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NORMANDY
A history of power and influence is reflected in the rich Norman landscape. The region's buildings speak of the wealth which built them, while its fields flow with milk and honey.
Its coastline is world famous. From the wide expanses of the Baie Mont St Michel up to the rugged Cotentin Peninsula to the sweeping Côte de Nacre, Côte Fleurie and chalky Côte d'Albatre around Dieppe, the beaches have played their part in history. A boat built in the pretty Cotentin port of Barfleur carried Duke William to victory over England in 1066. Nine hundred years later, Norman beaches witnessed the D-Day landings. No visit would be complete without viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, war museums at Bayeux, Caen, St-Mère-Eglise, Avranches and Cherbourg and the war cemeteries. This coast has also inspired more peaceful pursuits and was the seat of a great artistic flowering during the 19th century as chic resorts grew up along the Côte Fleurie at Deauville, Trouville and Cabourg. Historic Honfleur was a centre of Impressionism while, inland, Giverny is home to Monet's famous garden. Novelist Gustave Flaubert was born in nearby Rouen, famous for its Gothic cathedral. In the lush interior, dairy herds graze the meadows to produce the cheeses and butter for which Normandy is renowned, while bees are busy in the orchards pollinating fruits for cider and the apple brandy, Calvados. Typical is the Pays d'Auge with picturesque Beuvron-en-Auge at its heart. The hilly Suisse Normande is popular for outdoor pursuits. From here, the River Orne flows north to Caen, much-damaged during the war but now restored and retaining some historic gems.
main pic Lyons-la-Foret
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