We had just left Le Lion d’Or having had an absolutely delicious, and completely unexpected four-course gourmet lunch.
The starter was pâté de foie gras with strawberry jam and a warm crusty roll, followed by duck magret with a béchamel sauce and bacon-wrapped potatoes with caramelized onions. After a small ball of apple sorbet on a splash of Calvados to clean the palate, came the salad and cheese plate of golden-coloured Pont-l’Évêque, the stinky Livarot, though not as stinky as Limburger, creamy Neufchâtel, and, of course a nice, just-ripe Camembert, and ending with a desert of crème brulé, and a slice of three-coloured piece of chocolate cake, 2 dark and one white, with a drizzle of crème anglaise. Like, WOW!!
No, we had not just stepped out of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, but from a pretty restaurant/café on the square of a small Normandy town: Fougerolles-du-Plessis, some 55 Kms east of Mont St-Michel. Specifically on Sundays, restaurants of the region offer a set menu such as this, with a set price. The price for our four-course lunch: $30CDN (2013). As everywhere else in France, not to mention the rest of Europe, in Normandy, food and wine are pleasures to savor, not to gulp down, thus the two hours it took to enjoy this “lunch” with life-long friends.
Our home base was in the small town of Heusse at the French home of Vicky’s lifelong friend and her hubby which they had offered for our Normandy vacation and was so thankfully accepted.
Afterwards, this laid back facet of French life was confirmed to us during a trip to the medieval town of Domfront on its rocky ridge, with its half-timbered houses leaning akimbo and its ruined fortress from the 11th century. The place has seen a lot of wars - between the French and the English long ago, the Religious Wars of 1562-1598!!.... WWII…. The town was walled at one point because of these frequent conflicts, and some of the original towers survive semi-intact. You can expect narrow cobbled streets, some grander townhouses, open squares with cafés. So very nice, so very Normandy.
Next to the ruined castle on the side of a cliff, well hidden by vegetation is a tiny house that during 1943-44 was used by the locals to hide Allied airmen who had been shot down, right under the noses of the Germans for over 500 days.
Normandy is famous for its cheese making traditions. Knowing that Normandy is the cradle of Camembert, we asked about visits to local manufacturers at the local Office de Tourisme. The young lady behind the counter explained that we had two choices: a large Camembert factory nearby (“…but this is not real Camembert…”, she exclaimed, nose slightly in the air) or a small farm-based operation open daily for visits (“…the only true Camembert in the district…”), and, in truth, only Camembert from Normandy can claim to be authentic, one must eschew everything else. These farms continue to perpetuate old cheese-making techniques, with milk straight from the farm’s cows. Unpasteurized, the result is a highly distinctive cheese whose creamy taste is succulent beyond comparison. Unfortunately, here in Quebec, only the ‘factory’ Camembert from Normandy is available and as for locally-made “Camembert” well….
All French towns of any size have an outdoor farmers’ market once a week and the one in St-Hilaire-du-Harcourt was an eye opener. In addition to the ‘usual’ local wines, cheeses, boulangeries/patisseries, charcuterie stands, sweets, local honeys, jams, chutneys, clothing, antiques, junk, etc, there were these farmers selling live animals: several varieties of chickens and ducks, boxes of ducklings, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, rabbit, grouse, guinea pigs…I may have missed some… We were no longer in Canada.
Now, some eighteen Kilometers away is Bagnoles de l'Orne, home to a casino, a nice lake, grand 19th century ‘belle époque’ houses with some early 20th century art deco thrown in. The town owes its existence to its warm spring and its spa. Enjoy a relaxing treatment and a stroll around the lake.
Some 18 Kms from Heusse, we came upon that very French archeological find: (one of) the Dolmen, a stone monument – a megalith - two or more upright stones with a stone lying on their tops. From the Neolithic period, around 2000 BC, this one was primarily a collective grave. At one point it would have been covered entirely by earth or stones– what you see below is the work of archaeological digs. Frequently they would be surrounded by standing stones. This one wasn’t.
A nice town to make a home base in the region is Bayeux, on the river Aure, with, of course, the Museum of the Bayeux Tapestry, seen behind glass – at a most impressive 68 meters long and 50 centimeters high, comprising nine panels linked to each other via fine seams, it recounts the tale of the invasion and conquest of England and the death of King Harold Godwinson, himself, partly, a descendant of invading Vikings, by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. The perfidious Harold, having promised to swear allegiance to William on a Bible, reneged. William took serious umbrage, and the rest is history: the end of Anglo-Saxon dominance of England.
Interestingly a casual glance at William’s ships, as portrayed on the tapestry, tells the tale of two powerful Viking families vying for power as his ships were clearly Viking Longboats.
