United kingdom Daily news: Normandy holidays: Exploring the corner of France that's full of history, art and pink concrete

Normandy holidays: Exploring the corner of France that's full of history, art and pink concrete

By Sebastian Lander

PUBLISHED: 09:02 EST, 29 May 2012 | UPDATED: 09:02 EST, 29 May 2012

Normandy will forever be associated with school trips. Returning two decades later, free from schoolboy distraction, a visit is no less of an education.

Long have Englandâ€™s fortunes been yoked to those of this rather mellow northerly French region; war has raged its way back and forth over the English Channel and the centuries, sewing irrevocable ties between the two lands.

A pair of bookend dates are etched into our collective memory â€" 1066 and 1944 â€" which makes a visit here an experience straight out of the history books.

Marvel: Mont St Michel, which appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, is a magnet for international tourists

Normandy is a good destination for a long weekend and we opted for the overnight Brittany ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham, taking our car with us â€" essential for seeing the sights.

We began our exploration in the port of Le Havre. The Allied bombs of the Second World War razed swathes of the city centre and ageing architect Auguste Perret was called upon in 1944 to supervise its rebuilding.

With limited resources and time, what resulted was a classical meditation on concrete â€" Perret was so successful at working with the medium that he has been called a poet in it.

There is certainly something lyrical about the town planning, which relies so heavily on order â€" aÂ commodity desperately needed after the horrors of war.

â€˜Concrete is stone that we manufacture,â€™ Perret said, to give a traditionalist spin on his hulking modern apartment blocks.

Classical meditation on concrete: The bombs of the Second World War obliterated Le Havre but rebuilding took place under architect Auguste Perret

Poignant: The Church of St Joseph remembers all the civilians who were killed in the bombing raids

To prove the point, he ennobled his elegant, moulded columns with what looks like his version ofÂ Corinthian capitals, gave the buildings classical proportions and, in an aesthetic nod, varied the colour of the concrete â€" some of the walls have a rose-pink hue.

The interiors also ushered in a new style of living for the inhabitants, and visitors can see how â€" inÂ the cityâ€™s show flat, which is a sunlight-filled homage to the domestic spoils of post-war boom time.

It is worth hiring a guide to fully appreciate Perretâ€™s vision. A poignant tribute to those killed in the air raids can be found in the Church of St Joseph, which, with its 360 ft octagonal lantern, resembles a concrete lighthouse.

It is glazed with 6,500 pieces of coloured glass, which shower visitors in shards of light. Who would think a concrete building could be so moving?

Le Havre is not completely devoid of historical architecture â€" some buildings were missed by theÂ Â bombs and when they pop up, they look remarkably frivolous.

Keeping the faith: Bayeux's 11th Century gothic cathedral rises above the largely medieval town

In this section of the Bayeux Tapestry, Duke William urges his troops to prepare themselves against the English army

Battle to survive: The Bayeux Tapestry escaped being lost in the French Revolution - in this section, Duke William urges his troops to prepare themselves against the English army

The Ship Ownerâ€™s Mansion opens a window on to the cityâ€™s maritime past. With the appearance of a private house, the rooms are set up almost as if their 18th Century occupants have just walked out.

Another recommendation is the AndrÃ© Malraux Museum of Modern Art, a glass and steel tribute to Le Havreâ€™s Impressionist associations.

Outside of Paris, it boasts the largest Impressionist collection in France, with paintings by Monet, Gauguin, Renoir and Pissarro.

The mu seum faces the sea and you can understand why they found this place so alluring â€" the light is always changing.

We left Le Havre for medieval Bayeux to view more of the vestiges of conflict. The approach to the town crosses the soaring Normandy Bridge which, shrouded in fog, had a fantastical appearance, a fitting entrance to what is a trip back in time â€" Bayeuxâ€™s streets have changed little in centuries.

A sculpture on Omaha Beach, one of the five landing sectors for the British, American and Canadian soldiers who landed here

D-Day tribute: A sculpture on Omaha Beach, one of the five landing sectors for the British, American and Canadian soldiers who fought here

We made directly for the 11th Century tapestry. It has been educating people (and boasting) about the events that led to the Battle of Hastings and William the Conquerorâ€™s invasion of England for almost a millennium and is just as compelling now as it must have been then.

A low-lit gallery sets a reverent tone, despite the accompanying audio with its somewhat haughty narrator and piped-in medieval music.

We were consumed by the luminosity of the threads and the animated way this embroidered story is told â€" particularly precious when you consider that the tapestry was once used to cover a wagon of weapons and was almost cut up during the French Revolution.

A museum display recreates the world in which it was produced. Bayeux is also the launch pad for an exploration of the D-Day beaches, another battle that changed the course of history.

In June 1944, thousands of Allied soldiers crossed the English Channel to liberate the lands that once belonged to William â€" in fact Bayeux was the first town in France to be liberated.

The remains of the Mulberry Harbour, left, and rusting German guns still stand at Longues-sur-Mer

We made our way to Omaha Beach, one of the five landing sectors for the British, American and Canadian soldiers who descended on this coastline.

The rusting German battery at nearby Longues-sur-Mer is so preserved you can almost hear the deafening blasts of the guns. We also saw the remains of the artificial Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches, a massive feat of engineering, towed here by the Allies.

As time passes, the sea is slowly claiming it. We paused amid the cool pine trees of the American cemetery, where the whiter-than-white rows of graves stand like dominos on manicured lawns.

You could almost be at t he National Mall in Washington DC. We left in a pensive mood.

From Bayeux, we travelled to Mont St Michel, a medieval relic that looms on the horizon like a giant chess piece as you approach. A different kind of battle is being fought here to restore this part-mount, part-masonry edifice to its maritime setting.

Getting the point: Sebastian Lander takes in Mont St Michel, where a viewing platform surveys the former village in its spectacular setting

A dam has been built to push back the encroaching land that was once reclaimed and a new bridge linking the island with the mainland is planned for 2015, giving the mount up to the tides once more.

There is a peaceful viewing platform that has been installed from which to admire its newfound freedom.

We finished our visit with a rather numbing barefoot walk around the bay with our solemn guide Patrick, who became very excited when he spotted a seal.

He strode ahead to test for the quicksand, which claimed the lives of not only the pilgrims but Williamâ€™s warring soldiers, too, as depicted in the tapestry.

Nowadays, you only find tourists in Normandy â€" and it never fails to disarm.Â

Travel Facts

Brittany Ferries (0871 244 1400, www.brittanyferries.com) operates routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to western France. Return fares from Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistreham) start at Â£89pp based on a car plus two passengers. For more on Normandy, visit www.normandy-tourism.org. For more on Bayeux, visit www.bess in-normandie.com.