THE SEA
OR TO GO... WHAT TO DO...? These are often the questions that the resorter asks himself, disoriented, in a new country for him, If the spectator, going to a party, consults the program, if the racing enthusiast acts the same, it is because they recognize its usefulness. So we thought that in our country there are beauties worthy of attracting the visitor's attention that's why we undertook in this small brochure, to facilitate his stay among us by establishing for him, what we will call a program, which will allow him to spend his days pleasantly and to win the best memory from our beaches.
We have mainly classified in these few pages the things that are visible to all, with the greatest possible precision, we have added notes and information that we owe to the kind kindness of Mr. Abbé Louis Guerrin, dean of Trévières, President of the Historical Society, whose great competence in these things, as a result of long research and work, have made him a most appreciated scholar; the place lacking us we can only refer the specially interested amateurs, to the works published either in volume or in the Future- where these studies are completed. Similarly, the Histoire du Bessin -jusqu'à la Révolution, a work in two volumes, crowned by the Académie Française, by Mr. Edmond de LAHEUDERIE is most interesting (these volumes are for sale at our offices), and we could not fail to mention the very beautiful study, historical, Formigny, by M Georges DILLAYE, published around 1903 in the Glaneur.
PF
Thee tourist who is looking for calm and quiet beaches to rest, can only find those of Bessin, these beautiful places with wonderful golden sands, offering complete security, which extend from Vierville to Sainte-Honorine. This sea that advances and retreats, leaving uncovered on an area of about 15 kilometers long by 2000 meters wide, this golden dust that makes the joy of children, which armed with shovels, rakes, bugs, etc., convert it into houses, castles, men and others, which it will return to level every day in its regular back and forth from 12 hours to 12 hours: about (6 hours rising tide, 6 hours descending tide); the joy of parents - taking part in the frolics of their toddlers sitting in comfortable armchairs, or installed in the pretty cabins, rocked by the whisper of this sea that seems to sing the beauties of our wonderful country.
If the many bathers who visit us are unanimous to recognize that our beaches have no
Danger it is nevertheless less that it is always useful to take certain precautions which many people and mainly young people, seem to forget and this forgetfulness can give rise to unfortunate accidents; it is not a question for the bather to go into the sea as he will go to the city in a swimming pool; it is useful to comply with the indications that could be given, the regulations that would be in use. If he does not know how to swim never venture into the sea, without being accompanied and stay as much as possible in a specific area, the sea has its betrayals and a simple blade can make a man lose his balance that is too advanced and roll him far away, we must also think about congestion, very frequent and above all never take a bath or get into the water immediately after a meal, any person cautious and following these principles is assured, to spend a pleasant and happy holiday on our Beaches.
Many of our visitors love fishing, it is often their favorite pleasure. What could be more pleasant than pushing the shrimp net in front of you and bringing back the pretty bouquet that we find on our sands; others prefer to look for lobsters, crabs, pick mussels in the rocks and often make very interesting fishing. On winter nights, when herring season arrives, many inhabitants stretch long nets and make fruitful harvests of these "coastal herring", which are premium and sold very expensive in the surroundings.
The coasts of Bessin produce fish highly sought after by amateurs and Port and Grandcamp are home to
Breux boats and trawlers engaged in fishing, they are important centers that supply part of our Normandy markets. Or can see from our beaches these boats crisscross the sea indulgining in fishing. Nowadays the transport of fish is carried out by fast means thanks to cars, but about fifteen years ago this sale had a picturesque cachet, many dog cluts roamed the countryside and fishmongers offered the tide at home
Fresh. It was a very hard job, on the road by cold, rain or snow, spending part of their night to reach the port where they had to refuel; from the first boats arrived, it was the race for sale, the first passerby often taking the place, some did with their hitches up to 70 kilometers in the same day. However, none of these emulations of Madame Angot would die in wealth, very few were those who escaped the concern that the law carried to the poor dogs, a bowl for food, absent, a poorly arranged necklace, a non-regular authorization, and often when exhausted by a long race they recovered from their fatigue by being dragged in their truck, the marshal ambushed, as by chance, in some corner often appeared and the money so expensively acquired went in the form of a fine to fill the state coffers; Other terrible enemies of these poor people were the heat, the cold, fatigue, also - the opportunity makes the thief - many times passing by the bistro, in exchange for the good fresh fish they accepted a small glass of this thorn-bowel which in relief only relieved only the wallet.
On each side, from Vierville as from Sainte-Honorine stand the steep cliffs, dominating the sea with their banks of round pebbles and rocks; it is mainly there that these stones are in turn covered and discovered by the sea, crabs, mussels, etc. If we look to our left we see the point of Englesqueville-la-Percée behind which are Grandcamp-les-Bains and Les Veys which lead to Isigny-sur-Mer. Further on we notice the Cotentin peninsula which stretches in the sea forming a right angle, which allows us to distinguish on a clear day Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue whose boats bring the scallops so popular with gourmets, higher up is the tip of Barfleur whose rays of light at night, of the lighthouse illuminate the horizon intermittently. If we bring our view to the right, our gaze will first stop at the cliffs of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes that hide Port en-Bessin from us. A little further forward is Commes (Le Bouffay) and these cliffs continue after a notch where Arromanches is located, up to Saint Côme du Fresnay, our vision seems to stop at the point of Ver, now famous for the landing of American aviators.
Before us, is the stirring immensity, in turn calm, rumbling or unleashed, it's THE SEA!!!!