If I didn’t already tell you, let me say it again: the weather in Haute Normandie was just wonderful last weekend. Not only were the fruit trees blossoming, so were the cherry trees and fields of yellow rape. On the morning of my second day, I had a sumptuous breakfast in the dining room of our chambre d’hote. The owner was very kind and served us fresh crepes with several different homemade jams and conserves. While I ate, I wondered what the day was going to bring since the countryside appeared to be covered in a thick fog. I took a few photos of Au Temps de Cerises and then decided that the fog would likely burn off by the time I reached my first destination for the day, the Château de Robert le Diable. Since there was no bridge over the Seine nearby, we would have had to take the road around the river and put over 50km on our car. Fortunately, drivers can take the ferry over the river at Le Mesnil-sous-Jumièges and the distance is only 18km. The ferry had to wait for eight vehicles to board before casting off to the other side of the Seine which we couldn’t even see because of all the fog. When we arrived in Moulineaux, we parked the car beside the war memorial which was constructed using the remains of an old tower from the château. The Château de Robert le Diable is a feudal castle from the time of the Dukes of Normandy. It takes its name from Robert the Devil who, according to some, was Robert de Montgommery, also known as Robert le Magnifique ('the magnificent'), Duke of Normandy and father of William the Conqueror. However, there is no evidence that this person was involved in the construction. The castle was built during the 11th and 12th centuries and stands on a hill which dominates the River Seine--the views extending over the whole Rouen region, making it a particularly strategic location.  Fortunately for us, the fog had cleared off and all that remained could be seen hovering over the Seine. It is known that the English King Richard I ('Lionheart') stayed here. His brother, King John ('Lackland') destroyed the castle during his struggle with the King of France Philip II Augustus. The latter rebuilt it. During the Hundred Years War, the people of Rouen destroyed the towers to prevent the castle being used by the English.

