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Published: October 19th 2007
Etretat
Watch that first step Penny, it's a doozy.Brittany and Normandy. The area was a hive of conflict in times past and was disputed over for nigh on 300 years by the French and the English. Sounds like a precursor for the Rugby semi finals but I'll come to that later.
Brittany first up and on arriving, the architecture appeared to be plucked direct from the English rural scene. Hang on, England is part of Britain, I think. Britain/y! Put 2 and 2 together and...... this is all commencing to add up.
The weather was also a bleak reminder of all things British just across the channel. Grey, foggy, windy and cool. There is a prevalence of any sport/passtime that is wind reliant. All manner of wind driven vehicles can be seen along beaches at low tide, and I do mean LOW tide. The tidal variances can reach 15 meters.
We based ourselves in St Malo and visited a roll call of local towns in the rugged surrounding counrtyside, my personal favourite being Dinan.
The area's big ticket item is Mont St Michel and approaching from a distance as it emerged from the fog was mighty impressive. A little closer and the line of tour buses at the base
Brittany
It seems half of France is cultivated of the mount began to also come into view from the mist, giving credibility to the reports that Mont St Michel is the most visited site in France outside of Paris. Surrounded by knee deep, quicksand-like mud at low tide, heavily currented water at high tide, flat as far as the eye could see, Mont St Michel would have been one tough cookie on which to launch a sneak attack.
Mont St Michel is on the cusp of the provincial border with Normandy, which, apart from the cross channel conflicts of almost 1000 years ago, was also the site of some more recent significant historical events. The most dangerous weapon you're likely to come across these days are the endless doggy landmines that are even more prevalent here than the rest of France, which is saying something.
Visiting the D-Day beaches and the various memorials dotted around the Normandy countryside is prime time viewing. It's emotional and poignant. For me, the most impressive was the American cemetery. Subtle and America are not two words you would normally find in the same sentence but this site showcases all the necessary respect without clubbing you over the head with American flag waving
St Malo
If you like your sports wind driven, you will love it in Brittany. bravado. The displays and graves speak for themselves. I did, however, smirk at my personally perceived irony of the heavy security checks in order to enter the cemetery. Maybe if American foreign policy post WWII mirrored that of its policy up to and including those years, they wouldn't need security to protect what is in reality a sacred site. Kevin Rudd, give me a call, I'm beginning to sound like a polly in campaign mode. IT'S UNASTRAYAN!!
In the heart of the WWII action landscapes is a wee town where we spent a wonderful half day. Driving into Bayeaux and you are greeted with one VERY imposing church. We wandered into this church during a Sunday service, and, in the middle of a resounding version of Ave Maria, one old lady stumbled and knocked over part of a metal barrier making an almighty clang. On attempting to right the barrier she managed to knock over the rest. A downright French bull in a china shop. I was loving Bayeaux already.
Bayeaux's prime attraction is the Bayeaux Tapestry. 70 meters long, it depicts the events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings. A 70m long tapestry lends a whole
St Malo
And again. new sense of relevance to "a stitch in time saves 9 million."
The display is an informative rundown of how the Normans overran those nasty Saxon dogs across the waters. I loved the names of some of the protagonists, my favourite 2 being:
- Edward the Confessor - "I DID IT! IT WAS ME, IT WAS ME!" Of course my other favourite was,
- William the Bastard. Naturally, once William led the Normans to this famous victory, he was pretty quick to change his name to something a little more befitting a bloke of his standing. Thus, William the Conquerer was born. Then, while you're on a roll, why not crown yourself King of England in the process. A rags to riches story if ever there was one. Illegitimate child to King of merry old Enland, the original land of opportunity.
In a building right next door to the one housing the Bayeaux Tapestry, we stumbled onto the "Reuters Beginning of the Century" exhibition. REAL photography. Yeatesy's dream job, seriously. A photojournalist dodging bullets in some politically torn state sounds like employment heaven. Personal non-achieved work ambitions aside, if you get a chance to catch this display, DO IT! If
Dinan
Little bit of shopping you can't, then buy the book.
Rouen was another port of call on our Normandy adventure. About a week ago in the Loire, we visited a few villages where Joan of Arc did some of her best recruiting work during the 100 years war. Rouen was where it all came unstuck for her and was burned alive at the stake at the ripe old age of 19. THAT'S GOTTA HURT! It's a beautiful town although I doubt young Joany was enjoying the view from her lofty post and tied to that stake going up in smoke.
