La Magnifique Étretat

The brave may not live forever but
the cautious do not live at all

While driving through the French countryside I was surrounded by fields. The landscape that flew by was beautiful and lush with budding flowers, rolling hills, charming farm houses and farm animals roaming lazily in the grass. After an hour of countryside the fields suddenly gave way to the ocean and I was confronted with a view that looked more like a postcard from Maui than Normandy. Rocky cliffs with natural arcs framed the Caribbean colored Atlantic that washed up on the shores of la magnifique Étretat.

The oceanside town of Etretat

The town of Étretat is quaint and charming with cafe lined streets and medieval style buildings overlooking the ocean. Étretat is similar in style to Rouen, where I've been staying, but what sets Étretat apart are the views. 
In Étretat I felt an absolute sense of freedom and calm, as if the world was at my fingertips. The magnificence of the ocean views just left me sublimely happy and full of life. There are no words to describe Étretat and how it feels to stand on these cliffs with the Atlantic sprawled out before you, with views that are unreal and with the sun shining on your face. The way I felt in Étretat was weightless, as though any worry melted away in the presence of such simple beauty; it's a feeling I want to carry with me always.