A day in Dieppe

Saturday is market day in Dieppe and it is held on the Grand Rue, which was conveniently on the way to the Chateau museum where we had planned to start the day. We have noticed during our stay in France that the produce in the supermarkets is of poor quality whereas the market stalls have excellent fruit and vegetables. Dieppe was no exception and here are some photos:
















There are also lots of cheeses. This stall had a funny little display:



We carried on up to the museum, which turned out to have some amazing art as well as collections of ships, old maps, ivory carvings and ceramics. Due to the value of some of these paintings were we tracked all the way around by one of the attendants!

Ship made from ivory, wood and gold thread



One of Sisley's works



This painting, which looks relatively modern was painted in 1568 by Joachin Beuckelaer, a Flemish artist.



If visiting Dieppe I recommend a visit to this gallery as it contains many varied and interesting works.




We ate lunch on the Grand Rue just as the market was closing down and saw the clean up operation in progress. The pavement was littered with vegetable waste and fruit boxes and a whole army of road sweepers, water-spraying machines and refuse trucks cleared it all away in less than 30 minutes! They even washed the road. The afternoon was spent planning the next phase of our trip and we hit a few problems with booking. In the end we chose to cycle down the Avenue (voie verte) to Forges-Les-Eaux and onto Amiens. Rain is predicted so we may have to take the train.

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Location:Rue de Neufchâtel,Forges-les-Eaux,France

Saint-Valery-en-Caux to Dieppe

We anticipated another hilly day like yesterday, bur at least we had not as far to travel and had been told that Veules-Les-Roses was beautiful place to visit. This seaside town was only 10pm down the road and certainly lived up to our expectations. The sea front is like most on this coast, huge cliffs on either side of a pebble beach, but the town itself could be deep in the country. There used to be a stretch of seven or so watermills down the river to the sea and a couple are still turning today. There are wide, shallow watercress beds next to some of the old mills and the town itself has mainly original houses from a couple of centuries ago, several with thatched rooves and others with flint and brick walls or timber frames. We cycled around the historic town trail, rather than walking, as we still had some distance to cover that day. This town also has the maximum 'four flowers' and it must be well worth a visit earlier in the year when all the roses are in bloom.

The rest of the day was very similar to the previous one and the hills were there waiting for us at every inlet. We dwelled a little while at Pourville to look at another site where impressionist paintings were inspired and took the back route into Dieppe to get a good view of the city from the chateau. We visited Dieppe on a day cruise in 1986 and our memories must have faded as the quaint fishing port has morphed into a huge monster of a place! Like many ports it is also a bit shabby in places but we had some great seafood, especially on the second night when a storm hit the city and we were treated to a lightening show. As the tables outside were unusable we had to wait to one became vacant inside, so we sat in a dry spot and had some wine to while away the time watching the rain crashing down.

Veules-les-Roses














Pourville


First view of Dieppe



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Location:Rue de Neufchâtel,Forges-les-Eaux,France

Hills, hills and more hills

It seemed a good idea to travel along the coast towards Dieppe, stopping at all the seaside towns along the way, but when the towns are separated by cliffs it means each one is reached by going downhill steeply and then back up again on the other side. Our legs got a real workout and we were really glad to reach Saint-Valery-en-Caux, especially as we were cycling into a strong headwind all afternoon. No wonder there are wind turbines in this area. There is also a nuclear power plant nicely hidden behind lots of trees!

We managed to get a special deal in a three star hotel by the pleasure port and it was wonderful to have a hot shower and relax at the day's end. We visited the museum today which is set in a house that King Henry IV visited on his travels. It had a special exhibition about galets (pebbles) which were the lifeblood of this area. They have been collected on the beach for hundreds of years and used for architecture, ball mills and, when heated and ground, for chemicals, paints and sandpaper. Most of the houses here are made from a mix of bricks and pebbles (flint) and have quite a character. They are only on one side of the river though as the other was destroyed by Rommel's tanks in 1940. Yet again, the war features in these towns along the Normandy coast. There is a stone obelisk on the hill to commemorate the 51st Highlanders (Canadian) who liberated the town in 1944.

Church built after the war- inside are lots of boats and fishing equipment, with stones listing those lost at sea.


Harbour






High tide - Henry IV house in background


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Location:Avenue Foch,Saint-Valery-en-Caux,France

Etretat

Etretat is a small fishing and holiday town by the sea. It has cliffs to either side and these have been painted by many artists over the years. The ones by Monet are the most famous. We walked to the west for a few km in the morning, had lunch, and walked the other way in the afternoon. We could not resist taking some photos in the evening, as there was a beautiful sunset, and also walked along at the pebble beach to get a better view.

Morning walk to the west.











Back in town. They have placed these plaques all around Normandy so you can see where the paintings came from.



