Everyone knows of Dover's stunning white cliffs in the UK but did you know that France has its own version? The home of impressionist art, it is the striking cliffs of the Alabaster Coast that feature in so many works by Monet, Boudin, Pissarro and more Geologically similar to the cliffs at Dover, the Alabaster Coast forms the sea edge of a chalk plateau known as the Pays de Caux. The area has provided writers and artists, especially the impressionists, with great inspiration.
Monet, Sisley and many other impressionist artists painted canvases here and were captivated by the play of light and shadow on the cliffs. Every year, Normandy celebrates its affinity with the impressionist art movement at its annual Normandy Impressionist Festival.
Le Havre is easily reached on our Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry route. First stop on your itinerary after getting off the ship has to be - to stay in Le Havre. View of the rooftops in Le Havre. This bustling port city has been one of France's busiest ports for centuries and, in the 19th century, it became a haven for artists who arrived wanting to capture the unique light in the estuary. Le Havre was particularly attractive because of its proximity to Paris at a time when travelling meant a stagecoach on land or a steamboat down the Seine!
Today, it is an eclectic city with a lively harbour-front it's the second-largest port in France! The most notable of Perret's works has to be the Eglise St Joseph. The m high tower of the church, covered in stained glass windows, is an unmissable point on Le Havre's skyline that you can see as you're coming into port. It really is well-worth a look inside to see the play of colour from all that stained glass.
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It's like taking a walk through the Normandy landscape from the coastal charm of Pissarro's 'The Pilot's Jetty', painted in Le Havre, to Boudin's 'Studies of Cows' that encapsulate the quintessential beauty of the Norman countryside.
