A Day Trip to Étretat

We are currently staying in Deauville, a very nice coastal spot in Normandy. But honestly, not much happens here. We attended an auction and watched trotters for sale a couple of days ago. Yesterday, we strolled around and took some photos in the center of Deauville, but today we set our course for Étretat. You have certainly seen pictures of the famous cliffs here if you have “googled” tourist attractions in Normandy.

I would have loved to get some great shots from here, but it’s hard to achieve that on an afternoon with temperatures at 23˚C and hazy air. So, what you see at the top is a stock photo. If you go down to the beach, you will see the most famous cliff on the left side, called Falaise d’Aval. Many artists have immortalized it, but the most famous is probably Claude Monet.

If your aim is to take good photos from here, the best light is of course at sunrise or sunset. It didn’t suit us very well this time. But anyway, it was fun to see these tourist attractions with our own eyes. The afternoon light is much better towards the north, towards the not-so-famous La Falaise d’Amont:

The Village of Étretat

If you’ve made your way here, you should also take a walk through the town’s streets. It’s a touristy place, there’s no denying that, but it has its charm nonetheless. Expect to do some walking if you visit during the summer holidays. We were here in mid-September and still had to park quite a distance from the center.

As mentioned, it was fun to have been here and seen these famous cliffs. But today’s highlight was probably lunch at La Belvedere.

Restaurant La Belvedere

We have traveled a lot around France, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s to watch the clock when you’re outside the big cities. Most eateries do not serve food between 2 PM and 7 PM. So we planned a stop to eat in Saint-Jouin-Bruneval. There was supposed to be a small eatery called Le littoral BBC. It appeared lifeless, fortunately! Google Maps is a must when you’re in unfamiliar places. The app finds almost everything, and now it found Le Belvédère – Restaurant Traditionnel Panoramique just a couple of km away.

It’s located on the edge of the chalk cliffs by the coast, hence the “panoramique” in its name. The best eateries in France are often in quite strange places, far from the crowds. Here, the parking lot was almost full, and we realized we should have reserved a table. But we got a table for two anyway, with a view.

Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Menu

Then the menus arrived, one for me and one for Finn. But only Finn’s menu had the prices listed. A bit old-fashioned perhaps, but a bit amusing too. It’s sort of assumed that the man pays and the lady can order what she likes without thinking about the price 🙂

And speaking of time, one forgets about it once you’ve got a seat at a good restaurant in France. The meal took 2 1/2 hours. We chose the same starter, a Pâté en croûte de canard. That is a paté with, among other things, duck. The culinary terms are a chapter of their own. We’ve learned a bit, but it’s still exciting to see if you get what you thought you ordered or something entirely different.

The main course was straightforward, it was either cod or duck (again). I went for the fish and Finn chose duck with figs. Both were delicious. I can do without cheeses that smell like death, so I opted for the chocolate mousse, while Finn enjoyed the stinky cheeses by himself.

If you’re nearby and have time for a long lunch, do stop by here!

Honfleur in Evening Light

We swerved by Honfleur on the way back to Deauville again. This is possibly the best-preserved town along the coast of Normandy. In Deauville, there are newer buildings, and it’s a bit “posh.” Honfleur has narrow cobbled streets and old timber-framed houses that look like they were built before the spirit level was invented. A very charming place, especially outside the tourist season!

There are plenty of eateries by the harbor, and you might be lucky enough to get some good food here. But it’s teeming with tourists, and it can seem as if the restaurants are not trying to cultivate regulars (read: expensive and mediocre food). Feel free to move a bit away from the harbor if you want a good meal in peaceful surroundings.