Normandy and Brittany - an independent journey. Useful Tips

• Time
• Route length: 230 km, just over 4 hours of clean road.
• Movement: it is more convenient by car, since you do not have to wait for buses, but public transport is quite convenient: both by train and by buses.
• Bonus: partly drive through "", so get ready to taste some excellent local wines.

Alsace Route:

Route Burgundy - Rhone-Alpes - Center - Paris

This route will take you through the main attractions of central France, discovering the traditional, including the famous, and the famous.

• Time: 6 - 10 days, depending on the pace.
• Route length: 1338 km, 14 hours on the way.
• Movement: it is more convenient by car, since you do not have to wait for buses, but public transport is quite convenient: like by train, trains run everywhere (except for the Loire castles).

Route description:

Route through eastern France

Eastern France boasts characteristic half-timbered architecture and fine wines. There are 3 most important countries -, and, whose white and sparkling wines have become legendary.

• Time: 6 - 9 days, depending on the pace.
• Route length: 1268 km, 13.5 hours on the way.
• Movement: by public transport - convenient. By car, parking is more difficult.

Route description:

Northern France in 1 week

Day 4. Claude Monet's house and garden, after lunch - the capital -,

With children you can see Paris (), spend 1 day in, two days in and 2 more days on.

Day 1: - visit in the morning, get up

So, in October Max Wernik and I went fishing in Normandy. A trip of discovery. First, it was my first time in Normandy. Second, for the first time, we drank brandy all the way. Brandy is like cognac, only from a neighboring village. And thirdly, for the first time in my life I went somewhere to go fishing.

01. Before fishing we walked around Paris a little. There was not much time, so we quickly joined the beauty. Glass pyramid of the Louvre.

02. Sculptures in the Tuileries Garden behind the cop's fence

03. From the park you can go to the Seine embankment. It is now pedestrianized in many places. And there used to be a road here.

04. Max Wernick decided to go to a flea market, buy goods in a shop. But as it turned out, prices in Paris are higher than in Moscow ...

05. The Parisian Junk Man

Now we get in the car and drive north! There, where the fish and the house on the lake.

06. On the way, we pass simple French villages.

07. Beautiful

08. French cows

09. Horses

10. Sheep

11. In the French countryside, time has stood still. Most houses have not changed for centuries. Only satellite dishes and cars give out that it's the 21st century.

12. Everything is very neat and clean.

13. We arrived in Fekan - a town in Upper Normandy. It is built around a small cove that serves as a commercial and fishing port. This is what the entrance to this bay looks like. It is about 50 meters wide.

14. That part of the city, which is located to the south of the bay, is flat, and the northern part of the city is built on a rocky hill.

15. Fekan is a city of fishermen. It became famous back in the 10th century due to the fact that delicious salted and smoked herring was prepared here. And in the 16th century, they began to catch cod here. Now fishing has been limited - it is allowed to be conducted only in coastal waters.

16. But there is also the Vermont River, and if you go upstream, you will reach a series of ponds that you can also fish in. This is where we went.

17. Here's a house rented. It stands right on the water and you can fish from the bedroom) Well, or from the terrace. Luxurious place.

18. The Normans themselves do not hesitate to call their land a fishing paradise. Here you can be offered sea, freshwater and hiking fishing (this is when people walk along the shore and collect crabs and shellfish). There are many rivers, canals, ponds and marshes in Normandy for the freshwater fishing we stopped at.

19. In the ponds you can catch carp, pike or trout. Wernick said that he would eat live fish ... But he was dissuaded in the end.

20. For dinner we got a trout.

21. While dinner is being prepared, it's a good idea to have a glass or two.

22. The rest of the evening was spent with dinner, heartfelt conversations and brandy. And the next morning it was like this.

23. Neighbor's House

24.

25.

26.

