If you are a gentleman of a certain age, tall with a long black coat, a broad brimmed hat, carefully knotted scarf and very very small dog, and you live in Deauville, you may remember helping us as we balanced on giant terracotta flowerpots to try and match a view in Deauville. In the rain.
Match! Place de Morny, Deauville. Morny was Napoleon III half brother, he and a banker mate had Deauville built between 1860 and ’64 as a “a kingdom of elegance” opposite scruffy but jolly Trouville. A railway line in 1863 from Paris and the new racetrack ensured success. That and the cake.
Thank you
We are so grateful you took the time to help us match our postcard and hope we managed to be polite as you were.
Neither of us had the good sense to be wearing such a hat or coat as you in that European monsoon.
As the water cascaded down our necks under inadequate coats we may have been less articulate in our thanks than we should have been.
As you will see, we made the match! Thank you.
Rain or shine
Don’t let the rain put you off Deauville, although the beaches are delightful in the sunshine; platinum sands are polished and arranged daily, foreground to a vast seascape.
The other photographer’s assistant, in Deauville. Enabling one of our best matches ever!
At dawn streaks of racehorses gallop along the water’s edge then, as the sun rises, bobbing white sails with varying degrees of seafaring ambition take the stage. Yes the summer sun does bring achingly elegant Parisienne’s on the Gare St Lazare/Deaville train, for lunch along the Planches….
But still on a wet day sparkling patisserie, unlike anything from here to Paris, will lift your Deauville day and stay in your memories.
Golden puffs of dreams
However bedraggled and English you look as you walk into the patisserie of Deauville they will treat you like a prince, or princess, and present you with the lightest most golden puffs of dreams made in their tiny bakeries, flavoured by angels and sprinkled with happiness.
Yes this is them! Golden with quite a bit of pink. Taken from a certain Boulangerie’s Facebook page. Mmmm good times.
We aren’t going to name names as we did that before and within minutes ownership changed and catastrophe! Mediocrity! It became… adequate! No longer Perfect…
But we are confident you will always find perfection somewhere in this most glamorous of Normandy Towns.
Deauville notes:
A monthly brocante market for heritage treasures.
Spot the movie star names along Les Planches, the seafront boardwalk.
Admire the architecture of Bains de Mer along the seafront, styled on Pompeii by architect Charles Adda in 1923. Rent one of the booths named for movies stars, or one of the famous beach umbrellas and sun in style. They costs fewer Euros than you would think.
Always lots of cultural in Deauville, have a look here. Oh and horse racing, the casino, couture and of course, cake.
Not forgetting Coco Chanel, who opened her first shop in Deauville to great ac`claim – more here.
Well yes best to visit Deauville in the sunshine and possibly the most elegant beach in the world.