The River Seine runs through Paris and then turns northwest, coiling into the heartland of Normandy, through abundant fields and lovely medieval towns hugging the riverbanks, past abbeys and chateaux gripping onto the limestone hillsides, till it empties into the English Channel port of Le Havre.

The river valley is a tableau of color; golden bales of hay rolled to dry in the summer sun, white Charolais cattle feeding on rich green grass, acres of yellow flax ripening in the fields, bright limestone cliffs lining the river way, and horses, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and goats giving life to the landscape that was so loved by the impressionist painters.

Throughout Normandy there is a special light and texture to the air that inspires artists. Powder blue skies and fleecy white clouds captured on canvases echo the bucolic life along the banks, towns and fields of the Seine.

From Paris to Le Havre is a mere 130 miles, earning Normandy the nickname, "the 21 arrondissement," but it is a journey into the soul of France and one that can be taken by boat, bus, automobile, train, bicycle or on foot.

The river way is an important means of transportation. Boats of all types: barges, oilers, tugs, house, police and fireboats ply the waters. Thirty-four million gallons of oil are delivered every year to the refineries in Le Havre to power France and 40 percent of the country's trade and commerce enters and leaves the English Channel through its port.

Every four years the tall ships from around the world mass in Rouen for a 10-day celebration, "The Armada." This year, I saw 43 3-masted schooners, some jutting more than 100 feet in the air, waiting at the mouth of Seine for the tide to swell and carry them safely 80 miles upriver to anchor in Rouen.

All along the riverbanks, locals celebrate the arrival of the tall ships with cannon fire, fireworks and small-craft escorts as these massive boats navigate the waterway south. This year, more than 10 million people visited the moorings along seven miles of dock space and photographed the crews and ships.

They enjoyed the nightly concerts, fireworks displays, carnival rides and booths, street venders and performers. This year's Armada included ships from as far away as Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Japan and Norway.

At the Andre Malraux museum in Le Havre, which sits seaside, we watched the tall ships massing for the tide to carry them up to Rouen.

Le Havre was devastated in World War II by massive bombing by both Axis and Allied forces, especially in 1944. The city was leveled, leaving nearly 100,000 homeless. The solution at the time was to quickly rebuild using the latest technology available, poured, reinforced concrete. After all, it was in vogue, even Frank Lloyd Wright was experimenting with the medium. Architect Auguste Perret redesigned the city, making it the most modern in France, according to the newspaper Le Figaro in 1951.

What resulted was a city of sameness, with wide boulevards, grey concrete and redbrick facades of the same height and little Old World charm. But it remains a major player in the French economy and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

This was Monet's boyhood home and where he first came under the influence of early impressionist Eugene Boudin. Later, such painters as Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, Dufy, Pissaro and Braque and many more, put Normandy's special light to canvas.

At one point, Monet established his studio across from the Rouen Cathedral. He became obsessed with the church front and during a four-month period in 1892 painted it 30 times at different times of day to show the play of light. I took a photo of the church from the window of Monet's studio, capturing in one shot the view at noon.

In the summer, a light show is thrown on the Rouen Cathedral. A giant camera projects some of Monet's paintings on the cathedral facade, appropriately from his second-floor studio across the street.

About halfway between Rouen and Le Havre on the banks of the Seine is EANA Park, built into the framework of the old Abbey du Valasse in Gruchet-le-Valasse. The park hosts afternoon and evening concerts in the summer and has an excellent restaurant featuring produce grown in the park and locally.

You can visit a number of Abbeys in the area on the "Norman Abbey's Trail."

A little further downriver toward Rouen is the lovely medieval town of La Bouille, where I dined at the river view restaurant Le Saint-Pierre and watched tall ships sail by. Townspeople were gathered at the shore to wave, cheer and shoot off firecrackers.

It was the Fourth of July and felt appropriate.

Rouen was also bombed during the war but not injured as severely as Le Havre. It still has a large old town of packed narrow streets and half-timbered buildings. The Musee des Beaux-Arts has a magnificent display of impressionist paintings and the largest collection of works by Boudin. There are many paintings of Rouen from different eras. By viewing them the WWII damage and losses become more apparent.

Rouen also suffers from another painful bit of history. It was here in 1431 that the English, with the complicity of the Roman Catholic Church, burnt 19-year-old Joan of Arc at the stake in the old market square for the crimes of heresy and witchcraft. She was later canonized and the prophetic words of one of the English soldiers — "We have killed a saint." — came true.

Across the Vieux-Marche, French for old market, stood the restaurant La Couronne, established in 1345. It still serves traditional Normandy cuisine and is the oldest Auberge, or inn, in France.

Bedecked in red geraniums spilling from it's half-timber exterior, it is period dressed inside with open beam ceilings, leaded glass and small dining nooks. It is where we found our best meal and it is also where everyone in the world has dined. The walls are plastered with celebrity photographs and endorsements, from Zsa Zsa Gabor, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly to Jean-Paul Sartre, Charles de Gaulle, John Wayne and Salvador Dali, among many others. It is the French version of Hollywood's Brown Derby.

The local chocolate specialty, best prepared at Chez Auzou Chocolatier, is "Tears of Saint Joan," chocolate covered almonds shaped like tears.

At eight Euros for a small bag, they'll make you cry as well. When chocolate won't do, try the apple brandy Calvados or the liqueur Benedictine, both produced under the skies of Normandy.

IF YOU GO:

The Normandy Tourist Office www.rouentourisme.com and the French Tourist Office in New York www.franceguide.com. (212-838-7800), publishes a number of free pamphlets and maps, information on special events, festivals, museums, self-guided tours, and places to stay, from chateaux to hostels. In Normandy I stayed at the Pasino in Le Havre, Suitehotel in Rouen and at the spa resort Domaine de Forges in Forges les Eaux.

John Blanchette is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about John Blanchette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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