27. Met the Norman dawn, looked at Fekan for the last time and set off on our way!

28. Next stop - another town on the coast of the English Channel, which is called Etretat.

29. It is mainly known for the rocks that form beautiful natural arches. Thanks to them, Etretat has become one of the main tourist centers in Normandy. The city is home to only one and a half thousand people, but in the summer a large number of travelers come here. If people come to Fécans to fish, then to Etretat they go to enjoy the Norman nature.

30. City embankment. Looking north, you will see an arch called the "Upper Gate".

31. At one time, many famous artists lived in Etretat, for example, Claude Monet. He has several paintings in which he captured the views that open from here. Here is one of them with the same look.

32. And if you turn to the south, you will see the "Lower Gate". Next to it is a pointed rock called "Needle". French writer Maurice LeBlanc wrote a book about her called Hollow Needle. According to the plot, royal treasures were hidden in it.

33. Also a picture of Claude Monet with "The Lower Gate".

34. In some places, the cliffs reach a height of 100 meters. A school of fish is visible in the water!

35.

36. Lighthouse "Antifer". It was built in 1894, but was completely destroyed during the Second World War. Previously, it was closer to the cliff, but during the restoration it was decided to move it away from the crumbling edge of the cliff.

37. Old bunker

38. Most of all I was struck by the fact that for 70 years since the end of the war no one has ruined the bunker and has not even left a single inscription on the walls! The concrete is crumbling, the rebar is rusted, but the walls are clean! How is this possible? It's amazing. We have such objects are usually covered with numerous inscriptions and marks, who, where and when.

39. In the end, I can say that there are two reasons for Normandy: the first is the beautiful seaside with rocks, and the second is the amazing conditions for all kinds of fishing. This part of France is perfect for a men's holiday with friends and good French brandy. In general, come and try it yourself. Have a nice fishing!

A short story about the sights seen in Normandy and some practical advice.

Preparation:
In July 2009, I went on vacation to Paris with my friends Katya, Kolya and Dima.
The decision that we would take a car to go to Normandy was made by us a week before the trip. It just so happened. Only 7 days before the vacation, it turned out that everyone has a desire to get to Mont Saint-Michel, and the way there by bus-trains will be very hemorrhoids and will cost a pretty penny.

The car rental option looked quite attractive. One small "but" slowed us down. Of the whole company, only I had rights, and my real driving experience was only 2 months: (In addition, I only knew how to drive a car with a gun.

When I started digging the Internet in search of a suitable car for rent, it turned out that there were NO cars. The automatic machine is rare in France, and again - the season: (Well, that is, there were, for example, C-class Mercedes at some exorbitant prices, but nothing "average" was observed. By some miracle I came across one an autobroker who provided us with a C3 with an automatic machine in the ALAMO rental office for 210 euros in 2 days.

1st day: Paris - Les Andelys-Etretat-Le Havre-Aromanches

The first problems of "dummies"
Red C3 was waiting for us in the parking lot of the Gare de Lyon. Dima, who took over the function of a navigator, for some reason was sure that the rental office would give him a navigator for rent. What naivety! If suddenly someone thinks the same, I hasten to disappoint you - the navigator is "leased" only in a set with premium cars, where it is simply built-in. Nobody will give you a separate navigator.

In our arsenal we only had the Michelin-starred road map of France, 1990 edition :)
The rental clerk gave us the documents and the key, drew on a piece of paper how to get out of the parking lot to the embankment. You had to go straight along the embankment to get to the Parisian Ring Road (original Périphérique). Already from it we, according to all calculations, had to move onto the A13 highway leading to Rouen.

And then there was an entertainment called "departure from Paris" for an hour and a half. At first, we accidentally passed the junction with Peripherik, and left on the wrong highway. Then they turned around, drove to Peripheric, drove off it to the Parisian suburb of San Denis and wandered around for at least another half hour in search of an exit to the A13. Then they found an exit, but missed a little - at the junction they chose the wrong tunnel, which eventually led us to the Parisian quarter of La Defense skyscrapers. Everyone was on their nerves, and already began to swear, and then the heavens had mercy on us, and in just 15 minutes we were able to take the right direction.

