Small Cities of Character #1: Le Sap, Camembert & Ecouché, 2 hours from Rouen

Another weekend of incredible wandering, which started off badly. We are still in Rouen and thanks to the car rental rates found at the pif by JB, we leave for a weekend from time to time, 2 hours maximum from Rouen. This weekend started off on the wrong foot: a girlfriend who was supposed to come and do the mini road trip with us, but she couldn’t make it. The weather was dull, with intermittent rain, and a headache not possible for me. Limit, I was too tempted to sleep in Rouen 🙁 but we were too lucky, I explain it all in this travel diary.

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

Day 1: Friday

This weekend, we had again unbeatable rates when we booked a car at Enterprise. The car (a Peugeot 208) that we rented is super quiet, yet compact. Moreover, it was red. I love the red cars! It allowed me to rest (sleep) for a long time while JB drives like a real professional driver.

Our first stop is in the northern suburbs of Rouen, where JB has to give blood. He recounts his experience in detail here, I invite you to read it. Because giving blood is super important. In Asian culture, we believe in karma: and giving in a completely disinterested way, without any expectations, is a key element of karma. Giving blood is one of the few forms of giving where you have absolutely no expectations (no one gives blood hoping that they will receive it when they need it. No, no one hopes that they will need a transfusion one day lol. On top of that, it is impossible to know who will have served the blood you donated).

Then, as I’m afraid that JB will faint, we quickly settle down in a very simple but very good bistro called “La Pause”.

In a newspaper, JB discovered the label “Petites Cités de caractère” (Small Cities of Character), which lists very cute little villages, with few tourist attractions, but cute all the same. We spotted a small group of small cities of character 2 hours from Rouen in Mayenne and in the Perche and decided to spend 2 days there. Our first stop on the way will be Le Sap.

The Sap

I admit that the pictures don’t look too good (vs. other villages) but “Sap” is my little sister’s nickname, I found it fun to go visit “her” village. The Sap is one of the cities of character in question.

In the 1830s, the municipality decided to build brick halls in the heart of the city (now the town hall), which would give rise to architectural vocations among many owners who built half-timbered houses with a porch to house a business. This architecture persists to this day.

Unfortunately, this village saddens us by evil. Between an entire building for sale for 35 000€, real estate ads yellowed by time, posters “for sale” everywhere around the town hall, shops closed for ages, we feel that the village is dying. JB meets the future new mayor of the village at the supermarket (the cashier congratulated him, he would never have recognized him otherwise), he looks very dynamic and I hope he will do something to save the village.

To be visited in the area: The ecomuseum of the apple with calvados, which was closed at the time of our visit.

Camembert

It isn’t a small city of character but when we saw a sign indicating the direction of Camembert, we couldn’t but stop there. La Maison du Camembert, for 4€, allows us to know a little more about this small typically Norman cheese.

It is in this village that Marie Harel invented Camembert more than two centuries ago. The original version was improved over the century, first with a typical wooden box to better preserve the cheese, then the use of Pencillium Candidum, which gives a characteristic rind to the Camembert, until the supply of the hairy cheese of the First World War which contributed to its popularity throughout the territory. Not to mention the “industrial” recipes of the Président brand.

We are also shown, with the help of archival images, the manual making of the camembert and the tools of the time.

…as well as a reconstruction of Marie Hadel’s farm. A farm from the old days, where animals lived right up to the side to heat the room and everything happened around a huge fireplace.

With our visit tickets, we are entitled to a tasting of 3 types of camemberts, from the least strong to the strongest. Even for me, who doesn’t like cheese very much, I find them super super good!

Small photo break between two villages. Look at this beautiful landscape! During all the weekend, we will have the right to such magnificent landscapes everywhere. The photo was taken near the Memorial of Montormel if you are interested 🙂 In spite of the cloudy weather, we pass between the drops and still have some clearings here and there.

Coated

Third stop of the day: the small village of Ecouché, crossed by the river Orne, with very picturesque little bridges. It is also a small city of character. At the entrance of Ecouché, a Sherman tank of the 2nd DB, given to the commune in memory of its liberation, reminds the visitor that the commune was at the heart of the fighting in the summer of 1944.

The downtown, made of stone, is very Disneyland (too clean), and the shop windows of the merchants very well decorated, but what particularly interests us is its church, classified as a historical monument since 1907, half of which is unfinished. It has a crazy charm and reminds us of Lisbon or Mexico. The church is closed and we can only admire the outside, but in absolute calm.

• 

• 

• 

Bed and breakfast at a retired farming couple’s house

We leave for our guest room for the evening. Because of my atrocious headache, I almost sulk when JB announces to me that he reserved the table d’hôte. But seeing the beauty of the domain, the absolutely magnificent garden that surrounds us and especially the feast prepared by our hosts, with a lot of love, the pain flies away and gives way to an immense joy to share this delicious meal, the meat comes from the farm, the vegetables from the garden, the alcohol is homemade, …

I will tell you more about it in another article because this gîte is worth the detour. It is one of the best experiences of our mini road trips in France so far. They have, among others, two sublime tree houses (110€, link Hotels.com)

Part 2: Practical Tips

• These villages are part of the +800 tourist places in France that we recommend. To access the Google Maps map of these 800 places for free, click here
• Car rental: we compared the offers and that day, the cheapest was 24€/day with Enterprise. To compare the rental offers, you can look on Rentalcars (link, -4% with the promo code rentalcars4), Lastminute ( link) or Expedia(link)
• Bed & Breakfast & tree houses
  • Bed and Breakfast La Semondière 50€/night (swimming pool, farm breakfast included). Table d’hôte : 17€/person (aperitif, starter, main course, cheese, dessert, wine and digestive included!). Link Hotels.com
  • Cabanes dans les arbres La Semondière 110€/night (swimming pool, farm breakfast included and delivered in a basket) link Hotels.com. Table d’hôte : 17€/person