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Written in 1836 by Frédéric
Bérat, a gas company worker who moonlighted
writing songs, Ma
Normandie has been adopted as the
popular, though unofficial, anthem of the region of Normandy in France.
Up until 2007, Ma
Normandie was, oddly enough,
the official anthem
of the Island of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency!
The Norman countryside which was the inspiration for this song is,
indeed, beautiful (see Slideshow)
(see Galleries)
-- a rolling landscape of dairy farms and old stone and half-timbered
houses, apple orchards, seaports, and lowlands dotted with herds of
sheep -- as well as being the scene of many historic events
commemorated at numerous memorials.
The
Farms and orchards of Normandy are the source of world renowned cheeses
and cider and Calvados, (a potent apple brandy.) The "agneau
pré-salé"
lamb from the tidal plains of the bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel is a
world famous delicacy. The rivers and seacoast of Normandy yield
seafood second to none. The sole and shellfish of Normandy are
sought-after throughout Europe. Norman cuisine is rich with butter and
cream sauces, often seasoned with Calvados and butter-browned apple
slices (see Gastronomy).
 The
skies of Normandy, landscapes in themselves, are also famous. Like
Monet and Victor Hugo, many famous, (and not-so-famous,) writers,
artists, and photographers have been attracted by the skies of Normandy
for their inspiration, to photograph, paint and write about and under
them.
It is understandable that Bérat
should have found
in these
virtues the inspiration for his lovely song. Inspiration which can
still be found today, for, although tourism is a thriving industry
there, Normandy still largely retains its quiet, bucolic, and friendly
old-world charm.
 My mother was from Avranches, (see Gallery)(see
Map) the town, (actually
a city,) featured in a number of the photos in the Slideshow.
Historically the main town in the Avranchin region of Basse Normandie,
Avranches sits majestically atop the highest hill in the region. Her
skyline, punctuated by the twin steeples of Notre-Dame-des-Champs,
can be seen all the way from the Mont-Saint-Michel (see Gallery)
across the bay. Oftentimes known as "la Cité des
fleurs et des panoramas", Avranches is renowned for her
scenic vistas and her botanical garden, Le Jardin des Plantes.
(see Gallery)
 I
was born in the stable, (don't remember getting a visit from Three Wise
Guys, though,) on 'Les Mares' (see Gallery),
(also featured in the slideshow,) a farm within easy walking distance,
(a couple blocks or so,) from downtown Avranches. We moved away when I
was still a baby, but every time I return to Avranches and 'Ma
Normandie', it feels like coming home to me.
So Ma Normandie
is a song that has great meaning for me. (See Ma
Normandie et Moi)
 I sang it at my mother's funeral. We spread
her ashes in the bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel (see Marguerite), at le Gué
de l'Épine, in Le Val-Saint-Père (see Gallery),
just below her birthplace in Avranches...
...in Ma Normandie.
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Links:
Normandie
Related Sites:
Avranches
official site of the City
of Avranches -
Tourism
pages - in English
Abbaye de la Lucerne
official
site - French only
tripadvisor - English
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
official
site - in English
Normandie
Héritage
Virtual
encyclopædia of all things Norman -
in French only
Normandie Tourisme
official
site of the Normandy Tourist Board - English version
WWII
Related Sites:
The
Normandy Landings
with Flash animated battle
map
Colleville-sur-Mer/
Saint-Laurent-sur Mer
overview of monuments
and museums at Omaha Beach and Normandy American Cemetery with photos
and timeline
Pointe-du-Hoc
excellent
recounting of the scaling of the cliffs by US Rangers
Normandy American Cemetery
American
Battle Monuments Commission site -
with video and
narrated tour
Brittany American Cemetery
American
Battle Monuments Commission site
-
with video
Other Links:
Galleries
powered by 
Maps
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Maps
 Tony's Music Page
snoupi's Smugmug
 The Jealous
Sea
 Snoupi's Saloon
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