The Tapestry is dated from the end of the 11th century and it is a wonder that it has survived a millennium. It was made on linen by Anglo-Saxon women, known for their embroidery skills, in England, probably in Canterbury, disappeared for some centuries and turned up in Bayeux Cathedral in the 14th century.
Entrance to the museum is cheap and for your fee, you receive a hand-held speaker which explains the meaning of each panel is it unscrolls before you as you walk, numbered 1 through 29 steps… like a cartoon, the speaker moves you along, although you can stop it any time to take a closer look. Very well done.
Cathedral of Bayeux , dedicated to Our Lady, is a 12th century towering huge pile, in Norman Gothic style, that can be seen miles away upon approaching the city. Impressive on the outside, beautifully done on the inside. The site is ancient and was once occupied by Roman sanctuaries.
The restaurant opposite the cathedral was just outside the reconstructed flour mill, with the Aure flowing tight by it, such a perfecto location … sadly no longer in operation, however, plenty of other excellent eateries to choose from.
If you are already in this area, a short visit to the Normandy beaches were the Allies landed is a must, if only to remember our soldiers who died there. We went to see Juno Beach where the Canadians landed. Several of the destroyed landing craft and the makeshift wharves were still on display and there are several beaches to visit and allied military machines to ponder……
Then there is that wonder of the Catholic Church: The Abbaye de Mont Saint-Michel sitting on its rock about a kilometer off the mainland – a World UNESCO Heritage site. The rock is an anomaly because the area is really swampland. High tide cuts it off from the mainland, but ‘in olden times’ it could be approached at low tide if you knew how to avoid the quicksand. A pilgrimage destination for centuries, (and still is), a prison during the Ancien Regime, now approachable by a foot causeway. All of it is enclosed by fortified walls as the site was strategic – it was never captured by force until WWII.
The parking lots are on the mainland and there is a shuttle-bus to get you closer to the entrance. Parking fee is: €12. 9€ will get you through the gate, 4€ for a speaker that will tell you all about it as you walk around the various rooms once you get into the Abbey proper. You should really walk from the parking lot about 1.5 miles, as it is quite an experience to see the site get bigger and bigger, more defined and detailed, almost reverential (there is frequently a haze from the Atlantic). You can see the spire of Saint Michael with his feet on the snake that tempted Eve, from far off if you are coming by car from the east. There is one serpentine road, lined with eateries, drinkeries, curio/brick-a-brack shops, all manner of saintly objects for sale, all inordinately expensive, before you get to the top where the entrance to the monastery is located.
You actually can stay in St-Michel - for example there is the Auberge St-Pierre, 'only' 300€ per night. Nothing is cheap on the rock.
The Abbey church at the very top with the Archangel Michael's statue that is so visible from far off was built in the Romanesque style, very stark and severe with plain stained windows, no paintings or frescos - a few statues and that's it. This was a working Monastery, no frills, prayer and work. The Abbey has extensive lands to cultivate just on shore, and although in the middle of the 19th century there were 1200 full inhabitants on the island, now there are thirty. 3 million tourists visit the Mont every year and drop some $63 million USD.
Châteaux:
Château de Lassay quite near the Normandy beaches, in Lassay-les-Châteaux is an incredibly well-preserved 15th century fortified castle, with eight massive towers, built purely from a defensive point of view with a drawbridge, machicolations, murder holes, crossbow slits and cannon ports. The first mention of it dates to the 12th century. It is still occupied by the family that owned it. It is open from April to September, entrance fee costs 6€ with guided tour in French and English. The village itself is classed as a "Petite village de caractère" and a great place for a picnic and a stroll near one of its two lakes. Take in the woodland and the rose garden near the church, not to mention the pretty town itself. There's a typical French market every Wednesday.
Château de Carrouges in Carrouges, also near the beaches, a huge pile of a place, was built in the 14th century; originally a defensive fortress, currently it is more of a huge manor house with a wide moat but plenty of 18th century windows, clearly meant as a residence. A stunning four-turreted gatehouse guards the entrance. Built as a quadrangle with a spacious interior courtyard, the formal staircase is a true tour-de-force of brick-work. A tour, only in French, but with an English guidebook, costs 7.50€.
Remember Calvados? On the way back home, our friends suggested we stop for a dégustation of that other distinctive Normandy item: Calvados at Domain Didier Lemorton in Domfront. Distilled exclusively from fermented apple juice, this specific apple brandy had a frankly, unexpected smooth mouthfeel (though not my tipple).
Note: Always keep in mind, especially in rural towns, that between noon and 2PM is "siesta time", and most everything is closed - chateaux are closed, even attractions are closed sometimes. Also, good to remember for any vacation in France that in August everyone goes on holiday… for the month… so tourist destinations are packed, and some places you might want to visit are closed.
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