E - Etretat on the Normandy Coast

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I apologize in advance for the markings my scanner left on my photos... When we visited Étretat located in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France, it was a first for me and the children. We stayed in a Gite, a mix of hotel/hostel, way up on one side of the valley in which Étretat is located. Snug and tight, the town fills the bowl of the small valley and offers lots of sights and attractions for tourists, not to mention restaurants! We toured a goat cheese farm (and partook of goat cheese ice cream, home made apple cider, and took advantage of a wine tasting accompanied by goat cheese, of course). We walked through an internationally known golf course that slides right down to the cliff face and delivers a breathtaking view. Monet loved it here as did Guy de Maupassant and others. Monet painted the famous "falaises," of which there are three. The Porte d'Aval, the Porte d'Amont and the Manneporte, which is the largest. There are long or short walks into the countryside and charming restaurants to visit as well as shops for any shopping lover.

A view of Le Manneporte, one of the famous"falaise,"cliffs

The Atlantic ocean here is VERY cold, almost numbing. The pebble beach is hard on bare feet but doesn't stop bathers!

A view of the town and "L'Aiguille" and porte d'Aval from the northern cliffs

The porte d' Aval, “Un éléphant plongeant sa trompe dans la mer,” (Guy Maupassant) ("An elephant plunges his trunk into the sea,")

The northern architecture is very different from that found in the southern parts of France

Running on the pebbled beach, as best they can!

Upon the northern falaise the town below fits perfectly into the valley

Our "Gite" the guest house where we stayed

A detail of carvings one can find in the town of Etretat

Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Garde sits upon one of the northern falaise.

The sunset from the falaise