A region full of history, culture and natural breathtaking marvels.

For me, Normandy was a surprise. Both because I received this trip as a birthday present, and because it is a truly unique spot.
We started our trip on a rainy Wednesday night, direction Rouen, and spent the night in a small hotel in the city center.
The bed was too soft and the room smelled weird, but this didn’t stop our enthusiasm. The next day, after a simple breakfast that the owner of La Zebre à Pois kindly prepared even if not on the menu, we were ready to visit Rouen.

After a morning of wandering, back on the road! The intention was to visit Etretat. The intention, because we found one of the worst storms EVER just at the entrance of the city. I was quickly sent in a ham-and-bread expedition, which we ate in the car under the pouring rain, and after that..well, a change of plans was almost mandatory. We continued further west, towards the beaches that saw thousands of Germans and Americans die in the D-day, when France was set free from the Nazi control.
No words to describe the beauty of those ladscapes, that we were lucky enough to enjoy with a full bright sun.
And no words to describe the feeling of walking in such astonishing places, while thinking that so many people had died in that very same spot. The traces, and the memories, of that horror were still in front of our eyes.
The visit of the landing beaches is worth a thousand of history classes.
And no, those are not the craters of the moon. They are the traces of the bombs.

Next stop: Mont-Saint-Michel.
I was excited like a child. I had wanted to visit so badly this place since my third year in secondary school, when our teacher had told us about the magic of the tights and the ingenious man-made solutions to survive in this unique spot.
And well, there it was. We rushed to see it in the golden hour of the sunset, and no choice could have been more appropriate. No tourists, beautiful shades of gold mixing with the blue of the waters, peace.

We spent the night in a very functional AirBnB nearby.
The next day, Mont Saint Michel was exactly the opposite. Crowds of people jumping on each other’s feet made the climb a bit less peaceful, albeit still fantastic. Worth to visit the abbey right at the top of the hill, and if you manage to sneak in one of the daily guided tours, the day will be just well spent.

After a brief stop in Ouistreham, we headed towards our next destination: Caen.
We checked in in our perfect Première Classe Hotel (28 Rue Martin Luther King, Angle Route de Rosel et Espaces Entreprises II), then out for a well-deserved dinner. And we ended up in a small basque restaurant (Bistrot Basque), where we enjoyed some fresh grilled fish and a humonguous dessert platter. Amazing.

Day 3, Caen. We visited the museum of the WWII, a bit expensive but absolutely worth it. Don’t make our same mistake, you will need at least a full day to enjoy it completely.
In the afternoon, Honfleur showed us its beauty. The cutest waterside city ever. Walk in the city center, then up to the hill for a two-hours full-immersion in the nature.

Night spent in an AirBnB in Bolbec, between dog’s hair and coughing. I ended up sleeping in the veranda, that was a no-no stay. But hey, the last stop was so incredible that I had to keep my eyes well open! Because yes, Etretat deserved a full sun. And we were so happy of the detour we had made on day 1! We climbed on one of the two cliffs overlooking on the sea, between happy chubby cows and bright green fields. It took about 3 hours, after which we sat at a cafe on the seaside and we enjoyed a delicious crèpe salée and a sweet glass of poiré (the typical, slightly alcoholic cider or the region).

With the exception of a small break in Dieppe (meh), after lunch we headed straight back to Brussels.

We had such a good time!