Category Archives: Art, Culture & History

Articles about various aspects and attractions of the arts, culture and history in the area

Les Maisons des Illustres in Upper Normandy & Picardy

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Maisons des illustres in Upper Normandy

Maisons des illustres Logo

Many countries have a way for visitors to identify from the street a house of historical importance. Anyone who lives in or who has visited the United Kingdom will have surely seen a blue circular plaque on houses around the country. These mark the spot where someone of historical importance once lived or worked. Just last week, France unveiled a new list of houses of special importance, the so-called Maisons des Illustres. Literally translated as ‘the houses of the illustrious, these houses, apartments, studios and castles are now specifically celebrated because of their inhabitants. Currently there are 111 on the list, and for visitors to Basse Copette, located on the border of Picardy and Upper Normandy, there are a few of these newly designated houses that should not be missed. Continue reading →

Something different to do in Paris

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Paris Movie Walks

Paris Movie Walks

Holiday makers usually rent a gite in Normandy for the region’s wonderful rural qualities, the numerous attractions here and of course the seaside resorts. But holidaying in Normandy does not necessarily rule out a day trip (or two) to Paris, particularly from Basse Copette. Basse Copette offers wonderful B&B and self catering accommodation that is not that far from the Picardy city of Amiens, which makes Paris easily accessible for a day trip. Of course, there is no need to say how much there is to see and do in Paris. For first-timers, you will be spoilt for choice and a day will only wet your appetite. But, if you have been to Paris a few times before and would love an excuse to visit again to do something different, how about a guided tour through the city of “Lights! Camera! Action!” Movie buffs will great enjoy a walk through the Parisian streets and cinematic history. Continue reading →

The Ultimate Summer Festival for Your Normandy Holiday

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Rouen Cathedral by Night

Rouen Cathedral by Night

For those of you with a passion for art, particularly impressionist art, this summer you have the ultimate festival to make your Normandy holiday that extra bit special this year. From April to November Normandie Impressionniste 2010 offers an amazing programme of events to celebrate Normandy’s Impressionist heritage. Most people know that Monet’s Giverny house and garden is in Normandy, but few realise that Normandy was a central focus for many Impressionist artists. Many lived in the region, and others frequently visited the cities, such as Rouen and Le Havre, and the coastline – the striking white cliffs being a favourite subject. But, it is not just a festival of museum exhibitions, there really is something on the programme for everyone, even the children. Continue reading →

Abbaye de Jumièges

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Abbaye de Jumièges

Abbaye de Jumièges

Sometimes, particularly during busy periods, I get the feeling I do not get out much. The upside is that I get good reports from my guests of the local attractions I have not seen; and after 5 years there are still many. This was the case with the Abbaye de Jumièges: recent guests visited the ruined Abbey on a day out to Rouen from Basse Copette and returned saying what a great time they had had there. It is very definitely well worth a visit. The Abbey is widely said to be ‘the most beautiful ruin in France’, and occupation of the site dates back to the 7th Century, and in its heyday was the biggest Benedictine monastery in the West. The Abbey is on a large island formed by a loop in the Seine River, in the town of Jumièges. The Seine river has many of these loops (boucles) before it enters the sea, and this area has been designated the Boucles de la Seine Normande Regional Park. Continue reading →

Thiepval Monument to the Missing of the Somme

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Thiepval Monument

Thiepval Monument

One of the most moving monuments for the First World War is, I believe, that monument at Thiepval dedicated to the ‘missing of the Somme. The Franco-British Memorial at Thiepval is an impressive memorial some 45 metres high and visble for miles around. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and commemorates the 73 367 men, known as the Missing of the Somme, who have no known grave today. The names of these soldiers are inscribed on the 16 pillars that form the base of the structure. And so this monument provides a focus for the many families who have no grave to visit. Buried adjacent to the monument are a number of British and French soldiers in unmarked graves, just a tiny fraction of the missing of the Somme who fell between July 1915 and March 1918 who have no known grave. Continue reading →

A new Museum in Giverny

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Musée des Impressionnismes

Musée des Impressionnismes

Following the closure of the American Art Museum in Giverny in 2008 a new museum was quick to take its place. On 1 May 2009, the Musée des Impressionnismes was opened. The museum is principally interested in the history of Impressionism, its followers, the role of Giverny and the Seine Valley in this great artistic tradition. It promises to be an influential museum of Impressionist Art, and its opening exhibition (1 May – 15 August 2009) will include some celebrated paintings of Monet’s from le Musée d’Orsay and le Musée Marmottan Monet. Basse Copette is about an hour and a half from Giverny, and a well-placed base from which to visit many of the other landmarks in Upper Normandy that are closely associated with the Impressionist movement, including Rouen, Le Havre and the well-known white, chalky cliffs of the Upper Normandy coastline. Continue reading →

Voyages Pittoresques: Normandie 1820-2009

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Detail of Bosboom

Detail of Bosboom

Three of Normandy’s leading art galleries will be hosting simultaneously three different exhibitions from 16 May – 16 August 2009, with the collective theme of Voyages Pittoresques: Normandie 1820-2009. The three art galleries are le musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, le musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, and le musée Malraux du Havre. The three exhibitions will each focus on a different genre of imagery that depicts Normandy of the 19th Century. The three exhibitions are: La Normandie romantique (Rouen), La Normandie monumentale (Le Havre) and La Normandie contemporaine (Caen). Rouen and Le Havre are both within easy reach of Basse Copette, but Caen is a bit further afield and still a possible and enjoyable day trip. There is an entrance fee, but having visited one there is a reduced rate for the second, and then entrance to the third is free. Continue reading →

Hortillonnages d'Amiens

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Boat trip on the canals

Boat trip on the canals

The only way to visit les hortillonnages is to take a ride on a flat-bottomed boat and navigate the canals separating the plots of land that have been used to grow flowers and vegetables for thousands of years. Anyone who has read the wonderful novel Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks, will remember the Azaires’ family picnic in the “famous water-gardens”; les Hortillonnages are the very same water-gardens. Originally marshland, with rich alluvial soil, les hortillonnages is an area of 300 hectares in the centre of Amiens that is still today used to grow flowers and vegetables – they are Picardy’s original allotments. These allotments date back to Roman times at least. Ceasar’s soldiers called the gardeners the hortulano, now les hortillons, and hence les hortillonnages for the parcels of land. This area of Amiens features regularly in the various historical documents of the city, and today they are one of the city’s most popular family tourist attractions. Continue reading →

Impressionism and the Seine Maritime Coast: Varengeville-sur-Mer

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If you enjoy the Impressionist movement and are looking to spend some time in Normandy following in the artists’ footsteps, Basse Copette is a perfect base from which to explore this great artistic tradition, and the many places in Normandy that inspired them. In particular though, summer 2010 is just for you! A number of cities and towns in Normandy that have connections with the impressionists are coordinating a series of events and exhibitions to celebrate Impressionism in Normandy. “Normandie Impressionniste” will almost certainly be the art event of 2010. Book your B&B or self catering accommodation at Basse Copette now; just over half an hour from the coastline that was so popular with the Impressionists. Continue reading →

The National Museum of Education – Rouen

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The National Museum of Education – Rouen

There is always somewhere and something to learn – even on holiday! And Basse Copette, with its luxury gite near the Normandy city of Rouen is no different. In the heart of Rouen’s historical district is one of the finest timber framed houses dating back to the end of the Middle Ages. Once the hose of a wealthy craftsmen, it soon became a house if ill-repute, and known in the 20th century as the ‘Hall of Marriages’. Today this remarkable building houses the National Museum of Education, and is well worth a visit. Continue reading →