On subsequent travels, I always took a GPS with me. Which I advise everyone. It greatly facilitates the life of a young car traveler.

On the A13 highway, we met the first toll station. Of course, I knew about how to enter it, how to pay, but I did not know about one important detail. If your credit card doesn't have a chip, it probably won't work in a pay machine! Thank God, we were 4 adults with a variety of bank cards, one of which matched the machine. It would be extremely inconvenient to give back and change to another queue.

First Joys: Les Andelys

Thanks to Katya, she was the one who unearthed information about this picturesque place and made us make the first stop on the route here. The town is located 85 km from Paris and is famous for the castle of Richard the Lionheart and amazing views of the River Seine. The Seine here is not at all the same as in Paris.

The ruins of the castle proudly rise above the area.

We bought groceries at the supermarket, went up the hill to the castle and had a picnic there.

By the way, with all the incredible beauty and tourist value, there were not very many people here - literally one bus with tourists (they all scattered through the ruins), and 5-6 private cars.

Étretat

And that was my "fad" - to see the rocks and arches of Etretat. I've heard about him so many times, saw friends in the photo, and hurray, finally I'm here!

At Etretat, the pebble beach is very steep and inconvenient entry into the sea. But that did not stop us - we went swimming. Diving into the cold waters of the English Channel helped to relieve the stress of leaving Paris.

After resting a little on the beach, we climbed to take pictures on the famous rocks.

Normandy bridge and coast
The next point on our route was “Inspection of the Allied Landing Places”. It was "dima's theme", he was responsible for this part of the route. By the way, there are war memorials almost along the entire coast. Even in the same Etretat there are several objects from the Second World War. And it's hard to say which of them are required to watch and which are less interesting.

Dima decided to head to some small town on the coast in the Caen region. It was in this area that the landing took place on June 6, 1944. Our choice fell on Arromanches. Dima knew this place from the game Call of duty :) We planned to spend the night there.
From Etretat we drove along the coast through Le Havre (where we got a little lost again), and then, across the Normandy bridge to the road to Caen.

The Normandy Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe. In fact, it is another attraction that attracts tourists to the region. We actually hit it by accident (it was not marked on my map of 1990, because it was built in 1995 :)), leaving Le Havre following the signs for the A13 highway. But of course, they were impressed by the beauty and scale of the building.
The bridge, by the way, is paid, the fare for cars is 5 euros.

Only at around 9 pm did we reach Aromanches. We were lucky, we found the hotel quickly enough. It was Wednesday to Thursday evening and seats could be found without prior reservation. Quite decent 2 *, 50 euros for a double room without breakfast.

By the way, if you are counting on an overnight stay in some small town on the English Channel, try to arrive there no later than 8 pm. At 10 pm, when we threw our things into the room and went to look for dinner, everything in the city was already closed, not a single cafe had a kitchen working. We only managed to buy beer and some creepy burgers in a closing shop not far from the hotel.

2nd day: Allied landing sites - Mont-Saint-Michel - road to Paris

In the morning we had a wonderful breakfast in a restaurant overlooking the sea, walked along the beach, examined the local war memorials.

Then they took at the hotel a plan of the nearest locations of military fortifications during the war and headed there (15 minutes by car along the winding village paths).

After examining the German pillboxes and climbing the fortifications, we headed to Mont-Saint-Michel.
On the way, we stopped at a farm where we bought Calvados. Such farms are found everywhere on the roads of Normandy.

Mont-Saint-Michel

Well, I don't think it makes much sense to talk about him, because it is the second most famous landmark in France after the Eiffel Tower.

Here are just a few practical tips.
I was in Mont Saint-Michel 2 times - both times on weekdays. There are always a lot of people there. But in the summer there is just an incredible amount. I think you need to come there either very early in the morning, or already late in the evening, when the people have subsided. We got there around half past twelve, and got there at the most popular time. There were more people on the main street of the city than in the Moscow metro during rush hour :(

When you enter the huge parking lot at Mont Saint Michel, do not park at the beginning, thinking that there are no more places closer to the castle. Everyone thinks the same way, so there will be places closer to the castle. As a result, we, "successfully" packed at the beginning, walked one and a half kilometers to the castle and then back again.

