Maybe yes, maybe no!
With dreams of Viking routes, apple cider and Camembert cheese enticing us, our non-committal “Norman response” was resolved.
We chose Normandy for a week at the beginning of August. We needed an affordable vacation, accessible from our home in Rotterdam. We looked forward to a nice drive (Philippe enjoys driving, especially after having passed the rigorous Dutch driving exam), and the chance to enjoy the sea and visit a few beaches around Normandy. By a stroke of luck, given the high season, we also found a very reasonable lodging, in a soulful, old water mill just outside of Dieppe.
We always enjoy the phase of preparation, learning about our destination, and making an agenda of what we are going to see or visit. Normandy is an extensive region. We were not sure where to begin. We thought of chalk-cliffed beaches, sweet countryside, the heavy weight of history, and food. A lot of food.
Before setting out on our journey we watched Band of Brothers on Netflix, a work of narrative non-fiction which gave us an idea of some of the events in the WWII era in the places we might visit. We were unaware of how much we were trying to take in but soon realized how big Normandy is. We had assumed we could drive the entire coast for a week, and return. After some calculations and miscalculations, we saw how wrong we were, but could see how this gives us an opportunity to go back on more occasions to further enjoy the rest of Normandy that could not fit into this short trip.
Lille
On our first day, we headed first to Lille in the far north of France, to visit my husband’s cousins, Bernadette and Jean-Yves. The Paris 2024 Olympics were on, and together we enjoyed watching some of the sports in which France excelled, like swimming and fencing (en garde!). It was a hot day, perfect for a light summer meal, which was a simple and delicious French tuna salad with potatoes and boiled eggs. This was followed by an incredible Charentais melon from the south of France. Afterwards, a cheese platter, and voilà! My husband and I share a common tradition of gathering around food, especially with family and friends. One thing we from Turkey have common with the French, is the conversation about dinner while having lunch, about the next day’s lunch while having dinner, and so on. Always thinking of food somehow! This is what we did with them too.
There were a few types of cheese on the table. The one I liked the most was the Fleur d’Audresselles, a soft cheese with an orange rind. In the making, this cheese is brushed with fleur de sel sea salt from Guérande, giving it a slightly briny flavour. This delicious cheese is brought from the producer in Pas-de-Calais, to a shop in Lille, and Philippe’s cousins brought this to the table for us. We were very lucky – much to our delight, Jean Yves and Bernadette sent us off with the remainder of the wheel to have during our trip. It did not last long. This cheese has limited distribution and we did not see it for sale in Normandy. While heading north on the day of our return, I spotted the signs to Audresselles. Next time!
The approach to Nomandy
Our second day, we set out for Normandy, first stopping en route in Arras, a Flemish-flavored town. Here we recharged, I with a café noisette (small coffee with milk, like a cortado) and Philippe had a petit café on the terrace at the French House Arras. From this vantage point we had a view of the lovely Flemish-Baroque-style town houses that surround the Grand’ Place. Arras was much damaged, especially during World War I, then painstakingly reconstructed.
Our next stop was at Amiens in the historical region of Picardy, where we visited what is said to be the biggest cathedral in France, Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens, a spectacular site.
Finally, in the late afternoon we arrived at the Moulin du Hamelet in Saint-Aubin-Sur-Scie. This hidden gem was so much more than we expected, with a cozy living room next to our bedroom, and even a little kitchen space. It was spacious and friendly, in a green and quiet corner near Dieppe where you hear just the sound of water from the mill. You could easily and happily go down to the garden and sip your coffee by the small creek.
Giverny and back
The next day was our first full day in Normandy. We took the longest excursion of our trip, a long drive into the interior of Normandy to Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens, including the beautiful Japanese-inspired garden with its water lilies and famous bridge.
My favorite rooms in the house were the bright yellow-painted dining room and the kitchen with blue tiles from Rouen. I somehow feel if a kitchen has been well used or not, by just looking at it. The Monets were clearly very focused on the kitchen, a lifelong point of importance.
I was so happy to find a book entitled “The Kitchen Notebooks of Claude Monet at Giverny” by Claire Joyes (author of several books on Monet and Giverny) with a foreword by renowned chef Joël Robuchon, at the museum gift shop, which is giving me insight into his almost ritualistic love of fine food. I highly recommend this book in order to have a better understanding of the artist and his work.
We spent three hours at Monet’s Giverny home. When the crowds of visitors started thickening, we drove away to nearby Vernon and had lunch at the Bistro du Montmarte, a simple place with a fresh garden at the back which inspired me to begin with my favorite French aperitif, a kir, made by adding a splash of crème de cassis to a glass of white wine, traditionally a Bourgogne aligoté. A perfect introduction to a satisfactory, if not remarkable, lunch.
After our meal we visited the old mill of Vernon, then headed back to the coast, emerging at the beach closest to our lodging, just a few kilometers away, Pourville-sur-Mer. There we found a friendly and casual beach bar, Les Cabines, which offered delicious oysters from L’Huitrière Goubert, an oyster supplier (and restaurant) almost next door. Here, you could pair your oysters with champagne, a variety of wines, beer or even a local cider.
We continued on down the coast a short way and stopped in lovely Sotteville-sur-mer for a simple glass at a simple café. We were not ready to dine again yet, but we could have – just across the square was Cabana Pizza, a pizza truck, very popular with local residents. On the same square was La Valé Normande, a restaurant whose terrace was packed with happy people, ready for an evening meal. These places both seemed worthwhile. You’re never far from a tasty treat around here.
Stay tuned to Global Seasons for Part 2!
