Meeting Friends in Countainville
Diana and Dagny taking in the sunset on the beach in Agon-Coutainville, France
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2
Four Days in Agon-Coutainville, Normandy
Our friend Philippe is from Paris and growing up he spent summers in Normandy in the small coastal town of Agon-Coutainville. We have been friends with Philippe and his wife Dagny since 1986 and have heard many tales about Coutainville.
This was our second visit to Coutainville. During our travel project (2015-2020) where we traveled to 50 countries in 50 months, we made a point of visiting Coutainville when we made a road trip from Southern France to Paris via Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel.
Drinks on the patio by the Atlantic Ocean in Normandy at Les Paillotes Café in Coutainville.
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5
This time around would be an entirely different experience as we would spend time with our friends who as “locals” would show us around and also introduce us to several of Philippe’s cousins who reside in Coutainville.
It was only our second day in France when we took the train from Paris to Coutances where Dagny and Philippe picked us up in a Citroën C1 they had borrowed from friends. Great service.
We drove through rolling hills from Coutances to Coutainville and headed straight for Les Paillotes Café for cold drinks with Philippe’s nephew Laurent and his wife Pascal.
We were welcomed with open arms and a light breeze and sunny skies were just the weather we had hoped for and it couldn’t have been better with the ocean views from the patio.
Next on the agenda we stopped at Boulangerie Perret and picked up baguettes for lunch. It would not be our last stop at this bakery.
Dagny and Philippe had rented a cottage for a month and a wonderful room was reserved for us for four nights.
In what felt like five minutes a wonderful lunch was prepped and we all sat on the patio on a wonderful June summer day and enjoyed salads, paté, baguette, cheese, and drinks. Laurent introduced me to a tasty local beer “Captain James”, which I can recommend.
Walks on the Beach
After lunch, we took a nice walk on the beach during the low tide. Walks along the Seawall would become a daily occurrence and were a great way to increase the amount steps we would put in during our time in Coutainville. Our walks at sunset or just after sunset were particularly memorable.
From left: Laurent, Philippe, Pascal, Dagny and Diana, Coutainville Seawall.
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2
The next morning began with an obligatory run to the boulangerie for baguettes, croissants, and pain et chocolat. Splendid. We were joking that Philippe is related to everyone in Coutainville and of course, we ran into one of his cousins at the bakery.
After breakfast, we checked out a beach in the north end of town on a windy morning. This was followed by adventurous shopping at the local supermarket where nothing is like at home. Especially the cheese and dairy section had Philippe, Dagny, and Diana in awe.
Then we proceeded to lock the keys in the car which resulted in us borrowing another car for a road trip an hour north to pick up a spare set of keys. In the north of Normandy, there were signs of the D-Day celebrations everywhere.
In the late afternoon, we did a wonderful hike at Phare de la pointe d'Agon and we will have more photos from this hike in a separate post.
An old USA military car spotted in Normandy a few days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day
Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2
The days were dwindling but we had one more day in Coutainville. After our breakfast routine, we were off to the post office for stamps, and then the local market to scout out for good deals. I do believe we made another stop at the Boulangerie but don’t tell anyone :)
The evening was spent with Philippe’s cousins at a wonderful gathering with traditional French food, wine, and beer, and the evening was wrapped up with a shot of Calvados, a traditional French Brandy from Normandy.
Philippe and Dagny surrounded by family in Coutainville
The Calvados was very tasty but glad I stopped at just one glass. It was such a special evening witnessing Philippe with his family and we felt very welcome and thankful that we could be part of all this.
On our final morning, Philippe and Dagny drove us to the train in Coutances. We were on our way to Nantes. Stay tuned for a few photos from the morning market in Coutances in another post.
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The photos in this article are made using a Leica SL2-S, Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 28mm f/1.5 and Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2 lenses (links to my camera and lens reviews).
