INFORMAL LETTER: Visiting Normandy

Dear Charles,

Thanks for the letter. What a coincidence that you want to go to the same place I’ve recently visited for a holiday! I’m glad you want to visit Normandy for the first time in your life and I assure you it will not disappoint you.

Normandy is a very fascinating place and it’s considered one of the most beautiful regions of France. I’ve been to Normandy three times in my life so I know the place quite well. One of its most interesting places is “le Mont Saint-Michel”, a small rocky island situated in the estuary of Couesnon River. It’s the second most visited place in France (after the Eiffel Tower) and the main characteristics of this place are its seascapes and its medieval castle from the 15^th century. I encourage you to take some nice pictures of this wonderful place and climb up to the top of the castle to enjoy its views. The second place I recommend that you visit is the coast of Normandy, where you can find tourist cities, such as Étretat, and historic beaches, such as the Omaha Beach.

However, the place you must especially go before leaving Normandy is Rouen. Rouen is a city on the River Seine in the north of France and it’s the capital of Normandy. I do not only encourage you to go because it’s the capital, but because of its beauty and its huge history. Some interesting facts about this place are for example that Rouen was the place where Joan of Arc was burnt or where Monet lived and painted for a long time of his life. 

Nevertheless, I don’t recommend that you go during certain periods of the year where there are more tourists because you can be very stressful, for instance, the months of July or August if you want to go to “le Mont Saint-Michel” or Giverny, (where the famous gardens that the impressionist painter Claude Monet used to paint can be found). Another fact to take into account is the weather, because it usually rains, although it is not usually very cold and you can enjoy the region most of the time.

In spite of these little inconveniences, I hope you’ll enjoy the trip and I hope to be hearing from you soon.

All the best

Alberto