As stated in the introduction of Lyon, the city was founded by the Romans in the year 43 BC. They created a whole city out of nothing and called it Lugdunum. The city was built on the Fourviere hill located in Old Lyon (“Vieux Lyon“), the hill that today not only sees much of the Roman […]

The Le Havre Mairie (City Hall) Christmas Lights are all up and running. This year it’s more sober but very nicely done. Most of the lights are a simple white colour, giving a “snow-like” feeling. Next to the Mairie building is the traditional Christmas Stalls (in French Marchee de Noel) and a not-so-traditional Ferris wheel. […]

Transport Getting There Train. There is a train link between Paris and the shared railway station of Trouville-sur-Mer and Deauville. There are several daily direct (and ones where you need to change) trains. Fastest time is 2 hours. Ferry: Closest ferry harbours from the UK are Ouistreham (Caen) and Le Havre. There is an irregular […]

Deauville in Normandy is often considered the 21st district of Paris due to the large number of Parisians who have their weekend home there. Driving through any town in Normandy compared to driving through Deauville is the difference between day and night; average income places versus rich incomes, and it shows.   Deauville is one of […]

Once a year, mid October, Rouen closes its city centre during a weekend and holds the “Fete du Ventre et de la Gastronomie Normande” festival. The best translation would be “Festival of the Stomach and Normandy Gastronomy“, meaning food, but it’s more than that. It’s also the “stomach” of Rouen, or if you want to put […]

Transport Getting There Air: Rouen has an airport, but it’s used mostly for charters. Sometimes, there is a scheduled service to Lyon from where you can change to other international flights. Ferry: Closest ferry is Le Havre, about a 1 hour drive or train ride from Rouen. Within Rouen There is a good public transportation system […]

The Jardins Suspendu, in English the Hanging Gardens is a vast garden on the heights of Le Havre overlooking the city.   The whole garden area is built on an old fort. The building of the Fort de St. Adresse started in 1854. Although not directly involved during the First World War (it eventually became a […]

Fecamp was, and probably still is, a large herring fishing city. Several herring smoking factories were located alongside the docks, but all have now disappeared. But to remember the days that tons of herrings were brought to the shores and smoked, once a year the city Fecamp hold a Herring Festival. Called “Fête du Hareng” […]