THE CLIFFS OF ÉTRETAT AND HONFLEUR

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Day 1: GIRONA - BEAUVAIS AIRPORT - ÉTRETAT CLIFFS - HONFLEUR - CAEN

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ringggggg, Ringggggg ... mmm ... alarm clock? But if it's only 4 in the morning !!! That's right, it's 4 in the morning, but today we get up without swirling in bed ... today is a special day, today we're leaving trip to Normandyand we will enter through the cliffs of Étretat and Honfleur.
A few months ago we booked a plane ticket to Paris, to tour Normandy with a rental car for 4 days.
Yes, it is true that it is not too long and we would have liked more days to cover more places in this part of France to which we owed a visit for many years.
At 5 in the morning we take the car, we load the mini suitcases so as not to check in and we go directly to the Girona airport, from where we will leave this time, to the Paris Beauvais airport.
We leave the car in the airport parking and you can not imagine how we have missed our beloved and usual AparcaGo that we always use on trips we leave from Barcelona.
As usual, we have arrived with enough time, so we took the opportunity to have breakfast at the airport and reread the last notes we have made of the things we have to see today.
We have the flight at 7.10 in the morning and embark with less than half an hour but without delays, so we will not complain about the company that seems to be behaving, at least so far!

We make the flight almost without opening our eyes and taking advantage of the last minutes to give a final nod and win those hours a day of sleep that we lost this morning with the early bird.
At 8.55 in the morning we are already at the Beauvais airport and as soon as we leave the terminal, we turn left and we see the cartels with the signs of the car rental agencies.
When we looked at the plane tickets, we had several options to choose from and one of them was to leave the day before and take advantage of one more day of escape, with the intention of touring the streets of Paris again, getting lost in Montmatre and taking advantage of the place we had found where to sleep we had in mind ...
But in the end, because of work schedules, it was impossible for us to materialize this idea and we had to settle for going directly to Normandy from Beauvais airport.
Shortly after 9 in the morning we are in the queue at the box office of Hertz, the company with which we have booked our rental car in Normandy taking advantage of a coffee while we wait and we already begin to notice that the weather in France is not exactly hot as we had thought.

Although the day is sunny, it is cool, so we are already looking forward to giving us the car keys to get inside and finally start our way to the first destination today: the Cliffs of Étretat.
After doing all the paperwork, we will pick up the car and check it from end to end, we do not want it to happen to us as in the trip to Bavaria where they gave us the car without antenna and then they claimed it, just as they charged us 10 days later a gas tank when we had delivered it full ... but hey, this is another story 😉
Although yes, it has helped us to check the car and be attentive to what we signed from now.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Normandy
- 10 essential places to see in Normandy
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Normandy

And with these we find that the car is missing the antenna, you look where, so return to the Hertz box office, so that we add this “damage” to the sheet and finally it seems that we have everything ready to embark on our way . Not without first taking out our GPS that will accompany us throughout the route through Normandy!
Just dial Étretat As a destination, GPS tells us that we will arrive at 12 in the morning, so the idea of stopping in Rouen if it gave us time, we dismissed it at the time and decided that it is best to go directly to the Étretat Cliffs.

We start the trip !!!

As soon as we leave the surroundings of Beauvais Airport, we begin to notice that the landscape changes completely and begins to surround us with a landscape that highlights the colors of the crops, green and yellow, in all their shades, alike.

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At 10 in the morning we stop at a roadside supermarket to buy drinks and several things that we know we will need in this getaway.
In this type of getaway, what we want is to make the most of the time and we are very clear that if at some point we are somewhere where it is difficult to find a place to eat, it is best to bring some sausage and bread to make a quick meal and at dinner time fill the stomach properly.
Nor do we have breakfast in any of the accommodations in Normandy, so we will take something to kill the bug until we find one of the famous boulangeries where to put on our boots in the morning.
We left with a couple of bags full for 13.85 euros. Not bad to be France, right?
The sun starts to warm up and now it's great on the street, although we can't get too entertained because time goes by quickly and Étretat Cliffs They are waiting for us!!
Traveling by car gives us a freedom that we love and every time we have clearer than the trip we have in mind to travel New Zealand with a caravan, it will not take long to materialize it and make it a reality.
We continue our way to Étretat Cliffs on secondary roads, crossing really charming villages where, if we had time, we would stop on each of them, but this time it is impossible, we have to continue our way.
After an hour we take the A29 motorway towards Le Havre and continue for 60 kilometers through cultivated fields, increasingly clear.
We are finally approaching our destination and we arrive at the exit ofÉtretat where we pay 5.40 euros ... And we complain about the highways in Spain !!
We continue our way, again on secondary roads, and much closer to our first destination today. One of the sour cherries from Normandy: the Étretat Cliffs.
At the moment the roads are quite clear and we do not see any collapse.
We had been told that these days, being also a bridge in France, it would be all saturated, especially this area ...
At 12.30 we arrived at Étretat and we see that right at the entrance of the town they announce a free parking, but as soon as we pass it we see that it is complete.
Who had said a few seconds ago that he had not seen any collapse on the roads? Normal that there was no collapse. At this time everyone was already in Étretat!!!
Later we see another cartel with indications of another parking lot that says that it is about 15 minutes from the city center, so we decided to continue with the car to see what parking we can get more central.

