{"id":5305,"date":"2016-05-29T14:46:50","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T14:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechaingang.co.uk\/blog\/?p=5305"},"modified":"2022-02-15T10:28:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T10:28:41","slug":"my-favourite-day-in-normandy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechaingang.co.uk\/news\/my-favourite-day-in-normandy\/","title":{"rendered":"My Favourite Day In Normandy"},"content":{"rendered":"
Day 2<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Day 2, cycling from Vimoutiers to Pont L’Eveque.<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s a long day, 37 miles in total, but there’s some fabulous cycling, and some very interesting visits that are very Normandy.<\/p>\n To start the day we cycle down a big hill, and how can that be wrong? But almost immediately after leaving Vimoutiers we join a cycle path that follows an old railway track all the way to our first port-of-call, Livarot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Camembert, and other Normandy Cheeses.<\/strong><\/p>\n Camembert has been the best-selling cheese in France since they used to send it to their troops on the front line in WW1. Since then it’s become a daily staple in Normandy. <\/p>\n Whichever region of France you’re in, you’ll often see dishes or drinks served with a regional suffix. In Normandy, anything ‘Normande’ means they’ve added a bit of camembert or a drop of calvados. Of course, usually this means they’ve ruined it, but they’re convinced that we tourists love it. The locals just eat camembert as it comes, with virtually every meal. <\/p>\n The cheese factory is fascinating. We get to see the whole process, and depending on what they’re making on the day we’ll see the making of Livarot, or Pont L’Eveque or Camembert. It’s good. Either come and have a look, or take my word for it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n St Th\u00e9r\u00e9se of Lisieux<\/strong> <\/p>\n I think she is an interesting person, and if you want to find out more about her ‘little way’, and her book ‘The Story of a Soul’, read about her here.<\/a> <\/p>\n But the relevance for my favourite day is the enormous Basilica dedicated to her in Lisieux. It’s the 2nd largest christian building built anywhere in the world in the 20th century. When we’re coming down the hill into Lisieux, we see a church, and people often ask “Is that the Basilica?”. The scale of this thing is so vast, as soon as you see it you don’t have to ask, and if you have to ask, that ain’t it!<\/p>\n Everything in Lisieux is dedicated to Th\u00e9r\u00e9se. You’ll see a blue line on the pavement – wherever you are in the city, just follow the blue line, it takes you to the Basilica. The inside is very grand, there are thousands of visitors everyday, particualrly Carmelite nuns (of which Th\u00e9r\u00e9se was one). You don’t have to have any interest in religion – I have none – but the building itself is incredible. It would be the highlight of any Chain Gang day, but we haven’t finished yet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Boulard Distillery .<\/strong><\/p>\n Often in the UK calvados has the reputation of a cheap, rough apple-based spirit. Nope, that ain’t it. In Normandy they treat it with respect, and we visit a couple of distilleries including the prestigious Boulard distillery<\/a>. <\/p>\nSlightly longer version (with photos you can click on!):<\/h2>\n
<\/a>
<\/a>In Livarot we get to see the making of an icon – and how often does that happen?<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>
\n<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>
<\/a>We leave Lisieux along a secret little path that feels like we must have gone wrong. But we’re not wrong, just sneaky, and we come out on a flat road that leads all the way to Pont L’Eveque. On the way we pass through the village of Coquainvilliers, and visit the Boulard calvados distillery.<\/p>\n