The road to Paris.
On the way back, we decided to take the N12 road through Alencon and Dieu.
As a result, our road home stretched for 5 and a half hours, taking into account a short lunch stop at a roadside inn.

So if your goal is to see the most interesting things in a couple of days and not die of fatigue, forget about saving on free roads. They are for short distance travel. In France, most of the normal tracks are toll. On our route, there was only one successful free motorway - the A84, along which we traveled from Caen to Mont Saint Michel. Everything was there, like on a toll road: 2-3 lanes in one direction, maximum speed 130 km / h, in some places 110 km / h.
An ordinary free road (they are on the map with the letter N, "nationale", ie state) has one or two lanes in one direction. The permitted speed on it is, as a rule, 90 km / h.
At the same time, road N passes through a bunch of settlements, where the permitted speed is 50 km / h. And if you find yourself in a section with one lane, and some tractor is driving in front of you, then you will go slowly in a convoy behind it until the road widens or there is a rare opportunity to overtake it in a place where overtaking in an oncoming lane is acceptable.

So we scratched this national road. The only consolation for us was the lovely provincial landscapes.

We arrived in Paris at about half past nine. Thank God, this time I managed to orient myself more or less normally, to find the Periphery first time, and the necessary interchange, the embankment, and then the Gare de Lyon and the parking lot.

I did not regret at all that we went by car to Normandy. Our route for the first acquaintance with the region turned out to be very good. Of course, we didn't see Honfleur, Deauville / Trouville, Rouen and Saint Malo. But nothing prevents you from visiting these places next time. In the meantime, there is no need to know about it. ”

The scene is early May 2017, we are in Paris and we have a week. For a long time, the northern regions of France attracted, and therefore it was decided to spend this week on them.

Our route looked like this (map):

Day 1: Giverny - Rouen

Having jumped into the rented car, we leave the unloved Paris.

On the way to Rouen, the gateway to Normandy, there is at least one place worth visiting - the Claude Monet House Museum. If you want to see firsthand the water lilies that inspired the master to numerous canvases and glorified him, be sure to stop by at Giverny (about 80 km from Paris).

The city of Rouen is notorious for the fact that it was there that poor Jeanne d'Arc was burned at the stake. If we ignore this sad event, the city is very beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

Hotel: I can recommend the Mercure Rouen Center Cathedrale (there is nowhere in the center, there is underground parking, everything is new).

Food: Don't miss the market in the main square, especially the fish shop, where the freshest seafood is prepared right in front of you.

Day 2: Etretat - Fecamp

At 100 km from Rouen is the town of Etretat - a place of attraction for all tourists in Normandy.

It is in this place, on both sides of the town, that there are steep limestone cliffs that Monet loved to paint so much! The view from the cliffs is really fascinating .. The ascent uphill is quite difficult, but both the elderly and with small children climb.

If you are lucky enough to find a decent hotel in Etretat, then you can immediately spend the night to admire the white rocks in the evening illumination. There were no places for my dates in local hotels, so we "had to" spend the night in the town of Fecamp, which is 20 km from Etretat.

Fecamp is a small port town, famous for the fact that it was here that Benedictine monks came up with the famous Benedictine tincture. They say that the recipe was lost, but in the last century, an enterprising person "found" it and amassed a huge fortune in the production of the drink. Benedictine on ice is wonderful! The town has a whole palace-museum dedicated to this liquor.

Note: The Norman coast is notorious for the battles that took place here during the Second World War. On the way there are many memorial tablets, fortifications, forts. There is also a huge cemetery and memorial. Everyone decides for himself whether to visit places of military glory while traveling in Normandy, or to limit himself only to historical and natural cities and attractions.

