Granville, Normandie

I mentioned Granville in yesterday's post and today will be all about this wonderful little town. I'd never been there before, and I can tell you something, I'm hoping to go back later this year. I completely fell in love with it, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to go if these photos make your heart skip a beat.

Granville is not your standard average seaside resort. I'm not sure calling it a resort is fair actually. It's a town in its own right, irrespective of the tourists who come and enjoy some time there. We obviously didn't bump into too many of those, it being winter and straight after Christmas, but I can't imagine it gets too touristy in the summer either. There are so many other places which attract Parisian crowds amongst others (Deauville, Trouville, Cabourg), Granville has managed to stay pretty, small, with a good dose of local attraction.

What I loved about it was that it had a nice marina, but also a working port. I got the most beautiful looking tins of sardines, tuna and mackerel from a local cooperative and can't wait to tuck in! We saw fishermen leaving the port early in the morning darkness, as the tide was coming in. We saw them emptying their cargo later on in the day, attracting mesmerizing flocks of seagulls. We met a local fisherman on the beach who had just come back from picking several kilograms of whelks (a mollusc). It was a truly inspiring encounter.

I very much enjoyed my time there because we were able to take long walks along the sea front. There are several good walks to be had there, some around the old town and working lighthouse, others along the beach.

We came back feeling very much refreshed and we had rosy cheeks to prove it!!

For those of you interested in art and fashion, you might like to visit Christian Dior's childhood home, a beautiful house perched at the top of a long stairway with direct access to the beach.

It is now a museum dedicated to him, but unfortunately it was closed when we went. We did make the most of the beautiful gardens that surround the house. I can't imagine how beautiful it might look in spring.

I've been brain-washing Boyfriend with this ever since I came back. I'm determined to go back. I will go back. I feel content and relaxed just thinking about it. That can only be a good thing I reckon.