The Mont and Its Marvels D-Day
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Tourist destination magazine # 1st EDITION 2017 The cabins at Gouville-sur-Mer THE MONT AND ITS MARVELS manche-tourism.com D-DAY, MEMORY AND EMOTION THE PROMISES OF THE COASTLINE OF STONES AND CULTURE LA MANCHE FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES The MonT and iTs MARvels .............................................................. 4 D-DAY, memory and emotion .................................................................... 10 The prOMISEs of The cOASTline ............................................. 16 GET aWAy from it all on the paths of La Manche .................... 22 Of sTONEs and culture .............................................................................. 28 la Manche for families ............................................................................. 34 la Manche for couples ............................................................................. 35 A peninsula for all four seasons ....................................................... 36 GASTRONOMy .................................................................................................. 40 Discover a destination Souvenirs made in La Manche .......................................................... 44 shaped by the elements, surprising, EVENTs in 2017, long live La Manche! ............................................. 46 “ la Manche in a nutshell ........................................................................... 48 fascinating and full of promises of PRACTICal information .............................................................................. 49 an unforgettable stay ” List of tourist offices ......................................................................................... 50 Map of La Manche ............................................................................................ 51 The Nez de Jobourg THE MONT AND ITS MARVELS Mont Saint-Michel catches the eye, drawing attention to the vastness of the bay and its treasures, like the setting for a beautiful gem. Mont Saint-Michel and Tombelaine islet The tourist destination magazine for La Manche The tourist destination magazine for La Manche THE MONT AND ITS MARVELS The Bay of Mont Saint-Michel is a landscape in perpetual movement, with a generous natural setting that makes the Mont and its abbey, a true feat of architecture, even more special. he Bay of Mont Saint-Michel Tombelaine, which is very popular is immense: 575 km2 between with the many birds that frequent Cancale and Granville. In this the territory. The bay is a remarkable Tlandscape moulded by the ebb and reservoir of biodiversity, with a variety flow of the biggest tides in Europe, the of fauna and flora. There are no less “Wonder of the West” stands proud. than 130 species of birds, and about a The Mont and its abbey, crowned by hundred species of fish... the Archangel Saint Michael (Archange When venturing onto the sandy Saint-Michel), can first be seen from benches, visitors may be lucky enough the heights of the continent due to to spot the harbour seals who love this particular geographical location. to visit the bay. They may also catch For walkers, the cliffs of Carolles sight of the common bottlenose and Champeaux offer a particularly dolphin colony that is well-known in the impressive view, perched at heights of Norman-Breton Gulf. 60 or even 80 metres. Even the regulars always marvel at this MEETING WITH changing landscape, at the confluence THE MARVEL of the rivers Sée, Sélune and Couesnon. Once you arrive at the foot of the rock, Spanning this famous river, which the atmosphere changes. This area is has a dam that is also involved in the more densely populated. Beyond the movements of the bay, is the famous gates of the Mont Saint-Michel ramparts, new footbridge which allows visitors to the medieval village is full of life. reach Mont Saint-Michel. The Centre des monuments nationaux, Of course you can get there faster, the body in charge of the abbey, thanks to the ferries and maringottes reminds us: “The long history of Mont (a type of horse-drawn carriage) Saint-Michel began in 708, when that will take you to the Mont from Bishop Aubert had the first sanctuary the car parks. But approaching this built on Mont-Tombe in honour of the wonderful place while taking the time Archangel”. to immerse yourself in the landscape is Benedictines settled there in the 10th an experience to be enjoyed again and century and began to build the abbey, again. which became “a major pilgrimage site VENTURING ONTO of the Christian West as well as one of the centres for medieval culture where THE SHIFTING SANDS a large number of manuscripts were When the tide is out, you have to be produced, preserved and studied”. brave to cross the shores as the pilgrims A veritable architectural feat, the do; this is an unforgettable experience abbey has been transformed over the on a site unlike any other, and allows centuries and offers a great variety of you to approach the Mont in a more forms. Its Merveille (meaning “Marvel”), private way. For these hikes, you have a structure located to the north of the to be accompanied by certified and abbey church, stands as a masterpiece experienced guides due to the risks of of Norman Gothic art and testifies to rising tides and shifting sands. the extraordinary expertise of the 13th- Crossing the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel Some trips go via the granite islet of century builders. 