View from the East



Sunset









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Location:Avenue Clemenceau,Saint-Valery-en-Caux,France

Across country to Etretat

Our plan for fine weather in Etretat was working out well as the day in Caudebec started out sunny and the forecast had not changed. Our hotel was across the road from the river and in the early morning the heat from the sun produced a low mist on the water. It seemed to swirl around on the glittering surface and was quite beautiful. We tried to take a few photos but none could really capture the scene. Our route took us across country through lots of small hamlets, but no large towns, and we did not see a shop, garage or any other business for over 30km. We passed plenty of old orchards and tried some apples. They were a little sour for my liking and I will stick with the blackberries which are now ripening and plentiful.

On arrival Etretat lived up to our expectations and as we were staying for a couple of days we looked forward to exploring the cliffs and the places where Monet and other artists had painted.

Early morning in Caudebec-en-Caux



Normandy apples




Etretat in the afternoon


Beer O'Clock!


Low tide





A few hundred years ago the locals reared oysters in troughs they dug in the rocks. There was also this strange dwelling.


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Location:Avenue Clemenceau,Saint-Valery-en-Caux,France

Caudebec-en-Caux

We decided to travel down the Seine as far as Caudebec-en-Caux to delay our visit to Etretat, as rain had been forecast for the following day. It turned out to be a quiet ride as it was a Sunday and also the end of the school holidays. There was a cycle route straight to Harfleur, where we nearly lost out passports, iPad and all, as Julie left her backpack by a bench whilst taking some photographs. We only realised the bag was missing when we were at the boulanger, but fortunately the bag was there when we rode back. The route continued along quiet roads and through a large industrial complex that was like a ghost town. The roads were wide and smooth and we had a great ride, thankful that it was not a weekday. We joined the green route for the last section to Caudebec and did not pass anyone at all. it was an incredibly flat, easy and quiet day's cycling and we only got wet for a short while. We took the opportunity to eat our lunch whilst sheltering under some trees.

We chose Caudebec-en-Caux as was a reasonable distance to travel and seemed to be the most interesting place in the area. It was also close to Jumieges and we planned to visit the abbey the following day. The town caters for river cruise barges on the Seine and has a long jetty to cope with their extreme length. It seems to have brought some money into the town and the river front is like a beach promenade. The round trip to Jumieges Abbey was well worth it. It has been described as France's most beautiful ruin and must have been very impressive when intact. Two thirds of it was destroyed after the revolution and they used the place as a stone quarry!

Harfleur


Old machinery by the Seine cycle path


The Templars house in Caudebec-en-Caux


Jumieges Abbey








I saw these glasses in the shop and thought they were modern. They are actually copies of 18th Century designs!


There was also some art on show



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Location:Avenue Foch,Saint-Valery-en-Caux,France

Le Havre - Quel Surprise!

We travelled over the Pont de Normandie and through the extensive docklands to our hotel in Le Havre. Supposedly from a tourist icon to a ugly town, but the tables were turned. Le Havre turned out to be one of the most interesting places we have visited. It is true that some of the housing built after the city was damaged in the war is quite drab, but the city was resigned by one architect who had some real vision. The streets are very wide and there are no skyscrapers, so you get a feeling of being in lots of space. There are views of the sea and river from most streets and the largest town square in France. The main church resembles a large lighthouse and from inside the stained glass is superb. There is also a beach and some hills surrounding the town. High up on one peak an old fort has been turned into an array of hanging gardens with plants from all over the world. It is free to enter and we spent over two hours walking around. They are also carrying out research on newly discovered species to see now they adapt to the French climate in lots of greenhouses that you can walk through for just one euro. The cafe is also excellent and some special delicacies that are flavored with scents such as rose and geranium. At the corner where the docks meets the beach there is a modern art gallery that has the best collection of impressionist works outside Paris and a top floor restaurant that looks out over the river and sea. We were really impressed with the works on show and also visited a renovated five story merchants house that was furnished with period items. Le Havre is a real working town and seems to be thriving. They are currently building a tramline to connect the town with beach and renovating the town square. A new stadium is being built on the outskirts and cycle paths are present on most roads. The old docks are now filled with retail centres a cinema and water park, having already been restored. They are filled with modern art and temporary exhibition spaces. Give me Le Havre over Honfleur. The latter has now lost most of what made it interesting in the first place and is now just full of tourists, cafes and gift shops.

Pont de Normandie (I do not recommend cycling!)



Le Havre - Docks





Inside the church


The Beach



Town viewed from the Hanging Gardens


Path inside the gardens



Greenhouses - orchids



Art Gallery - Dufy


Art Gallery - me!


Ferry


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Location:Rue de la Poissonnerie,Caudebec-en-Caux,France