Autumn arrived and there is less work to do in the garden, while weather is still fine for a camper escape, decided to take the ferry to France for a short break of 12 days.
With the camper, it is best to visit small towns, countryside and avoid big towns/cities, as it is difficult to drive around and find parking near the centre with narrow roads and busy traffic.
So this is a relaxing trip to slow travel in 2 small areas in Normandy, Swiss Normandy and nearby Pays d’Auge.
We stay just a day in each town, a walk around the town to admire ancient architectures, visit markets, museums, look for short scenic loop walks nearby, and pack in visiting cheese, cider and calvados production houses.
Swiss Normandy area got the name because of the presence of a few mountains in the area, just around 400m, that contrast with the flat Normandy coast.
This area was a strategic location and saw a lot of fighting between France and England, hence the presence of a lot of very grand castles.
In Alencon, the weekly market has around 20 stalls, with 5 selling seafood, and there is already a very well stocked fish shop in the town, my sort of food paradise.
The rich and fame of Alencon in the 17th century was because of the development of needle lace work, very delicate, 3D, and not the traditional repetitive type, actually more like embroidery with fine threads.
Very nice walk in the near by St Cenerin de Gerei, in the early morning with a bit misty atmosphere.
There is a big piece of forest in this Swiss Norman area, in Bellem, went to have a walk in the forest to see the giant oaks. They are used to produce oak barrels for the wine industry.
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