Caudebec-en-Caux is a pleasant town settled around the Seine where the Ste-Gertrude Valley runs into the river. It was here that I stopped on my way to Jumièges where I had booked a room at a chambre d'hôte called Au Temps des Cerises. I wasn’t planning on stopping but I needed to do some shopping to get some stuff for dinner since I didn’t want to go out to some restaurant. I’m so glad I stayed for a while and took a walking tour of the town. The Quai Guilbaud along the river is a popular place for a stroll and offers wonderful views of tour boats and barges passing by as well as the Pont Bretonne. Because there are so few bridges over the Seine in this part of Normandy and because the river winds its way like a serpent throughout the countryside, it can be difficult to get from one point to another. A good example of this is the Pont de Bretonne in Caudebec-en-Caux which was built in the 1970s to relieve the amount of traffic taking the numerous ferries along the river. There are still quite a few ferries and one day in particular, I took a ferry that cut my distance from 50km to only 15km. One of the first interesting old buildings in town was the Old Prison which dates from the 14th century. Closer to the center of town is the Maison des Templiers (12th and 13th centuries), called “Templar” perhaps because it served as a Protestant temple during the Reformation. It escaped destruction in 1940 probably because of its stone structure—one of the few houses of its kind from medieval Normandy. When an American threatened to buy the building and rebuilt it stone by stone in the United Sates, a local association saved the building and created the Museum Biochet-Bréchot which now houses items of local history and archaeology. Sadly, much of Caudebec-en-Caux lost its ancient fortifications in 1378 however some portions of the old walls still exist like the Tour d’Harfleur and the Tour des Fascines. There are several half-timber houses in the town as well which give an idea of what Caudebec must have looked like during the Middle Ages. The chief architectural interest of the town lies in its Flamboyant church, Église Notre-Dame which was constructed during the 15th and the early 16th centuries. Henri IV once described it as “the most beautiful chapel in the kingdom.” It is certainly that—the belfry is 53 meters tall and its upper part is surmounted by a stone crown spire. The west façade is pierced by three doorways which portray 333 different characters from the Bible and by a remarkable rose window surrounded by small statues. Inside, there is no transept and the nave is quite narrow. The 17th century baptismal font is decorated with intricately carved panels. The great organ is from the 16th century and has 3,345 pewter pipes. The Chapelle du St-Sépulcre at the rear of the church has a set of large stone statues (16th century) including a recumbent Christ which were originally from the Jumièges Abbey. The Chapelle de la Vierge, or Lady Chapel is famous for its keystone which weighs over seven tonnes. The most impressive parts of the entire place are the stained glass windows which date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The weather was spectacular this last weekend that I decided to take a trip to the region around Haute Normandie known as the Seine Maritime. After making several stops to get pictures of the fields covered in rape flowers, or colza as it is known in France, I made my first stop in the delightful city near the Channel known as Fécamp. It is a fishing port as well as a center for pleasure boats. According to its late medieval founding legend, the trunk of a fig tree (ficus) carrying the Precious Blood of Christ collected by Joseph of Arimathea was washed ashore on the riverbank at Fécamp in the 1st century. Immediately, a fountain of holy blood gushed from the site; the relic attracted many medieval pilgrims, enhancing the reputation of the city. Fécamp is also known for its Palais Bénédictine where the Bénédictine liqueur is made. The building, designed by Camille Albert in the late 19th century is a mixture of neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance styles. Inside is a museum that displays a large collection of objets d’art as well as rooms adorned in chestnut and oak. The most interesting parts of the building are the displays of objects and documents relating to the history of making Bénédictine liqueur as well as the visitor’s center with guided tours that show how the liqueur is made. After visiting the souvenir shop, we decided to take a hike along the sailors’ footpath (la sente aux matelots) to the top of the hill called Cote de la Vierge and leads to a park known as Cap Fagnet which overlooks the town. At the end of the hike one is greeted by the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Salut crowned with a golden statue of the Virgin who looks out over the sea. It was originally built in the eleventh century as a chapel where pilgrims from northern France could come to honor the “Precious Blood of Christ.” It escaped destruction during the Revolution and found another religious vocation in the nineteenth century when the fishermen of Fécamp made the chapel the goal of their pilgrimages before leaving on trips to Newfoundland via the same path I climbed known as la sente aux matelots. Some of the steps leading up to the chapel are adorned with religious images carved by sailors many years ago. Inside is a memorial with candles, ex-votos and flowers to all those lost at sea. Another fixture atop the hill is the Sémaphore built in 1808 to help boats navigate to shore. During World War II, the Germans built several large bunkers and gun turrets along the alabaster coastline which can still be seen. These white cliffs stretch as far as the eye can see to Étretat on one side and Dieppe on the other. In the city down below are many old houses as well as churches that conjure up Fécamp’s medieval history including the Abbaye de la Trinité founded in 658. The cathedral is one of the longest in France at 127 meters, equal to that of Notre-Dame in Paris. The façade of the abbey features the statues of Richard I and Richard II. Above the transept crossing rises the square lantern tower designed in the typical Norman style. Inside the south transept is a beautiful 15th century sculpture known as the Dormition of the Virgin. To the right is the Angel’s Footprint. In 943, when the reconstructed church was being consecrated, it is said that an angel appeared and left his footprint on the stone. There are several recumbent effigies and tombs within the church as well including those of the two benefactors of the abbey, Richard I (943 – 996), grandson of Rollon, a Viking chief and beside him, his son Richard II (996 – 1026). The high altar was rebuilt in the mid-eighteenth century with a lavish canopy of gilded wood and pillars of red marble. The side chapels around the church are all enclosed with stone walls which are intricately decorated and altars that are ornately carved. One interesting feature of the church is the astronomical and tidal clock which dates from 1667 and is still in good working order. It is one of the first clocks of its kind to display two needles to indicate the hours and minutes as well as the phases of the moon and tidal forces of Fécamp. Behind the high altar facing the chapel to Our Lady is the tabernacle containing the relic of the Precious Blood of Jesus. The fine organ above the western portal was installed in 1746. Across from the abbey is the home of the monks from the seventeenth century, known as Maison des Moines insoumis. Another interesting residence is the Ducal Palace which was originally built in the 10th century on the site of an ancient nunnery destroyed by the Vikings. At the end of the 12 century, Henri II Plantagenet, the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, came to Fécamp to assert his rights over Normandy. He built the enormous fortified bastion on top of the ancient ramparts which can still be seen today. It was eventually dismantled and the castle was integrated into the monastic property around the abbey. This is a long section of wall known as the Dukes’ Wall which is a vestige of the defensive wall of the palace and the Abbey erected in the 11th century. This is La tour de la Maîtrise or Choir School Tower. It is part of the ancient exterior fortifications whose defences were composed of alternating round and square towers. It rises to two floors and in the Middle Ages it housed the famous Fécamp music school that provided the abbey with instrumental and vocal music. It is said that the choir’s repertoire was so extensive that it could be sung for ten years without ever repeating the same piece twice. A walk through the old town takes you past many old houses which were originally workshops and homes of artisans and shopkeepers attracted to this area by the continual flow of pilgrims who visited the abbey. Nearby is the old hospital with a chapel built over a stream. Another very small building in the area is known as the Chapelle du Précieux-Sang and although it is not recognized by the local Catholic Community, in the garden adjoining the chapel is a spring whose waters are supposed to cure eczema. According to some 19th century documents, owners of this garden charged patients for a few ounces of the holy water. One of the nicest surprises that Fécamp had to offer was le petit parc, a small green oasis located amidst all the buildings in the newer part of town. Inside, is the memorial to fisherman lost at sea erected for the “Thousand Years of Normandy” celebrations in 1911. It draws inspiration from the figure heads of Viking ships. In all, Fécamp was a great place to spend the morning.

I had lunch at a nice family restaurant called “Le Commerce” in the town center of La Haye-du-Puits. Everything was just delicious and the chef cooked our steaks right in front of us over a grill in the fireplace. I’ll never forget how warm it was inside especially since we were seated right next to the chimney. La Haye-du-Puits is a pretty small town but it does have its attractions including an 11th century keep. It is believed that the keep is the oldest in la Manche and was constructed by Turstin Haldup.

The motte rises to a height of 7 meters while the tower rises to nearly 20 meters. Inside is a spiral staircase but entry is forbidden since it is quite unsafe. Another interesting place to visit is L'église Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste at the heart of the town. The present church was built between 1851 and 1862 in the Gothic Revival style, the site of a much older Romanesque church. It suffered from bombings in June 1944, as well as the effects of the Battle of La Haye-du-Puits. The south tower which was destroyed during the war never rebuilt. The interior is quite spacious and very well lit. It has two short side chapels including this one devoted to the Sacred Heart and another which houses the Renaissance tomb of Arthur de Magneville. The beautiful stained glass rosette above the portal was created in 1998.

My next stop was to the 16th century Église de Saint-Nicolas-de-Pierrepont with its 15th century fortified bell tower. The interior has some fine liturgical furniture including this 18th century baptismal font in the nave. It is perhaps more famous for its "mise au tombeau" created in the 16th century. The figures represented around Christ are Saint John, Mary Magdalen and the Virgin Mary. Behind the figures one can see rocks, bones and even a skull. This chapel is also quite interesting for its altar painted in faux marble from the 18th century and a holy water font created from the remains of an old staute. Some statuary within the church include that of Saint Catherine, Saint Sebastien, Our Lady of La Salette and Saint Hubert.