!!!Etretat

Photos by Stas Sedov and
Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

30 April 2021

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The small French town of Étretat is known for its history and
landscapes. That’s the place where nature has created works of art that
inspire writers and artists and attract many tourists here.

France is a picturesque and charming country. Its landscapes are diverse
and romantic. Today we will take a walk through the town of Étretat,
lying on the coast of Normandy, among the rocks and hills.

Its history dates back to the days of the Vikings: after their invasion,
a fishing village was founded here. By the 19th century, Étretat had
completely transformed: beauty and healing air turned this place into a
fashionable seaside resort. It is only 200 km from Paris to here, while
the major Normandy towns are even closer. Eventually, traditional
fishing gave way to tourism. It is not swimming that people come to
Étretat for: cosy sandy beaches can be found in many places nearby, but
here the coast is covered with pebbles. The main attraction of the town
is its chalk cliffs rising at up to 90 meters.

[{Image src='01_Etretat.jpg' caption='Etretat Seashore, France\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='506'}]

The beach is separated from the village by a long promenade called "le
Perrey": the word in the local dialect means "stone". Previously, boats
used to run aground in this place, and today the stone sea wall serves
as protection from severe storms and large tides. In turn, pebbles
resist erosion, so it is strictly forbidden to take them away as
souvenirs.

The beach is framed by famous cliffs: Falaise d'Aval on the left (its
name translates as “Downstream Cliff”), and Falaise d'Amont (“Upstream
Cliff”) on the right: heading upstream through the English Channel, you
can go out to the waters of the North Sea. Natural forces, as a genuine
artist, worked on this relief and created fabulous arches in the rocks,
and they have the same names.

[{Image src='02_Etretat.jpg' caption='White cliffs, Etretat, France\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='599'}]

We now admire a bird's eye view of this landscape, but when you are on
the ground, you can climb the Falaise d'Aval cliff by a 180-step stair.
Below on the shore, there is evidence of the Second World War - the
ruins of a German fortification. In the 1940s, the German army erected
the "Atlantic Wall": a defensive line over 5,000 km long along the
entire European coast, and one of its sections was in Étretat. As we
know from history, this did not help the Wehrmacht: on June 6, 1944, the
legendary landing of the armies of the USA, Canada, Great Britain and
allies took place in Normandy. The easternmost point of this operation
is located just 60 kilometres as the crow flies from Étretat.

[{Image src='03_Etretat.jpg' caption='Over the White cliffs, Etretat, France\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='506'}]

In the same part of the sea, there is a sharp cliff about 50 meters
high. This natural monument is reflected in art. The famous French
writer Maurice LeBlanc was so inspired by the unusual rock formation
that he spoke about it in the novel Hollow Needle. In the story, the
needle-rock had voids inside, in which the royal treasures could be
located. Locals and tourists enjoyed this idea, and the rock is now
called the Hollow Needle.

Étretat's third arch, Manneporte ("Great Gate"), is located a little to
the side of the city and seemingly is not so popular, but this rock was
the one to be captured in 1886 by the great impressionist Claude Monet.
Behind this arch you can see Cape La Courtine: there is no arch in it,
but it is covered with cracks, and at the base, there is a cave that you
can walk through.

The cliff Falaise d'Amont that frames the beach on the right can also be
climbed by stairs. Here is the Notre-Dame de la Garde Chapel, and the
L'Oiseau Blanc (White Bird) monument dedicated to two French aviators.
They tried to make the first non-stop flight from Paris to New York, but
after taking off on May 8, 1927, the plane disappeared somewhere over
the Atlantic. Both the chapel and the monument were destroyed during the
Second World War, but afterwards they were restored, and the monument
has even turned into a large museum complex.

[{Image src='04_Etretat.jpg' caption='Etretat Planet, France\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='599'}]

The town of Étretat is a good finding for lovers of traditional European
architecture: many interesting houses with a frame structure ("timber
framing") have survived here. And in the town, in the Falaise d'Aval
area, there is a golf club which is valued for its location on the
cliffs overlooking the sea. Its playfield was designed in 1908 by Arnaud
Massy, an outstanding player who made golf history as the first
non-British player to win the Open.

[{Image src='05_Etretat.jpg' caption='Etretat, France\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='506'}]

We hope you enjoyed the virtual walk over this vibrant and picturesque
city!

\\ \\
[6 panoramas of Etretat|Geography/Europe/France/Pictures/Etrat]

[{SET customtitle='Etretat (AP)'}]












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