A Day in Normandy

Even though my husband lived in Manhattan for years, or perhaps because of it, Kevin doesn't like to spend too much time in a big city without an escape. When a week in Paris was planned for his parent's recent visit, he had trouble imagining what we would do for so many days. He saw an endless progression of museums and monuments, museums and monuments.
To keep him sane, and to give the rest of us a chance to see another part of the country, we decided to plan a day trip. Our destination was easy to pick when looking at a map. Kevin's Grandfather served in the army during World War II and was one of the soldiers to storm the beaches of Normandy. Our outing would be to the beaches.

The D-Day beaches are almost three hours from Paris, not including city traffic. This didn't leave us much time to explore the many D-Day museums or visit the American cemetery, but it was still powerful to walk along the coast and imagine what his experience must have been like.

The sea-air worked up our appetites, and we were happy to warm up with lunch. Muscles and fries were exactly what I wanted, and I found them in a little restaurant just off the boardwalk. The day was cold and very windy, but inside was a great place to watch the choppy white-capped waves.

On the way home we set the navi to avoid the highway, and drove through the farming area inland from the coast. Though this excursion was beautiful, the sights weren't the main attraction. We went in search of Calvados.
Normandy is a major apple-producing region, and is known for its apple brandy, Calvados. It’s available from farmers throughout the region: you just need to know what to look for. Small signs on the main road announce where to turn for local products. However, this is a mission that, especially for the non-French speaking traveler, must be taken on with a sense of adventure. Sometimes, when you find your way to the farm, there is no one home. Other times, you simply can't find the farm at all.

But when you do find a farm store, you are almost always rewarded for your efforts. We were.

Greeted by one of the owners of the orchard, we were invited into the farm's tasting room. Here we were given samples of four bottles of Calvados, each produced on site and aged for different lengths of time. Side by side tasters were able to discern differences as the liquor developed. We were also invited to taste the farm's cider and Pommeau.

Some claim that Pommeau is Normandy's best-kept secret. It is unfermented apple juice, fortified with Calvados (apple brandy) and aged in a barrel. It is kind of like an apple wine, with hints of pear and vanilla that is served in place of more common dessert wine, such as port.