Rennes is a fairly large city that did not impress me with anything. A good stop-over for an overnight stay, no more.

Day 7: Tours - Vouvray - Amboise

When planning the route through Normandy and Brittany, I had a couple of "extra" days, which it was decided to spend on the Loire Valley!

The Loire Valley is a famous wine-growing region that stretches practically from the ocean to the middle of France. Vineyards are located on both sides of the river (the river itself, by the way, is not at all expressive and not pretty).

Whistling 250 km from Rennes, we made a short stop and stretched our legs in Tours, and from Tours along the Loire River we drove towards wineries.

I can recommend (1) an excursion and testing at the Marc Bredif winery in the Vouvray region - the guide speaks good English, the tasting is not expensive, as is the wine itself (there is even sparkling wine), (2) the biodynamic winery Domain Vigneau-Chevreau (no excursion, tasting and sale only), as well as (3) family winery Caves du Pere Auguste - headed by the founder's grandson, almost only family members work there!

Hotel: In the Loire Valley, I really wanted to stay in an old chateau, preferably with a good restaurant. After a long search, the choice fell on the Chateau de Pray, founded in 1244! Very beautiful interiors, a small but well-groomed area.

Food: The chateau has a restaurant of the same name with one Michelin star, reservation is required. In short, the food is delicious, but the service is horribly slow and long! Our two meals lasted 3.5 hours !! It is impermissible, in my opinion, to torture guests like that!

Day 8: Chenonceau - Sancerre

The Loire Valley is famous not only for its wines, but also for its castles, of which there are several dozen. One of the most famous is the Chenonceau castle, built in the 16th century and owned in different years by Catherine de Medici, wives and mistresses of kings, etc. The interior of the castle is very well preserved, including furniture, carpets, fireplaces, etc. A notable feature of the castle is the gallery bridge built across the Cher River! During the Second World War, the opposite bank was occupied by the Nazis, and, they say, almost all the time guns were aimed at the castle, ready to destroy it at any moment, but by some happy coincidence this did not happen, and the castle has survived to this day in its original form!

The Sancerre appellation is a very famous wine-growing region in France and the most replaceable representative of the Loire Valley wines (close to Pouilly-Fumé). The main grape variety here is Savignon Blanc.
Map

The town of Sancerre itself is located on a hill, and around the vineyards - the view is amazing! Having bought wine and cheese, we had a picnic right on the fortress wall \u003d)

We didn't have time to book a tour of the winery, so we just stopped by for a tasting almost at the first available - Eric Louis.

Admiring Sancerre, crying over the ridiculous prices of local wines, we plunged back into the car and after some 210 km were already in Paris.

This made it possible to increase the number of days in Brittany and reduce the cost of gasoline, compared with the original plan to start from Paris too. Moreover, the difference in ticket price was insignificant.

We were very scared that the time to transfer at CDG airport (Charles de Gaulle) was only twenty hours. It was consoling that the airline itself considered this transit time sufficient, otherwise they would have given us a later flight to Rennes. The excitement was in vain. On the plane, a stewardess herself came up to us and explained how best to change the terminal. At the airport, everything is organized in the following order. First, security control at the exit from the arrival terminal takes 30-40 minutes together with leaving the plane. Then - a march, a throw, not very far, to the shuttle stop. And after the move, at the entrance to the departure terminal, passport control. In our case, the latter took no more than 5 minutes. the terminal for local flights is small. In short, we were convinced that if the plane was not late, there is plenty of time to transfer.

Finally, after all the excitement, we are in a tiny plane to Rennes. Cookies, drinks and wine were a pleasant surprise, although the flight is short. It took no more than 10 minutes to unload suitcases and receive luggage, because most passengers fly light at all. There are no more checks, you can quickly pick up the rental car and go to the hotel.