Car collapse in Étretat

We go through several more while we cross Étretat until we reach the last one that is 5 minutes from downtown and there after a couple of laps and finding it full, we continue towards the beach area hoping to find the parking lot we had read that is near the Étretat Cliffs. How delusional we are! If the rest of the car parks were full, the one next to the beach, apart from being very small, is bursting and there is a queue waiting.
We would never have thought of finding so many people as we have seen so far in Étretat.
It is exaggerated, so we have nothing left but to take it patiently and go back, to return to the first parking lot we have seen and leave the car there, to walk back and finally enjoy the Étretat Cliffs.
In the end we follow the street that leaves the parking lot of the beach, we continue to the right and without knowing it we arrive at a parking lot of land where there are still some places and the price is 2 euros for 5 hours ...

Parking in Étretat

This is a good price parking and on top we are less than 10 minutes walk from the Étretat Cliffs.
When we have left the car, it is just after 1 pm and knowing that we are just in time for everything we want to do today, we put bread and sausage in the backpack in case we do not have much time to stop to eat.
Today our main objective is the Étretat Cliffs. Food occupies a background 😉

Streets of Étretat ...

The closer we get to the beach area, the more people we go through, so we hope the cliffs are bursting with people, although we still hope that the midday will give us a truce and allow us to visit without too much stress. .
As soon as we reach the beach, we are left with our mouths open with what we are seeing, and from afar we can really intuit what the celebrities are Étretat Cliffs

First view of the incredible Cliffs of Étretat

Enjoying the Cliffs of Étretat

It doesn't take us a minute to decide that the first one we will visit will be the famous Falaise d'Aval or Eye of the Needle, which is a natural arch, formed by the erosion of the sea, which measures more than 70 meters.

Falaise d'Amont on the Cliffs of Étretat

On the way to the path that ascends to the top, we take the opportunity to enter the public services that are in front of the beach.
We are very lucky because time accompanies us. The sky is very clear and 24 degrees accompany us on the road.

Last views before starting the ascent!

We begin to ascend towards le Falais d 'Aval in the Cliffs of Étretat

We began to ascend and we have succeeded with the time, because we do not cross too many people.

Stunning views from the Cliffs of Étretat

We cannot stop peeking and look at each other with our mouths open. Is awesome!! We are not surprised at anything Étretat Cliffs attract artists like Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet ...

Étretat Cliffs

Enjoying the Cliffs of Étretat

Nor can we avoid remembering the Cliffs of Moher on that tour we did a few years ago in Ireland.

Étretat Cliffs

In the ascent we stop at the different viewpoints and when we reach the middle of the road we see a ledge, which seems to be waiting for us to pose there to enjoy the views and eat our sandwiches.

Our restaurant on the Cliffs of Étretat

This is a 5 star restaurant and the rest is nonsense.

5-star restaurant on the Cliffs of Étretat

After resting a little, we continue our way until the end of Falaise d'Aval or Eye of the Needle.

Étretat Cliffs

The landscapes we have before our eyes are getting better and the truth is that it costs to turn our backs on this.

Étretat Cliffs

The Étretat Cliffs They are a wonder of nature.
We do not want to leave here and in a last attempt not to do so, we return to one of the viewpoints where we have better views and take a last look.

Étretat Cliffs

At this time there are already many people, but the silence accompanies and it seems that we all agree that this show should be enjoyed accompanied by the only sound of the waves.

Happiness in the Cliffs of Étretat

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Étretat Cliffs

We have been in Le Falaise d 'Aval or Ojo de la Aguja for almost two hours, so it is time to descend and we do it along the path parallel to the one we have taken on the ascent and which runs right next to a golf course.

Disdaining of Falais d'Aval in the Cliffs of Étretat

When we get to the promenade, we take the opportunity to buy a couple of ice cream cones to cool off for 2 euros each and get back on track, without wasting much time to climb up to the Falaise d'Amont, the cliff on the right hand side, with Your church always in the background.

Reading post on the beach at the Cliffs of Étretat

Beach bars on the Cliffs of Étretat

Now, after the hours we have been standing, the climb becomes more tired, but the views are still spectacular.

Falais d 'Aval from Falais d ' Amont on the Cliffs of Étretat

Not as much as we have seen before in Le Falaise d 'Aval, but we must also visit this area of the Étretat Cliffs.

The ascent to le Falais d 'Amont at the Cliffs of Étretat is almost finished

Views of Falais d 'Aval from Falais d ' Amont on the Cliffs of Étretat

The views continue to be spectacular, from the point we look at the landscape we have in front of our eyes.

Views of Falais d 'Aval from Falais d ' Amont

Étretat Cliffs

Falais d'Amont on the Cliffs of Étretat

Being almost 4 in the afternoon we decided that it is time to take a walk around Étretat before getting back on our way to what will be our next stop of the day: Honfleur.
Although before we can not stop taking a last look ...

