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GETTING THERE: Both upper and lower Normandy, roughly divided by the river Seine, are easily accessible from Paris by train, and by road the autoroute A13 goes from Paris to Caen via Rouen. Normandy is also well served byferry services from England. CLIMATE: As the D-Day invaders discovered in June 1944, the weather along the coast can be capricious. But in general the climate is warm and generous, with glorious springs, long baking summers and golden autumns, with enough rain in between to keep all those pastures green. FOOD & WINE: Seafood include oysters, clams, scallops, shrimp and prawns, mussels dominates Normandy region, along the coast. Inland food has pork fed on windfall apples and cooked in cider; chicken vallée d'Auge, with a creamy sauce Normande; duck from Rouen, tripe from Caen, andouillettes from Vire, black pudding from Mortagne, and the tenderest cuts of beef and pre-salé lamb, from the salt-marsh fields. Cider and Calvados will help with digestion of the meal. MAJOR SIGHTS: Monet's home and gardens at Giverny; the abbeys and châteaux
of the Seine valley; Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen; the beaches, Casino,
racetrack and yearling sales at Deauville; Mont-St-Michel; the Alabaster Coast
where the Impressionists found inspiration; and the Suisse Normande. EVENTS & FESTIVALS: Major holidays include Caen from April to September 4 which features flower parks. Coutances from May 7 to 14 for jazz lovers. Official Commemoration Ceremonies for D-Day Veterans on June 5 and June 6. Le Havre in July for featuring all kinds of music. July 10 to 17 is the Rouen, gathering of Tall Ships and Deauville on September 2 to 11 for American Film festivals celebrating films of the Forties.
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