Lyrical digression. For us, food while traveling is not only a process of filling our stomach, but also getting pleasure. Therefore, he is always given a lot of attention. On the one hand, it should be tasty and with a local flavor, on the other, you should not go beyond the travel budget. Therefore, if possible, we ordered rooms equipped with a kitchen. There are many hotels in France with such rooms, they are popular for families, and the prices are reasonable. In this case, you can have breakfast and dinner in your room, food is stored in the refrigerator, there is a stove, microwave, and sometimes even a dishwasher. At the entrances and exits in all cities there are large supermarkets where we buy cheeses, pies, seafood and everything else that our hearts desire. In addition, chanterelle mushrooms, beloved by us, are widely sold here - very tasty and quick to fry them in sour cream. Eating in this way is very tasty 2 times a day, which we advise you, we go to the restaurant only once - to have lunch or dinner, depending on how the day goes. By the way, the province is not Paris - lunch in restaurants from 12 to 14 o'clock in the afternoon, dinner - also by the hour, from 19. And this schedule has to be reckoned with if you do not want to eat dry food.

In Brittany and Normandy, Calvados and Pommo are very popular - apple drinks, because grapes don't grow there. Pommo - a blend of Calvados with apple juice, 17% aperitif. For those who steer, there is also cider - 3-5%. The prices are democratic - pommo - 10 euros per bottle, cider - 3-4, calvados - depending on the brand and aging, but also not so scary.

When ordering hotels via the Internet, pay attention to the postmark about the city tax - 1-2 euros per person per day, charged directly on the spot at the hotel.

Rennes is a pretty city, there are beautiful buildings in a pompous spirit, and right there we first saw the half-house houses, which then accompanied us all the way. There is a university in the city, and there are plenty of young people in the center. Rennes is famous for its Saturday morning market, and we just arrived on Friday and decided to visit this local miracle. We had a lot of fun. Lots of seafood, an amazing abundance of cheeses, as well as berries and mushrooms are an incredible attraction for us. Besides, naturally, there are vegetables and fruits, meat and sausages, there are also unexpected products - homemade jams, for example. The season of oyster tasting began immediately - they were opened for us right there on the spot and we ate. After walking around the market, we moved to Dinan - our main base of location in Brittany. On the way, we visited the towns of Fougeres and Cobourg. Fougeres is highly recommended, there is a beautiful castle. The distances are short, so you can choose the routes to your liking - there are many pretty small towns along the way.

Dinan is a city of the 16-17 centuries, perfectly preserved. We stayed there for 3 nights at the Résidence hôtelière Club MMV. The suite was a picturesque attic with a kitchen in a historic building (see lyrical digression). To the center - 3 minutes by car. Every day we made radial routes in Brittany, and in the evening we walked along Dinan. In addition, this hotel has a small indoor pool - very pleasant to swim after a busy tourist day.

Traveling on the route San Malo - Cancale - Dinard took a whole day, although the distances are meager. When planning a route, we strongly advise you to study the timetable of the ebb and flow on the website and, if possible, choose the dates of your trip in accordance with this, otherwise you may not see this famous phenomenon. In the morning we left for San Malo early, there was almost maximum tide. We looked at the flooded coast, walked around the city and headed to Cancale. Cancale has a wonderful walking trail with views, it goes along the coast and descends to the port. If you park your car near the tourist office, you need to go around the cathedral and turn left - there will be signs to this route. The highlight of Cancale is the oyster market at the port. For more than a moderate fee, you can buy oysters and eat them immediately, throwing shells at your feet, like thousands of tourists. We advise you to bring a lemon and a drink with disposable cups. However, if you forgot - it is also not a disaster. Lemon, in any case, will be sold to you on the spot. Bon Appetit! In the few hours we spent in Kankale, the sea was gone. We returned to San Malo at the same place to look at the low tide. An absolutely amazing experience!

Finally, after enjoying the low tide, you can drive up to Dinard - a very nice party town with a casino. There are film festivals and in the very center by the beach there is a monument to Hitchcock. The day in Brittany is long, it really gets warmer in the afternoon. We even regretted that we had not taken our bathing accessories - it became surprisingly warm and sunny, and we could swim right there under Hitchcock.

