After more than thirteen years in France, there are still places I have never seen. Normandy was one of them.
At the end of April, my friend Patricia Sands and I set out on our five-week “Epic & 80” road trip across France—from Paris to Normandy, Brittany, the Atlantic coast, and, of course, the Côte d’Azur — a favorite spot for our annual French “adventures.” My goal wasn’t to check destinations off a list, but to visit places deeply woven into France’s history and, in some cases, to satisfy my curiosity about this country.
Why visit Normandy? Normandy wasn’t just a check mark on the map for me. It was the fulfillment of a promise I made to myself when I moved from the US to France. I wanted to visit and pay my respects to those who sacrificed so much to preserve our freedom. Among them were members of my own family, including uncles and cousins whose stories of war and service I remember hearing as a child.
Normandy’s beaches, harbor towns, countryside, and villages are undeniably beautiful. But what makes Normandy memorable is how history still feels present. Few regions of France have been shaped so profoundly by both the sea and the events that unfolded along its shores.
Rouen: Normandy’s Historic Gateway
Although Rouen sits inland on the Seine River, the sea helped make the city one of the most important places in Normandy for centuries. The river connected Rouen directly to the Channel, turning it into a major port, trading center, and strategic city tied closely to England and northern Europe.
The city carries layers of history everywhere — medieval streets, half-timbered buildings, the story of Joan of Arc, and the cathedral painted repeatedly by Claude Monet. Even here, far from the beaches, Normandy’s connection to the sea shaped its wealth and importance.
Honfleur and Deauville: Two Very Different Coasts
In Honfleur, the harbor still dominates daily life. Sailboats fill the old port, seafood restaurants line the waterfront, and the town’s famous wooden buildings reflect centuries tied to maritime trade and fishing.
Not far away, Deauville presents another side of Normandy’s coast. Elegant hotels, boardwalks, beach umbrellas, horse racing, and seaside glamour transformed it into one of France’s best-known resort towns. Yet even here, the weather, tides, and wide beaches remind visitors that the sea defines the atmosphere.
Arromanches and the Weight of History
Then there is Arromanches-les-Bains, where the sea and history become impossible to separate.
Just offshore lie the remains of Mulberry B, the artificial harbor constructed by the British following the D-Day landings. Built in a matter of days, it transformed an open stretch of coastline into a functioning port capable of unloading thousands of tons of vehicles, fuel, ammunition, and supplies needed to support the Allied advance across Europe.
Standing on the beach today, it is difficult to imagine the scale of what happened here. Families stroll the waterfront. Restaurants are busy serving seafood. Yet the concrete structures visible offshore remain a reminder that this quiet seaside town once played a critical role in one of the largest military operations in history.
Beaches, Harbors, and History
What makes Normandy unusual is the way ordinary life exists beside all of this history.
Children ride carousels near memorials and bunkers. Sailboats cross water once crowded with military ships. Beaches tied forever to war remain part of everyday life.
The sea brought Normandy prosperity, trade, fishermen, sailors, invasion, occupation, liberation, and eventually tourism. And after weeks of traveling through the region, one thing became impossible to miss: the sea shaped everything here.
It brought the Vikings, who gave Normandy its name. It carried William the Conqueror across the Channel to England in 1066. For centuries, it connected Normandy to Britain through trade, culture, and conflict, including the Hundred Years’ War that left its mark on towns such as Rouen. During World War II, the same coastline became the gateway for the liberation of Europe.
From the medieval streets of Rouen to the harbor at Honfleur, from the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc to the remains of the Mulberry Harbor at Arromanches, and honoring heroes at the American cemetery, Normandy’s story is inseparable from the sea. More than any museum or monument, that may be the region’s defining feature.
The sea was not simply the backdrop to Normandy’s history. It was one of its principal authors.
More from Epic & 80
Normandy was only the beginning. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing stories from Paris, Brittany, the Atlantic coast, and the Côte d’Azur, along with some reflections on what five weeks and thousands of kilometers revealed about France after more than thirteen years of calling it home.
