Cruises visiting Sailing in front of Etretat cliffs (France)

You will discover, from the sea, the majestic Etretat cliffs, sporting their limestone robes. The arches of Amont,Aval and Manneporte are some of the most beautiful natural jewels of the Alabaster coast, with the Etretat Needle. This latter structure inspired Maurice Leblanc to write, in 1909, the adventures of Arsène Lupin in The Hollow Needle, which he describes thus: “an enormous rock, over 80 yards high, a colossal obelisk standing straight on its granite base.” The Impressionist painters such as Pissarro, Courbet, Manet or Boudin constantly magnified these cliffs and hanging valleys in the infinite reflections of the sea. In doing so, they helped to forge the renown of these grandiose landscapes and developed their international recognition.