The Saint-Brieuc - Pink Granite Coast trip is also a full day trip. Saint-Brieuc was not particularly impressed, you can skip it. The coast of Pink Granite is very nice, it is distinguished by amazing views, interesting nature - all the plants seem to be nailed by the wind. In the coastal towns life is leisurely resort-like. And although the restaurants here do not close after 14.00, you need to lay at least two hours for lunch - the service is very slow. The evening, as usual, was spent in Dinan - we went down to the marina.

Mont Saint Michel, moving to Normandy. In the morning we left for Normandy. It was sunny and warm again, which is a rarity in September for this region. In Mont Saint-Michel, you should try to arrive early, while there are no crowds of tourists and you can walk without pushing. There is a free shuttle bus from the parking lot, but you can also walk on foot - about 40 minutes. At the entrance we advise you to buy a guidebook in Russian - the price is 6.5 euros. It contains a card that is still needed and costs 3.5 euros separately. It does not take much time to visit - walk the streets and visit the abbey. Also, if you find yourself on a good day, it is interesting to watch the sea. There was a slight tide, and the fortress was at first surrounded by water, which gradually began to recede. It was decided to dine with the remaining products - after Dinan, we still had cheese, shrimp, and ham. On the way out of Saint Michel we stopped at the nearest farm, bought a bottle of cider and dined right there on a bench under it - just babble!

Upon arrival in Bajo, we immediately went to the Tapestry Museum - a must-see! The tapestry is already a thousand years old and was created in the 1070s. and talks about the Norman conquest of England. There is a wonderful audio guide in Russian. The town itself is tiny, in the center there is a very beautiful cathedral, a couple of interesting streets. A lot of time is not required for inspection. Then we drove to Omaha Beach - the landing site of the Americans in July 1944. You will laugh for a long time, but they are loved and respected here! The 70th anniversary is approaching in everything, the flags of the participating countries are everywhere. Along the coast - monuments, museums, memorial signs, literally in every place where something happened. It was already evening, but it was warm. Therefore, having changed in the car, we swam in the English Channel, which aroused the unhealthy interest of tourists on the shore.

Bajo was the first city to be liberated as a result of the Battle of Normandy. In the morning we visited the thematic museum (Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie) and the English memorial cemetery. How cemeteries are looked after here - there are simply no words. Almost all the graves are named, sometimes there are wreaths and notes from relatives. But for everyone unknown soldier a separate grave and an individual monument have been laid ... Again, not for the first time in France, I felt ashamed of our former homeland. Then, through the beaches of the landing of the Allies (British, French, Poles, Canadians) and small pretty towns moved along the sea to Trouville. Deauville and Trouville are elite resorts in Normandy. Deauville is more partying, Trouville is less. We rented a lower studio apartment with kitchen in a villa in Trouville, a short walk from the city center, casinos, restaurants and fish market. The latter circumstance was used by us for selfish purposes - the continuation of breakfast in the form of fresh oysters took place there every day.

Bridge Normandy - Honfleur - Etretat. In the morning we went to Honfleur, and then, across the famous Normandy Bridge, to Etretat. Unfortunately, we did not reach Fekam, it was already too late, and we were going to devote the evening to Deauville. Honfleur is a very nice old town, in an hour we made a circle in the center - and then on our way. In Etretat, Claude Monet worked, copies of paintings with the famous holes of rocks are exhibited right there on the beach, where you can contemplate these very rocks in their natural form. Whoever health allows can climb the rocks, from where a wonderful view of the bay and the city opens. Ladders are laid there. If you want to take a photo of the Normandy Bridge, then from the Le Havre side in front of the bridge there is a recreation area with an observation deck. We spent the evening in Deauville. Apparently, his role in France is akin to Jurmala in the Soviet Union - a northern resort, not hot, but there are a lot of show-offs. A tiny licked film festival town, just like a picture. On the beach - famous booths with the names of movie stars

