Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

the natural arch and “needle” of Aval cliff, Etretat, Seine-Maritime, France


The town of Etretat in the Normandy region is not only known for its pebbled beach but also for this natural arch and the towering “needle” against the deep blue sea. The view is so breathtaking that it is the subject of several impressionist paintings by Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. We visited the place about four years ago and it left me speechless. A one-hour walk on top of the Aval cliffs will take you to this point (where the photo is taken), an ideal spot to have a panoramic view of the Manneporte arch on the left, the Amont cliffs on the far right and in front of you, this spectacular work of nature. This is also where one of Arsène Lupin’s adventures --- L'Aiguille Creuse (The Hollow Needle) took place. And in the 2004 film by Jean-Paul Salomé entitled with the name of this gentleman thief --- Arsène Lupin, the treasures of the kings of France are buried here. And I believe the story line of the movie added more allure and enigma to the place.

Well, whether the treasures are here or not, this striking view is already a great and priceless gem. But wouldn’t it be more exciting to visit the place with a treasure map? I guess it would be one thrilling venture. Now I feel giddy *grins*.

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28 comments:

Indrani said...

Spectacular work of nature indeed.
Treasure hunt? Sounds exciting.

Amila Salgado said...

What a sight! You are perfectlt excused for breaching the wordless-ness of the day!! Thanks for dropping by in my blog. A 10/10!

Hootin Anni said...

Pretty!!!!

Mine's shared, can you find time to stop by? Happy W W.

KathyLikesPink said...

That quite beautiful. I had never seen or heard of this place before. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I would expect to see this in a swashbuckler movie as the pirate ship goes into/comes out of its cave! Happy WW and thanks for stopping by Spatter...

Anonymous said...

oh lareine ive seen this place for real. normandie is indeed very fascinating especially the landscapes :-)

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

The view must have been spectacular!! :)

Mama Grizzly said...

That's beautiful!

Unknown said...

That is so beautiful! I need to go to France. :)

lareine said...

to indrani: nothing really beats nature in her creativity... and i really would love to find a treasure map :)...

to gallicissa: yep, i just couldn't help staying mum about this almost magical place... it's really breathtaking...

to hootin anni: it is more stunning if seen by one's own eyes:)...

to kathylikespink: i guess this is less known than paris or new york... but it's really aowndrful place... the movie "Arsène Lupin" has spectacular scenes of Etretat...

to june: you're right! this is one great location for those pirate movies... and i would love to be the damsel in distress saved by a dashing buccaneer :)...

to francine: so true! you must have driven a long way to see this (cotentin area where i believe you spent your last vacation is around 3 hours drive (one-way) to etretat)... but i'm sure you'll agree with me that it's worth the trip :)... i would have done the same...

to napaboaniya: yes, it's really breathtaking... especially when you reach the viewpoint...

to mama grizzly: the place is really something you don't easily forget...

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for sharing this view and story. God bless.

DebbieDana said...

Beautiful view! :)

Anonymous said...

It has such rare beauty, but you add possible treasure and adventure and I am totally in!

Happy WW

Anonymous said...

That is quite the shot. It makes yo think it's days are numbered with rough seas, but I bet it has been like that for thousands of years and will be there for many more.

Happy WW! Thanks for the visit.

misty said...

Wow, gorgeous shot. I'd love to go there some day. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Happy WW.

jams o donnell said...

THat is so beautiful. Happy WW

jams o donnell said...

What an excellent photo. Simple and beautifully composed

Anonymous said...

Nature is a beautiful artist, isn't it! Amazing shot.
Happy WW!

Momisodes said...

What a gorgeous sight! Indeed a priceless gem :)

Kimberly said...

Positively gorgeous. Isn't nature awesome?

Thanks for stopping by and for always having such great shots.

Karen said...

That is really great; I've never seen a photo of that before. You see the most amazing things and take incredible photos!

Thank you for your lovely compliments on my photo today.

Have a great day!

lareine said...

to lisaschaos: france is really a lovely country... it would be wonderful if you can see its beauty with your own eyes :)...

to sandycarlson: it's always a pleasure to share such things especially when there are people like you who appreciate them... God bless you, too...

to dana and debbie: thank you for dropping by and leaving a lovely comment...

to vixen: me too!!! i've always wanted to find a treasure map :)...

to will: i do hope it would remain like that for a long time... i would love to show this to my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren (if ever i live up to that age) and they would show it to their own children, grandchildren...so on and so forth :)...

to misty: thank you also for dropping by... yep, the view here is really spectacular... and it's best viewed by one's own eyes :)...

to jams o donnell: nothing really beats mother nature when it comes to creating beautiful sceneries...thank you very much for the wonderful compliment and visit...

to angie: so true! her creations are everywhere...we just have to really open our eyes and look around us :)

to sandy c: i believe this seascape is worth a king's ransom... such beauty!

to kimberly: thank you for such a heart-warming comment...i try to do my best in capturing mother nature's works of art... that's the least i can do :)...

to karen: your comment really made my day... thank you very much... it always feels good to have your efforts appreciated... i owe my photos to mother nature --- she provides good subjects :)... try seeing the movie Arsène Lupin (2004) and you'll have a feast with various shots of etretat :)

Selerines said...

Fantastic one Lareine... Good work... Is sea shore there or not?

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to have traveled to beautiful places. Great pic. Happy WW.

Gypsy at heart said...

ooooohhhhhh......that is beautiful!
Nice place for meditation.....

Anonymous said...

wow! it's quite a view, sis! it's only in my dreams where I can see a beautiful place such as this. Anyway, droppin' by to say "HI"!

mckhoii said...

Hi... there's another very easy tag that will give you two techie points per successful tagback. I tagged you @ http://mckhoii.com/archives/152 please respond. It is so easy promise! Go blogs bloom!

lareine said...

to selerines: yeps there's a shore --- down the cliff from where the photo is taken you have have white sandy beach... and beyond the arch, you have pebbles of all sizes...

to zamejias: because cars here are indispensable and france is is one mass of land, i believe it's easier for us to travel around and visit such places :)... i believe it would be a different story in an archipelago like the philippines :)...

to gypsy at heart: yep, the sea breeze, the sound of seagulls and the blue horizon are good ingredients for deep meditation:)...

to gracey: i guess i'm lucky to live in a country where we have a variety of landscapes... maybe if time permits, you can visit france one day :)...

to mckhoii: thanks for the visit and the tag... i'll do it as soon as possible :)...

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