Oyster beds and apple orchards, half-timbered houses and fishing ports, historic seaside resorts and dramatic coastal landscapes: Just two hours by car beyond the city limits of Paris, Normandy unfolds as one of the most charming and diverse regions of France. The Impressionists set up their easels here to capture the interplay of light and clouds, and poets and thinkers were inspired by the cliffs and peaceful countryside. Not least, the fate of Europe has often been decided in Normandy. Stefanie Bisping walks along coastal paths and visits France's most famous monastery mountain. She traces the footsteps of writers Gustave Flaubert and Marcel Proust, samples cider, Calvados, and Camembert, and meets Norman oyster farmers and aristocrats. Her portraits and reports paint a multifaceted picture.