158 SIDELINES MARCH 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
2 SIDELINES JUNE 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Travel
Sidelines correspondent Kim MacMillan took advantage of
an invitation to preview the Normandy region of France last
fall while in Europe covering other equestrian events. She
toured several tourist destinations, stayed in a chateau and
visited the competition venues for this year’s Alltech FEI World
Equestrian Games 2014™ in Normandy that will be held August
23 – September 7. Most of the Game’s events (dressage, para-
dressage, driving, reining, show jumping and vaulting) will take
place in the city of Caen. Several other locations will host two
more of the official disciplines and two demonstration sports:
endurance will be held in the area around the famous Mont St-
Michel monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site near the town
of Sartilly; eventing cross-country will run over the course at the
Le Pin French National Stud Farm; horse ball, a demonstration
sport that is very popular in Europe, will be in the town of Saint-
Lô, and polo, the other demonstration sport, will be held in the
seaside resort city of Deauville.
Story and Photos By Kim MacMillan
R
olling green pastures dotted with cows and sheep
whizzed by as the van that carried me from the Charles
de Gaulle Airport in Paris to a hotel in Trouville drove
down the highway. In my sleep-deprived state after the
all-night flight, it seemed almost like I was home in the Midwest,
but the signs along the road were in French so I definitely was
not in Indiana anymore!
Back in mid-August the opportunity to visit Normandy arrived
in my inbox and it took all of two seconds for me to say “yes,
thank you!” I had a short two months before my trip in October
Your Travel Guide To:
in
Normandy
The Alltech FEI World
Equestrian Games 2014
to try learning some French; at least enough to introduce myself,
read a menu and to say please and thank you. I hoped my grasp
of the French language, or lack thereof, would not get me into
too much trouble.
Day 1 of the Normandy Tour
My three-day tour of Normandy started in Trouville-sur-Mer
(means Trouville on the sea), which is situated on the coast of
the English Channel and is a twin city with Deauville (which will
be home to polo during the Games), which lies on the opposite
bank of the Touques River. After arriving at my hotel I took a
walk along the river in the late afternoon, strolling past the grand
old casino building and the gorgeous beach, which was mostly
deserted now as fall was in full swing. I also did some window-
shopping, passing the local fish market where fresh-caught
seafood was being sold and a creperie where you could enjoy
a crepe or fondue. Continuing on down the street I saw some
bakeries and cheese shops, a store selling calvados, a barber,
a newsstand, a travel agency and a few cafés and restaurants.
Even though it was a cool fall day, the local folks were doing
the same and I passed children on bikes, young adults meeting
friends after work, some people shopping and retirees sharing
coffee and pastries.
On the first evening the tour group I was a part of was lucky
enough to enjoy hors d’ oeuvres and drinks on a sailboat moored
in the Vieux Bassin (old port) at Honfleur which is another
charming seaside town just to the west of Trouville. It was dusk
as we arrived at the port and the lights of the buildings lining
the water were beautiful. Then, we had dinner in Honfleur at
restaurant called Cuisses de Grenouille. The menu featured
seafood with a cream sauce typical to the area and the sauce
Mont St-Michel Abbey
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