ADVENTURE: TOP SITES IN NORMANDY, FRANCE

My first trip to France took me to the wondrous countryside of Normandy. Here's my top three picks for the lovely region and a case for why it should be on your next French itinerary!

I originally planned my trip to France around my desire to attend the 2019 Women's World Cup. After booking my tickets to the quarterfinal game between the United States and Sweden in Le Havre, I was in the perfect position to make the trip an exploration of the Normandy region. Complimented by brief pit stops in Paris, I absolutely adored every minute of my road trip through the Normandy countryside.

Here are my top picks for your next itinerary:

Honfleur

The colorful nautical charm of this seaside town kept me happily exploring its winding cobblestone streets for several mornings. Start your day with a café au lait in one of the many cafes along the Vieux Bassin, which is the beautiful harbor at the heart of this port town. Honfleur's distinctive aesthetic is unique with tall, narrow, timber-frame houses of all colors which line the dock on all three sides. As you meander through the local shops and neighborhoods, be sure to stop into the historical Saint Catherine's Church, which is France's largest timber-built church with a separate bell tower. The church's unique architecture was made by shipwrights who incorporated many nautical decorative details, including a ceiling that resembled the hull of a ship.

"I am enraged not to be more skillful in rendering all this. I would need two hands and hundreds of canvases." — Claude Monet

Mont-Saint-Michel

From the staggering beauty of its architectural prowess to the natural elements of coastal winds and vast sandbanks weathered by the tides between Normandy and Brittany, a visit to the medieval monastery Mont-Saint-Michel is a feast for all the visitor's senses. Mont-Saint-Michel encompasses the Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the Archangel St Michel and the village that evolved within its walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, story goes that the mount came to be a great Christian pilgrimage site when Aubert, bishop of the nearby hilltop town of Avranches, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself had called on build a church atop the island just out to sea. There is so much to take in visually and historically. We spent at least two days visiting the site and the experience differed beautifully every time as the tides can change the sandbanks surrounding the mount at any time of day. Shuttle buses conveniently take visitors from the parking lot to the mount which is about 1.5 miles away. If you prefer, you can make the walk from the parking lot on foot and enjoy the scenery along the way. You can't go wrong!

Étretat

Upon visiting Étretat one can immediately understand what drew Impressionists to paint and continuously be inspired by the cliffs and rock formations that make up this picturesque piece of coastline. I was intrigued to add this destination to my Normandy itinerary after hearing the ways in which the spot rivaled the White Cliffs of Dover (also on my bucket list). And indeed, such a comparison is apt, though the seaside town and white cliffs of Étretat should be cherished in their own right.

After taking in the views from the beach, a walk up the cliffs to the west of Étretat leads you to an 18-hole golf course with remarkable views of the coastline and rock formations. Slightly to the east are the Jardins d’Etretat, a beautiful Asian-inspired garden offering stunning views over Étretat and its bay across to the Aval arch (pictured at top). Impressionists such as Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin both immortalized these scenes in some of their famous paintings. Beyond the pebble beach and cliff formations is a quaint seaside town full of welcoming restaurants and shops to get lost in for the afternoon.