In viaggio con Sergio

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Étretat – Exploring the Cliffs together with Arsène Lupin

The weather conditions in this corner of France have become proverbial: sometimes these Norman (and Breton) lands are reputed to be lashed by rain even in the height of summer, and upon our arrival in the splendid norman town of Étretat, the weather seems to live up to this reputation.

Clouds menacing the rain over the cliffs

Indeed, shortly thereafter, the forecasted downpour unleashes itself. I might say that not all bad things come to harm, as the rain drives my wife and me to seek refuge in a small restaurant right by the beach, and our move proves to be very well-timed—we end up with a pot of mussels that is truly welcome.

And the weather above the cliff improves: the sun comes out to illuminate a day that turns out to be magnificent.

It’s time to walk and climb these magnificent white cliffs.

Before ascending, we take one last look at the coastline of Étretat, with the town and the cliff to the east of the city.
As we aclimb, we enjoy the view of the splendid Porte d’Aval.
Continuing on our path, after the Porte d’Aval, we also admire the Aiguille Creuse: does anyone remember?
Maurice Leblanc was born in Normandy, and his hero also loved this land and especially this place.
The cliffs continue as far as the eye can see, they seem to reach the port of Le Havre.
Moving away from the sea, we admire the homes of the norman countryside.
And finally, after crossing the center of Étretat, we come across this beautiful norman house: the home of Maurice Leblanc, which hosts a lovely museum dedicated to his immortal Gentleman Thief.

During our brief but well-deserved norman vacation, my wife and I stayed in the splendid town of Honfleur, on the other side of the Seine estuary. From our base to reach Étretat, we traveled about fifty kilometers, half on the highway and the other half through the splendid norman countryside, dear not only to Leblanc but also to Maupassant and André Gide among others: a land worthy of being visited by an enthusiast of French literature.

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