Program of the excursion to Mont Saint Michel, Deauville, Etretat
and Honfleur
(Français 
)
Week-end of the 18th and 19th of July2015
Come discover Mont Saint-Michel’s magnificent medieval site nicknamed “The Wonder of the Western World”. Allow Honfleur’s charm to seduce you, town of Art and History and birthplace of Impressionist style painting
Admire the cliffs at Étretat … and relax on the beach in Deauville, the most prestigious seaside resort on the French coast… !!!
World famous for its unique location and the beauty of its architecture, Mont Saint-Michel is one of France’s main monument attractions. It offers us an unforgettable view !
ETRETAT
The sea at Étretat is unique: it wraps itself in the most beautiful colors while passing under the limestone arches which made the resort famous. The beach is framed by the Porte d’Amont and Porte d’Aval; the latter which protects the Trou à l'Homme, a cave of surprising size. Courbet, Boudin, Monet, Corot and Matisse created many paintings in Étretat. Offenbach composed many operettas there. Guy de Maupassant had “La Guillette”, his famous villa, built there.
Things to do: a stroll to admire the splendid view of the sea and its magnificent beach and cliffs, the Porte d’Amont and Porte d’Aval that Maupassant described as an elephant dipping its trunk in the sea.
The Old Harbor
The ensemble formed by the Old Harbor: the quaint houses of Saint-Catherine's Quay, the Lieutenance and Saint-Stephen's Church, are surely what you’ll find most striking the first time you visit Honfleur. This harbor was built following an order by Colbert in 1681, to replace the existing docks.
On one side of the Old Harbor, on Saint-Catherine's Quay, a whole row of tall houses form a unique background. These houses of various sizes, propped one against the other, are unusual in having their upper floors facing the rear towards “Du Dauphin” and “Des Logettes” streets, most of them therefore having two different owners.
Clocher de l'église Sainte Catherine
Le quartier et l'église Sainte Catherine
Le quartier Sainte-Catherine s'est développé au moment de la construction des remparts. Quartier maritime, "les gens de mer" y ont laissé leur empreinte. Leurs vieilles maisons à pan de bois y subsistent.
L'église Sainte-Catherine remplace une ancienne église de pierre détruite pendant la guerre de cent ans. C'est la plus grande église de France construite en bois par les charpentiers de marine avec un clocher séparé.
HONFLEUR
Lodged within “a jewel-box of greenery”, Honfleur is a port with a prestigious past, though still planning for the future. Seacoast city, starting point of great expeditions to new lands, world famous historic port; city of art, birthplace of celebrities; Honfleur left its historical mark throughout the centuries.
Saved for the most part from the ravages of time, this seaside town has managed to preserve the relics of its rich past, which now make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in France…
La Lieutenance et le Vieux Bassin
Honfleur and the painters
Exalted many times by painters, the lighting of Honfleur owes much to the estuary, and painters owe it much also. Thanks to its estuary, the Seine provides marvelous sunsets and views of distant boats to painters that, combined with a foreground comprised of the harbor’s outlet or one of the river’s banks, allow infinite possibilities for creating a painting. This may explain why the Painters of the Estuary are often painters of the sea.
During the 19th century, Honfleur became an exceptional center of art: Eugène Boudin, whose influence was capital to the Impressionist movement, gathered around himself many of his artist acquaintances such as Jongkind, Monet and the poet Charles Baudelaire.
Honfleur's Harbor, by Eugène Boudin
La plage à Deauville
Deauville
Deauville, internationally renowned jet-set seaside resort, symbolizes elegance, prestige and refinement. With its casino, marina, racecourse, yearling sales, American film festival and international Bridge festival, Deauville now offers a considerable variety of sports facilities and choice of activities that make it one of the resorts most appreciated by foreign tourists.
Not to miss:
- the Boardwalk, the most characteristic and lively part of the beach,
- Lthe Yacht Club, the harbor
- the Deauville Casino.