We also used Rouen as a base to visit some ambient coastal towns in the other end of Normandy. Etretat, Trouville and Deauville followed in the line of other Normandy holiday villages, minus the war emphasis. Honfleur, on the othere hand, was an absolute standout.
We ended this section of our journey with a quick jaunt through:
-Giverny - home and workplace of Impressionist guru Monet.
- Chartres - with its daunting cathedral and magnificently preserved old town.
- Versailles - that place where the treaty was signed after WWI and which Adolf decided to tear up later on and the rest of the
Dinan
The French spell it with only 1 g free world went "oh, OK Adolfy Boy".
This brings us to the end of 7 months on mainland Europe. It's true, time does fly when.... I think you know the rest.
We will have a few days in London which will probably be a more atmospheric place to watch the final. Thus we come to:
Can it get any worse? If prior to the cup I had been asked who would NOT like to see win William Webb Ellis, have a guess which 2 teams I would have nominated. But hope still springs eternal and I'm tipping a joker in the pack:
"Earthquake rocks Paris and the Parc de Princes collapses into the earth." The World Cup is then declared a 20 way tie. I'd be happy to share the spoils with Portugal, Namibia, Georgia and the likes.
Watching the Boks/Pumas semi was interesting. It was a very entertaining match but was also a challenge for other reasons. In a smoky little bar in Caen, we just happened to be sitting next to "the only gay guy in all the village." Laurent had plenty of interest in us but none for the rugby after France went down the previous evening.
Dinarde
high and dry in Dinarde So the coverage was heavily punctuated by "could you please translate that Garrrrrry" every time he didn't understand something Penny said, which was everything.
Off the continent and into London and while this hurts, I suppose I'll have to support the Boks. How can I barrack for a team with 15 Poms and who have scored 1 lucky try in 2 matches but are still in the final.
Go the Boks (OUCH!)
Yeatesy
What do you call a 24 year old male wearing a mouth full of braces, who loves Kylie Minogue, who thinks one of the "must sees" in Paris is Princess Diana's Memorial and flutters his eyelids frantically at Gary. I guess we all know the answer, but one thing poor Laurent is still yet to learn is that nothing comes between a man and his rugby, not even his wife and certainly not young Laurent. But try as he did - flowers to me (probably off some gravesite) and then a bottle of Bordeaux for the lady (anything to get the wife drunk and out of the way) but still he could not win Gary's attention. "Garrrry, please interpret". Gary's reply - yeah yeah, this is
St Servan
Behind lock and key. a good game Laurent, are you watching? Reply, "Oh God save the queen", (or queer in this case).
But the week has been more than just being entertained by Laurent and watching rugby. We have had a great week exploring the Normandy/Brittany area. The beaches along Normandy marking the D Day attacks each with their own tribute/memorial, all quite different. The American memorial the most outstanding and the most sobering and it was at Omaha that I could grasp the full extent of the planning, logistics and loss of like suffered here with this expansive open coastline.
In total contrast to the Normandy area, St Malo in Brittany is famous for the severe tidal changes. At low tide the beach is expansive and becomes the playground for any number of kite/wind driven sports. Framed along the beach front are these large telegraph poles/posts to help tame the high seas giving the beach a unique sculptured/haunted feel at low tide. the houses overlooking the coast have a more British feel to the architecture, very straight lined, terraced apartments, quite different to those in Nomandy and other areas of France.
Then on to Etretat with a pebbled beach sandwiched between high cliffs
Mont Saint Michel
The most touristed site in France outside of Paris. on either side. To the left is a golf course and on the right a cow pasture. From the top of the cliff face you look out to the horizon and can see rock formations along the coast. Here there is a fort and again the architecture is very British.
So leaving the coast we have explored Rouen, the demise of Joan of Arc and finally yesterday to Chartres and Versailles, even more enormous than I had remembered it.
France is nearing an end as is the rugby. For my last week in France I will also remember these amazing fogs we saw each morning as they rolled up to the window and engulfed the car until mid morning and the pristine pastures everywhere we drove.
Goodbye France, goodbye Europe. London for the weekend and then Turkey.
Penny
More images at:
www.colvinyeates.zenfolio.com
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E. Mattice
non-member comment
Etretat question
I have been to these places, and I cannot find any info on what WW2 action, happened at Etretat. Does anyone have some specific info? ie, what allied forces where there? I saw german bunkers with battle scars but no idea who was there during the war besides the german troops.