7 Reasons to Visit Normandy This Spring

From the end of April until the end of September, the 2nd annual Normandy Impressionist Festival offers an extensive array of exhibitions and other events at numerous venues in both upper and lower Normandy.

The 32nd annual Jazz Sous les Pommiers takes place May 4-11 in Coutances. This event draws some big names and is a must for any jazz lover!

The city of Rouen will welcome the Armada Festival to its harbor in early June, with more than 50 tall ships expected to sail into town.

Le Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Baron Gérard recently opened in Bayeux. Admittedly, I am rather fond of this charming medieval town, and I think this new museum gives it just one more reason to visit.

Visit with local producers every Tuesday and Thursday at Cider and Calvados tastings throughout the month of April in the beautiful Normandy village of Beuvron-en-Auge.



For flower lovers, there's a Tulip Festival that runs until the end of April in the stunning gardens of the Château de Vendeuvre.

Late spring is the beginning of mussel season in Barfleur. I can't wait to head to our favorite place for moules frîtes!

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Beuvron-en-Auge and La Route du Cidre

Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and go exploring.

We always seem to take the places we live for granted...getting too comfortable in our routine and forgetting that there is always something new to discover, usually right on our doorstep.

The famous Route du Cidre is only about 45 minutes from our house, yet in the last year of living in Normandy, we'd never been.

Until yesterday.







Our first stop was one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Beuvron-en-Auge, which is indeed a beautiful village - a picture perfect, bijou village of half timbered houses, antique and regional products shops and restaurants. And a village that was busy with tourists, even on a grey day in early January.

I thought it was adorable, but can only image how busy it must be in the summertime.*





Beuvron-en-Auge is just one of the half a dozen or so stops on La Route du Cidre, a 25 mile, picturesque drive through the heart of the Calvados region, in the "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée des Cidres du Pays d'Auge."
The circular route offers a gorgeous glimpse of the horse farms, apple orchards and quaint villages and towns of Basse-Normandie.

Several of the "roads" however, might be better described as one lane tracks, which forces the driver to slow down and take in the beauty of the countryside. And that's really the whole point, isn't it?
There are fifteen or so cider, Pommeau and Calvados producers along the route, as well as a couple of cheese makers and surprisingly, one wine maker.

I would happily return, stop somewhere for lunch and designate a driver so I could do some more tasting!





*Not that you shouldn't go if you have the chance in July or August. It is now on the top of my list of things to do in Normandy!


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