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La Hague, Cap de la: for me this area at the north-western tip of the Cotentin peninsula is one of THE scenic highlights of France. Rolling green hills change with steep cliffs and exquisite beaches. The water can get a Caribbean sort of blue. Neat little villages with old stone houses are scattered in lush valleys and on top of the cliffs. This is the easternmost part of France that gets regularly blessed by Atlantic swells. Very good windsurfing here with south to south-westerly winds, excellent surfing when a west swell meets easterly winds. Nice bicycle rides along the coast and the cape that can get strenuous with a constant up and down and slopes up to 20%. Beautiful gardens at the castle of Vauville.
But: this area of stunning beauty is framed by a reprocessing plant to the north and a nuclear power plant to the south. Even if authorities deny it, there is evidence of a more or less constant flow of radiation into the sea and the farmlands of the area. Barbaric and cynic (see “culture nation”) is this nuclear setup in an area of such amazing beauty. But the choice of location is well calculated. The locals were poor and welcomed the money that came with the nuclear industry. The beauty of the landscape leads to suppress the knowledge about this pollution that you can´t smell, see or hear. Due to the large tidal range and the resulting strong currents in the Channel, radiation in the ocean gets spread and diluted very quickly, which doesn´t mean that it won´t be accumulated in other parts of the region or the nearby North Sea and English south coast.
I´m really not sure about the quality of the milk, that fills the udders of these cows grazing right in front of the fence of the reprocessing plant. And as much as I love sea food, I wouldn´t eat mussels from this area, constantly filtering the waters and accumulating the radiation.
Castles: France´ turbulent history and egocentric kings have left an abundance of castles and fortresses. Always worth a little detour.
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