With an unexpected stretch of winter sunshine, we decided to leave the confines of our small apartment during the last few vaguely claustrophobic months. We packed up the trusty van, aptly named “the green machine” and headed northeast to discover Normandy. I’m not exactly sure why but Normandy was never at the top of my list of must-visit places in France. Maybe it was my mind saturated with dreary images of soldiers trudging through war-torn beaches and bomb-ridden villages. Perhaps it was that sad past I didn’t need to see for myself. Or it was quite possibly the simple fact that Normandy always seemed like the rainiest place in France. Regardless of my previous impressions, it was time to prove myself wrong.

Étretat

Despite the clear sunny skies, it was too cold to sleep in the van and since restaurants were still closed due to covid restrictions, we opted to stay in airbnb’s and hotels along the way. Our first place was in the town of Tourgéville, just a 10 minute drive to the notable coastal town Deauville. As you might have guessed, I’m not the person who has to cross-off the must-see tourist spots on my list. I’d much rather find the little-known secret spots with as few other tourists as possible. BUT I knew I had to see the cliffs of Étretat. From books, blogs, postcards and Instagram to the recent final scenes in the popular Netflix series Lupin, Étretat has that intriguing quality that makes you want to stand in that exact spot and marvel at nature’s beauty.

The seaside town of Étretat is small but charming with typical Norman style buildings. It’s ripe for tourist consumption with loads of souvenir shops exploiting the artists Monet and Boudin (who painted there) and the fictional character Arsène Lupin (who hid treasure there). Despite catering almost exclusively to tourists, you can’t deny the charm of the place, especially on a sunny blue-skied day. The town is wedged between two steep white chalk cliffs with a long rocky beach between the two. If facing the sea, up the hill to the right is a chapel and the Asian-inspired Jardins d’Etretat, while to the left is a coastal walk taking you up 300 feet (70 meters) to view the stunning cliff formations below.

The climb up is a moderate incline and ascends quickly. Soon enough you have gorgeous views of the town below. From the main cliff which juts out over the turquoise water, there are some little bridges and walkways to explore further. If you are afraid of heights, this might be challenging. But you can also manage to stay far from the edge, keeping any knee-trembling jitters at bay.

Despite the awesomeness, this place is definitely not a “hidden spot.” It’s iconic and therefore, you will not be alone. We went during a pandemic so I can’t even imagine what it’s like during the height of summer vacation. Once you get past the main lookout, the crowds thin out a bit. We were so lucky with the weather that we were able to picnic on a grassy spot with a priceless view. The coastal trail continues for about an hour with more interesting rock formations along the way. Though there’s an option to take an interior pathway through the countryside back to town, we opted to retrace our footsteps to see the cliffs from another point of view. I’m so glad we did!

Honfleur

An optional add-on to visiting Étretat is to visit the picturesque port town of Honfleur, just a 45 minute drive away. Ever a fan of little harbor villages, we decided to stop on our way home which was well worth it. The delightful port welcomed us with a warm end-of-day glow. Because the town is recognized with 4 flowers for the “les plus beaux villages” in France, it meant that we were not alone. Though not completely crowded, there were definitely others meandering around enjoying all that the village had to offer.

Only making a short stop, I can’t share too much info but it was an ideal spot to walk around the port and through the ancient streets while taking in the sights. Unfortunately, one of the main attractions—the notable art museum named after painter Eugène Boudin—was closed. But the good news was that the historic Saint Catherine’s church was open. After seeing hundreds of churches, chapels and cathedrals over the years, visiting yet another can sometimes seem tedious. But this particular church was uniquely impressive since it was built in the 15th century by the skilled boatbuilders from area using the material they knew best—wood. While inside you can see how the church is actually an upturned hull of a ship supported on wooden pillars. Pretty cool!

WWII Beaches

As a young person, I wasn’t really a history buff but over the years, and especially since living in Europe, I’ve become more and more fascinated with World War II history. Naturally, since we were so close, I wanted to see the D-Day beaches where the allied invasion, Operation Overlord took place. After leaving the Deauville area, we headed west going straight towards Sword Beach then continued on to Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Omaha Beach and finally Utah Beach—the 5 famous landing sites of the nearly 160,000 troops who invaded German-occupied France on June 6th, 1944. Again, as this was during the pandemic, all of the museums were closed to visitors but there was a generous amount of outdoor landmarks and machinery (bunkers, tanks, guns, etc) with plaques describing what occurred (and always in English).

Besides the beaches, we made stops at Point du Hoc monument which had a very thorough description of the gut-wrenching events that took place there on that day as well as the American Cemetery which I found humbling. Seeing grave upon grave puts into perspective the sacrifice those young men made in fighting a common enemy. As the daughter of a man who served in the Vietnam War, I couldn’t help but get choked-up by the impact this war (and all wars) had on so many lives.

Cotentin Peninsula

Also known as the Cherbourg peninsula, Cotentin was maybe my favorite part of Normandy. We stayed in an old Napoleanic fort quite literally on the cliffs of the sea at Cap Levi, just east of Cherbourg. We explored the many trails that lined the shore seeing nothing much besides lighthouses and rugged nature. This was my kind of dreamy getaway. It was overcast and chilly but wild and romantic.

As we continued driving , the landscape changed from rolling green hillsides covered in ancient stone walls (which reminded me so much of Ireland). Then to craggy cliffs leading down to beaches made from my favorite shades which went from turquoise to green, then deep dark blue. We marveled at the beauty all around us from the Nez de Jobourg at the Cap de la Hague. A little too windy and freezing for hiking, we opted not to go too far but with calmer weather, I would love to go back and walk the full trail.

Our 6 day trip ended in the lovely village of Portbail. In our typical “go with the flow” travel fashion, we hadn’t booked any rooms ahead and ended up using hotels.com to find affordable and available accommodations. We lucked out finding decent and comfortable rooms along the way but Portbail was the welcome surprise. It was an adorable tiny town just inland from a long stretch of beach with the friendliest villagers, everyone welcoming us with a hearty and sincere “bonjour!” It was the ideal place to end our journey leaving us feeling super appreciative of our Normandy discoveries.