Day Three - Flexing our Mussels as We Pass Through Fatcamp Again

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Camera Lens

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Note to self: next time it's pouring use the lens hood.

Wet Fun in Fatcamp

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Gail and I both wanted more pictures of this chapel as well as better views of Fatcamp below us. I found a completely deserted parking lot across the street from the chapel/hotel. As the rain continued to pelt down on our Renault the smart ones remained inside while Gail and I hopped out to take pictures in the deluge. All that rain must've stirred things up for us because we both went running for the primitive WC at the opposite end of the lot.

Fecamp Seaside

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Once Gail and I took care of business and took a series of pictures which didn't really pan out, we returned to the car then proceeded back down the treacherous cliffside road. Eventually it took us back down into lovely Fecamp. On a Sunday morning the place was extremely dead so we proceeded onward to the beach area. Once again we braved the rain and ventured out of the car for a few photos. To the right in the background you can make out the chapel we just left.

Jumpin' Downtown Fecamp

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Either everyone was still in church or they were all inside wrapping Christmas presents because there was no one else out in this monsoon. We had purchased a very nice sturdy umbrella earlier at LeClerc, but the winds were gusting so strongly that we didn't dare open it. It might have lifted the owner wight off the sidewalk and into the Channel.

I Can't Imagine Anyone Laying on This Beach

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Not unless they were a vacationing circus freak who needed a break from their bed of nails. You could hardly walk across the loose gravel. But I wish I had one of those metal detectors that the old geezers use at the Shore for locating lost change - there's probably centuries of history mixed in with all those pebbles and shell fragments.

Maybe My Best Photo of the Trip

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I never heard of Etretat before. My original plan made back home in the States had us going only as far as Fecamp on this Sunday. Since my green Michelin guide's map had given Etretat two stars (worth a detour) I had included it on our route as we drove along the coast on the day we left St Valery. But we squeezed in so much touring the day before and because Etretat was only a few miles further West from Fecamp, we decided to "get it over with" today. It was definitely worth the detour.

An Iconic View

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There are lots of famous sightseeing views used in travel posters. Most people know the White Cliffs of Dover, Mount Rushmore, Mount Fuji and Grand Canyon as soon as they see the photo, but I've seen this same picture I took a million times never knowing where it was.

The White Bird

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From Wikipedia: "Étretat is known for being the last place in France from which the 1927 biplane The White Bird (L'Oiseau Blanc) was seen. French WWI war heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli were attempting to make the first non-stop flight from Paris to New York, but after the plane's 8 May 1927 departure, it disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic. It is considered one of the great unexplained mysteries of aviation. A monument to the flight was established in Étretat, but destroyed during World War II, during German occupation. A new and taller monument was constructed in 1963, along with a nearby museum." These are the cliffs it flew from. [edit] Demographics

Bathing Beauty

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Naturally Cassie had to see if her new boots were waterproof.

Just to Prove I Was Really There

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No, it was not cold, but it was disgustingly misty and rather windy. I had to keep opening my coat to slip my camera inside to protect it from the dampness.

The Monet Shot

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It seems someone else was just as enthralled by the view as I was. Claude Monet drew numerous paintings of this area. Many times he captured the exact same scene from the exact same perspective but at different times of the day just to record the different tones, colors and moods.

These Environmentalists Are Getting a Bit Carried Away

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I guess I'm the one who caused the whole beach to disappear after we left. I took a dark black round pebble home as a souvenir. Sorry Mother Earth. By the way you need to speak to your brother, the Man in the Moon. His effect on tides is causing a lot more than my measly little pebble to get sucked-off the beach twice a day.

Omigod! An Open Restaurant!

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When we drove into little Etretat we were rather shocked to see crowds of people walking down the streets and ducking in and out of open shops. Evidently not every business closes on Sunday. After parking in a rather full parking lot and taking our walk along the beach, we followed some of the other tourists to this cosy little restaurant right off the boardwalk.

A Hot Toddy for a Hottie

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Before I could even peruse the menu, our waitress came over and took our drink orders. Gail and her mother knew what they wanted before we sat down - Chaud Vin. Cassie had her usual Coke (Pepsi). I decided to try the local fortified cider: Cidre Bouché de Normandie. Mehhh. Very reminiscent of Strongbow or Magner's. I'm glad I tried it, but from here on out it was strictly beer for me.

Grandma and Her Hot Wine

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Since she was always cold Grandma Phoebe always had a hot wine with her meals. Up until now Gluhwein, the German version, was one of her favorite things about traveling with us at Christmas. Now she had found a reason to enjoy France.

Doug's Norman Cider

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It looks better than it tasted. I'm not a fan of any bubbly alcohol.

Now I know What a "Gaufre" Is

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We had seen plenty of establishments advertising crepes and gaufres. Crepes I knew and had even tried on the trip. For lunch we decided to try the French version of waffles. Nutella makes anything tasty.

Are You Still Wondering What This Place is Called?

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So am I. There's a reason I didn't name the place where we eat our lunch. It apparently doesn't have one judging by the ads all over the exterior.