Views of Falais d 'Aval from Falais d ' Amont on the Cliffs of Étretat

We took the opportunity to walk a lively streets of people and with many shops and restaurants where we were left wanting to try those famous "moules et frites" in the area.

Streets of Étretat

Details of the streets of Étretat

Étretat

Maybe next time! Because surely one day we will return and it will be with much more time to enjoy Normandy with tranquility and without time limits.
We arrive at our parking lot and the closer we get, the more cars we see and the more people heading towards Étretat Cliffs.
In the end we have been very lucky arriving at noon and we have been able to go through everything quite calmly, counting the people we see right now.
There are even cars parked on the roadside. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Étretat in August and on the bridge!

Leaving Étretat… cars, cars and more cars !!

After a small caravan to leave Étretat, we set off, always following the indications of our GPS, towards Honfleur where it took about 40 minutes to arrive.

Honfleur Road

About 11 kilometers before reaching Honfleur We pass by the famous Normandy Bridge, where we pay 5.30 euros to cross it.

Arriving at the Normandy Bridge

As we got closer we were impressed by this architectural work.
We have to affirm that the Normandy Bridge is impressive!

Normandy Bridge

The most impressive is the images we have of the level changes as we go through it.

Normandy Bridge

It is very clear that it is worth paying to get to know the Normandy Bridge first hand.
And after crossing it we continue towards Honfleur, where we arrived around 6 pm, willing to tour this city that they say is the prettiest of Normandy.
We park in the center of Honfleur, in one of the paid parkings and we go straight to tour a city from which we have read and have told us true wonders.
Upon reaching the port area we were impressed ... it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.

Honfleur

The colors stand out at every step we take, the atmosphere envelops us, the streets seem to be taken from a story.

Carousel in Honfleur

Now we understand why they say that Honfleur it's the prettiest city in Normandy.

Honfleur

Happy in Honfleur

It's bursting with people from all corners, but that along with the hundreds of restaurants, bars, art galleries and souvenir shops in the downtown area, makes us fall in love even more.

Honfleur Images

Art Gallery in Honfleur

It is one of the few times that the crowd makes us look much prettier a city and this is happening to us in Honfleur.

Honfleur ... with many people !!

Colors in Honfleur

After a good time walking its streets, we stopped at one of the terraces to rest and have a coke and a beer for 7.20 euros.
It is well worth paying this price on such a site, although if we have to find "a but", it would indicate that it has Wi-Fi and there is no trace!
And when we change the account, they give us 30 cents less ... this is the tourist terraces 🙂 Although who knows if it was a mistake ...
After resting for a while we will go through the other part of Honfleur We have not visited yet and we reach the streets adjacent to the main square that are equally welcoming.

Shops in Honfleur

The streets are full of shops, restaurants, terraces ...

Honfleur Church

Interior of the Church of Honfleur

As we have said before Honfleur It is special, and having streets full of flowers, very clean and with a cozy atmosphere, makes it even more.

Honfleur

The only shame is we can't stay here anymore. If we said before that we would return to Étretat, now we add that we will do it by adding Honfleur.
We take the opportunity to buy the snack in a cupcake shop that looks very good for 10 euros and we stick a snack of kings losing us again through their streets, before returning to the car to continue our way to Caen.

Mmm ... there is our snack! Honfleur

Honfleur streets

Honfleur

With the snack we have made it has been impossible for us to consider having dinner at Honfleur, but the truth is that we have been looking forward to it because we have seen countless restaurants looking very good.

Colors in Honfleur

Details of the streets of Honfleur

Black and White in Honfleur

We said goodbye to Honfleur with a smile on our face and turning to look at her for the last time ...

Enjoying Honfleur

The first section of the road until we get to the D144 that will take us to our accommodation in Caen, we do it on a road in a residential area of Honfleur impressive, in which they want to stay and live.
The last 40 kilometers on the way to Caen, we do them on the A13 motorway, where we pay a toll of 3.40 euros.
After 9 pm, we arrive at our hotel in Caen, the Hôtel La Fontaine, where we are lucky to find parking right in front of the hotel, on the street and in the payment area, but as the schedule is until 7 in the late and until 9 in the morning, we are in luck and we save having to pay it.
We do not entertain ourselves too much and after checking in, we leave our bags in the room and go straight to dinner.
We have entertained a little more of the account getting lost in the streets of Caen and after 10 at night and without having any restaurant on hand, we search on Tripadvisor that we have nearby to have dinner.
We did not find anything that seduces us, and seeing that we do not know exactly where we are and the night begins to close, we look for something near the hotel ... and guess what is 2 minutes away? A Mcdonalds !!!
We have been awake since 4 in the morning and we are dead, we do not really want to find a restaurant that is further away.
There are few people on the street and as we returned to the hotel area, we have seen that many bars were already closed.
So we decided that today we will have dinner that fast food that we never do in Spain, but that one day always falls on our trips.
And at 11 pm we are back at the hotel in Caen, ready to answer some emails, go over the planning tomorrow and go straight to sleep ... that after 19 hours the time has come to dream ...