6 7 The tourist destination magazine for La Manche The tourist destination magazine for La Manche THE MONT AND ITS MARVELS periodically turn the Mont into an MANUSCRIPTS island. The tidal range is nearly fifteen AND SCRIPTORIAL metres when the water is very choppy. The town of Avranches, the custodian of The spectacle is particularly striking at the books of the religious communities the equinoctial tides: the tide goes out in the Avranchin area since 1791, for about fifteen kilometres and comes retains 203 volumes from Mont Saint- back in at “the speed of a galloping Michel. These manuscripts – evidence horse”, as the saying goes. More of the spiritual, intellectual and artistic specifically, the speed of the rising life of the Benedictine monks – have tide varies by location. In all cases, been on display in the Scriptorial since it provides a fascinating spectacle 2006. A municipal museum conceived and causes a tidal bore, a wave which “as a true metaphor for Mont Saint- travels up the bay against the bay’s Michel”, it offers an introductory journey current. to learn about the monastic scribes and Created by the high-speed tide, this the production of the manuscripts, surge can be up to fifty centimetres which Avranches endeavours to make high. accessible to everyone using methods The curious phenomenon attracts that include digitisation. crowds to the shore and also to the water: kayakers love to surf on it and be HIGH TIDES carried as far as possible inland from AND TIDAL BORE Mont Saint-Michel, with the challenge The Bay of Mont Saint-Michel lives being to avoid getting “pushed out” of to the rhythm of powerful tides that the wave too soon. Mont Saint-Michel Abbey cloister Find out all about the bay, crossings So, are you ready and spring tides on to go? manche-tourism.com (Bay of Mont Saint-Michel section) Access and visit Mont Saint-Michel accueilmontsaintmichel.com abbaye-mont-saint-michel.fr otmontsaintmichel.com Discover Avranches and the manuscripts avranches.fr/tourisme scriptorial.fr In the eyes of... XAvier BAILLY Administrator at Mont Saint-Michel Abbey and Carrouges Castle, Centre des monuments nationaux. “In a bay where the sky changes every instant, where colours blend in countless permutations, where the moonlight is the most beautiful in the world, I never tire of admiring the abbey’s magical Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Whether it’s the 1,300 years of history or this exceptional landscape, everything at Mont Saint-Michel amazes me. On the west terrace, I like to contemplate the outline of this unique monument and the incessant play of the tides. The visitor trail always delights me and I feel ever more admiration for the talent and ingenuity of the builders of each room, The Scriptorial - Avranches the crypts, the church and the cloister... Here, dreams come true.” 8 9 D-DAY, MEMORY AND EMOTION Of course, the duty of remembrance is paramount, but without losing sight of history, another benefit of following the path to freedom is the emotion that it stirs. Utah Beach The tourist destination magazine for La Manche The tourist destination magazine for La Manche D-DAY, MEMORY AND EMOTION From Utah Beach to Saint-Jean-le-Thomas, “one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world” according to General Eisenhower, all over the department there are are reminders of D-Day and the battles won to liberate the countryside, towns and villages. t dawn on 6 June 1944, the experience the minutes that preceded world’s biggest armada landed the big jump by the parachutists of the on the beaches of Normandy. 101st Airborne. This very impressive ThousandsA of soldiers braved their three-dimensional simulation reminds fear of the unknown, determined to us of the fear that they had to overcome put an end to the five-year reign of a and the courage that the soldiers, who monstrous war machine. were often very young, had to show. The tributes are in evidence all over the HISTORY department of La Manche. IS AN OPEN BOOK The Route du D-Day et de la Bataille Several museums like the Musée du de Normandie, and the Normandy Débarquement at Utah Beach, the Victory Museum in Catz (opening Airborne Museum