,
and offers tastings
(see p82) . d Map G2
Tourist office: rue Alexandre
le Grand. 02 35 28 51 01
Étretat
Nestling between two cliffs,
Falaises d'Aval and d'Amont, this
picturesque village was a sleepy
place until the 19th-century
onslaught of writers, painters
and Parisian holiday-makers. For
Falaise d'Aval
For more on Étretat See p60
78
 
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