And Morny created Deauville…
In 1825, the location where Deauville now stands was still a vast field of sand dunes. The former village of Auvilla, built further back on the high ground, had a population of only 113 when the Duke of Morny came here for the first time. He was seduced by the site and decided to create a prestigious racecourse here; the large villas followed and a new town was born. The Duke of Morny made summer vacations in Deauville fashionable, which attracted the nobility first, followed by the world of artists and celebrities.
The big names in business and royalty rushed to Deauville. It’s “The Good Times”. The town also inspired many artists, such as Coco Chanel who opened one of her first shops here, the already well-known fashion designer Paul Poiret, as well as numerous painters such as Dufy, Foujita, Van Dongen, writers, poets, caricaturists such as Apollinaire, Sacha Guitry, Colette, Sem, etc.
Deauville, the jetty
- Meeting at 7:30 AM , departure at 8:00 AM Porte Maillot (in front of the convention center - M1 Porte Maillot station -RER C Station Neuilly Porte Maillot)
- Departure towards Etretat to see its impressive display of cliffs
- During lunch hour, stopover in Honfleur
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Departure for Deauville
- Free time to relax on the beach, to swim or to walk around
- Departure for Deauville Caen
- Diner and an evening out at Caen
- Night at the hotel in the city center of Caen
Saturday's program: |
Mont Saint Michel
“Wonder of the Western World”, Mont Saint-Michel stands at the center of a huge bay dominated by Europe’s strongest tides. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it welcomes close to 3.5 million visitors yearly; both pilgrims and ordinary tourists. At the request of the archangel Michael, “field commander of the Army of God”, Aubert, bishop of Avranches, built and devoted the first church on October 16, 709. In 966, at the request of the Duke of Normandy, a community of Benedictines settled on the rock. Its pre-Romanesque style church was therefore built before the year 1000. During the 11th century, the Romanesque style abbey was built atop a group of crypts at the rock’s peak. The original buildings of the religious community were propped against its north wall
During the 12th century, the Romanesque style religious community buildings were expanded to the west and south. In the 13th century Philip II Augustus, king of France, following the conquest of the Normandy region, donated money which made possible the construction of the Gothic style “Merveille”: two three-story buildings crowned by the cloister and refectory
The cloister, an architectural wonder
The Abbey, a monumental masterpiece
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Hundred Years' War made it necessary to protect the Abbey with a set of fortifications which allowed it to survive a siege lasting over thirty years. The Abbey church’s Romanesque style choir collapsed in 1421, and was replaced by a flamboyant Gothic style choir at the end of the Middle Ages.
This impressive spiritual and intellectual nexus was, along with Rome and Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important pilgrimage routes of the medieval West. Over nearly one thousand years men, women and children came via routes called “paths to Paradise” to request eternal life from the Archangel of Judgement, “judge of souls”.
Breathtaking beauty
After admiring the Abbey, you’ll be able to contemplate the unique beauty of the Bay by going down the curtain wall path, or the roundabout path on your left bordered by small gardens, which you can get to from the Fanils porch.
Mont Saint Michel, by night
- Breakfast at the hotel
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Departure for Honfleur Mont aint Michel
- Visit a biscuit factory and tasting before discovering the abbey and the village of Mont Saint Michel
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Free time for lunch and visit
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Departure for Paris and arrived expected around 9:00 PM
Sunday's Program: |
For more information : : Contact CIJP |
Price : 110€ full payment before the 10th of July 2015*
( Definitive reservation only on full payment)
Are included :
- transport by coach
- entrance to the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
- Unguided visits of Honfleur, Deauville and Etretat
- Accommodation in shared rooms ( 3 occupants) or double room (with 7 € extra/people)
- Breakfast of Sunday Morning
*An extra 10€ will be added to the price for all reservations after this date
BOOK HERE(Week-end of 18th and 19th of July 2015
Cliquez ici pour consulter les conditions de participation
*La demande de réservation est seulement à titre indicatif, aucune réservation n'est prise en compte avant la réception complète des frais de participation.