Route of Cheese and Calvados: Livaro - Lisieux - Pont –l "Evec. In Pont –l" Evec, at the northern entrance is the Calvados farbrica Pierre Magloire. A guided tasting tour costs only 3.3 euros. Everything, of course, is in French. But you can ask for a booklet in Russian. In addition, the film, which is shown at the beginning, is also accompanied by Russian subtitles at the request of the public. At the end of the excursion, as usual, they pour what you ask for. Do not be shy. There is a cheese factory in Livaro. The entrance is free. The windows open a view directly to the production process itself. At the end of the tour, you can visit the shop, taste all the cheeses and buy what you like. For example, we really liked the Neufchatel cheese ... The opening of the trip was the Basilica in Lisieux - a place of pilgrimage to St. Teresa. We belong to a different confession, so we were impressed only by the scale of the building and the number of pilgrims from around the world. On the return home, I had to get acquainted with the story of St. Teresa on the Internet.

The evening was dedicated to Trouville's casino. The stakes are not high: Blackjack - 5 euros, roulette - half a euro. There were very few people - not the season. Dress code is free.

Rouen. It's just a super-city, the pearl of Normandy. Just walk and enjoy life. Additionally - two recommendations. Crown Restaurant, founded in 1385. It is located opposite the Cathedral of Jeanne D "Arc. The walls are covered with photographs of celebrities who have been here. These are, for example, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Serge Ginsburg, Salvador Dali, Jean Paul Sartre - and this is only a small part of whom we could identify offhand from the photo. But it's not just show-off. Really very tasty! The prices, of course, are not cheap. But for a special occasion, and we had one - not so scary. And the pleasure is great. Besides, gentlemen, in the restaurant The crown gives lessons in good form. When a man comes with a lady, the menu is handed to both. But, attention, the female version - no prices! A lady should not be distracted by such nonsense as the price, she just chooses what she likes! In the evening, when it gets dark, a light show is held on the facade of the Rouen Cathedral. We knew nothing about it and accidentally saw it on the way from the restaurant to the hotel. We advise you to find out about the time and days of the visit in the tourist office. Very beautiful and unusual!

On the way from Rouen to Paris, turn around at Giverny, Claude Monet's house-museum with garden. The garden is striking with a riot of colors, there are also ponds with water lilies and water lilies immortalized by the artist. Only on the bridge, instead of him, tourists with cameras crowd. You can walk for a long time on a good day and enjoy.

Finally, Paris is the final point of our journey. We are not here for the first time. We left the hotel in the morning - returned by nightfall, having made 18 kilometers in a day on foot in our favorite places. With stops, of course. Volumes have been written about this city. The advice only applies to overnight stays. Conveniently, the Ibis, our lifesaver of many years, was located next to the Eiffel Tower on Boulevard de Grenelle. If there is an opportunity to order in advance, we highly recommend it, the price is inexpensive for such a place - 79 euros, and another 19 euros cost us parking per day. If anyone is interested - literally opposite the entrance to the metro station. We went out in search of breakfast, examined the surrounding establishments and returned to breakfast back to the hotel. For 9.5 euros, the Ibis serves a fairly varied and delicious buffet.

Know-how! We had the plane in the morning. Therefore, we decided to spend the night in Orly in a budget hotel "Premier Class", there are many different of them in one place. This approach has fully justified itself. Calmly, late in the evening, without traffic jams and hassle, we moved from the center to Orly. Parking here is free, the airport is 5 minutes away, you don't need to get up 5 hours before departure. And you can also eat in one of the two Ibis, they are nearby and for the same price they sell breakfast for everyone, not only for their guests.

By the way, in Bayo we also lived in a Premier Class hotel. Simple, but cheap, always with parking, there is usually a Campagnile nearby, where you can have breakfast. If you just spend the night - not a bad decision.

Gasoline cost around 1.5 euros per liter.

We wish you all a pleasant stay!