Normandy

Three things sum up Normandy – Camembert, cider and cows. Spread along the Channel coastline between Brittany and the far reaches of northeast France, Normandy is where the green, pleasant French countryside smacks hard into the rolling waves of La Manche (the Channel). It’s a place of churned butter and soft runny cheese, where broad fields and dry-stone farmhouses perch on the edge of chalk-white cliffs, and the salty tang of the sea is in the air.

诺曼底

诺曼底的城市主题可总结为简单的三样东西，软制乳酪、萍果汁和母牛。这种生活主题甚至在布里坦尼 (Brittany)和法国东北部之间海峡的沿海岸线地区广为传播。诺曼底是法国的一个乡村，那里到处是一幅幅绿意浓浓，让人赏心悦目的景象。在这里，宁静的乡村与海峡(La Manche)翻滚的波涛相映成趣。到处都可看到搅拌过的黄油和软软的乳酪。广阔的田野、干燥的石砌农舍耸峙在白垩色的悬崖上。海水夹带的咸味弥漫在空气中，辛辣刺鼻。

Ever since the armies of William the Conqueror set sail from its shores in 1066, Normandy has had a pivotal role in European history. It was the frontier for Anglo-French hostilities for much of the Hundred Years’ War, and later became the crucible of impressionist art, but during the D-Day landings in 1944 Normandy sealed its place in the history books. History has certainly left its mark on the landscape, which is dotted with sturdy castles and stunning cathedrals, as well as the glorious abbey of Mont St-Michel, although many of the towns were shattered during the Battle of Normandy.

自从1066年，征服者威廉的军队扬帆驶离海岸以来，诺曼底在欧洲的历史地位一直是举足轻重的。它是一百多年中，英法两国战争的前沿阵地。后来成了磨炼印象派艺术家的“大熔炉”。但发生在1944年的诺曼底登陆把诺曼底从尘封许久的历史书中“唤”醒了。历史已必然地在这迷人的景色里留下了它们的印记。坚实的城堡和漂亮(或气势惊人)的大教堂星罗棋布地遍布着，座落在山区的壮观辉煌的圣米歇尔修道院也每每惹人驻足观望，还有与它们形成强烈反差的毁于诺曼底战争的许多城镇。

These days Normandy is an enticing blend of old and new. Fishing boats jostle with designer yachts in the harbour of Honfleur; contemporary restaurants and chic boutiques sit alongside half-timbered houses and Gothic churches in Rouen; and the reconstructed centre of Caen is a short drive away from the cobblestones of Bayeux. Whether it’s browsing the Normandy fish market, mixing with the high-rollers at Deauville and Trouville, or strolling the D-Day beaches north of Bayeux, this is one part of France that will stay with you long after you leave for home.

现在的诺曼底是个新旧事物混杂的城市，一个具有吸引力的地方。渔船与设计者的游艇在Honfleur港一艘紧挨一艘地停泊着，好像互相“抢夺”着泊船位。当代的餐馆和chic boutiques(是否译为精品店)与鲁昂港半木结构的房子及哥特式的教堂毗邻而建。离重建的凯恩中心不远就是chic boutiques的大鹅卵石。不管是游览于诺曼底Deauville 和 Trouville地区人流如潮的鱼市，还是在Bayeux北部的D-Day海滩闲逛，，都是法国人离家后常爱作的事，是生活的一部分。

History
The Vikings invaded present-day Normandy in the 9th century. Many of the Scandinavian raiders established settlements in the area and adopted Christianity. In 911 French king Charles the Simple and Viking chief Hr鰈fr agreed that the area around Rouen should be handed over to these Norsemen – or Normans, as they came to be known.

历史
斯堪的纳维亚人在第9世纪侵略了当代的诺曼底。许多斯堪的纳维亚入侵者建立了殖民地，并信奉了基督教。在911年，法国国王查尔斯国王和这些北欧海盗的首领Hr鰈fr达成共识,鲁昂及附近区域应被移交给这些斯堪的纳维亚人，或仍属诺曼底人, 就像这群强盗来的时候一样。

In 1066 the duke of Normandy crossed the English Channel with 6000 soldiers. His forces crushed the English in the Battle of Hastings, and the duke – henceforth known as William the Conqueror – was crowned king of England (p293). The Channel Islands (蝜es Anglo-Normandes), just off the Norman coast, came under English rule in the same year and remain so to this day. During the 11th and 12th centuries many churches were built in Normandy in the Romanesque style.

1066年， 诺曼底公爵带领6000 位战士横渡了英吉利海峡。他领导的军队在Hastings战争中击溃了英兵。从此这位公爵以“征服者威廉”的称号闻名于世，在(p293)受冕，成为英国国王(此处用英格兰还是英国，我不能确定)。,诺曼底沿海附近的Channel 岛(?es Anglo-Normandes)也在同一年被纳入英国的管辖范围 ,并且延续至今。11 至12世纪期间，许多罗马式的教堂被陆陆续续地建造起来了。

Throughout the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) the duchy seesawed between French and English rule. England dominated Normandy for some 30 years until France gained permanent control in 1450. In the 16th century, Normandy, a Protestant stronghold, was the scene of much fighting between Catholics and Huguenots.

在一百年的战争岁月里(1337—.C1453)，这个公国忽尔归属英国，又忽尔被纳入法国的版图之中英国统制了诺曼底30多年，直到1450 年法国占领诺曼底为止。16 世纪的诺曼底,—新教徒(耶稣教徒)的聚集地, 经常发生天主教徒和胡格诺派教徒之间的斗争。

On 6 June 1944 – better known as D-Day – some 45,000 Allied troops landed on beaches near Bayeux, heralding the beginning of the Battle of Normandy (p298), the decisive campaign that led to the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe. Freedom came at a terrible price, however – over 425,000 Allied and German casualties, and more than 15,000 civilian deaths. Eventually, the German resistance was broken and Paris was liberated on 25 August.

在1944 年6月6 日，45，000多名联盟军在Bayeux附近的海滩登陆，揭开了诺曼底战争的序幕(p298)，这个日子就是后来为人们所熟知的D-Day。这次决定性的战役导致了欧洲的解放，德国纳粹曾让那里的人们饱受折磨。然而，获得自由的代价是昂贵的，联盟军及德军的伤亡数超出425,000。最终，德国的顽固抵制被打破了，巴黎在八月二十五日获得解放。

camembert country

For a region that’s so chock-full of cows, it’s hardly surprising that Normandy is so famous for its cheese. Some of the most enduring names in the fickle world of French fromage cheese have their spiritual home in Normandy, including Pont L’Evêque, Livarot and most famous of all, Camembert. It’s thought that monks first began experimenting with cheese-making in the Pays d’Auge sometime in the 11th century, but the present-day varieties didn’t emerge until around the 17th-century. The invention of Camembert is generally credited to Marie Herel, who was supposedly given the secret of soft cheese–making by an abbot from Brie on the run from Revolutionary mobs in 1790. Whatever the truth of the legend, the cheese was a huge success at the local market in Vimoutiers, and production of Camembert quickly grew from a cottage industry into an international operation – it even received the royal seal of approval from Napoleon III at the World Fair in 1855.

以盛产软制乳酪出名的国度

诺曼底地区的牛群如织，盛产奶酪成了一件再平常不过的事。在善变的法国有不少经久不衰的奶酪品牌。Fromage就是深入人心的奶酪品牌之一，其中还包括Pont L’Evêque, Livarot等。人们认为，修士在十一世纪第一次作制造奶酪的实验，地点是Pays d’Auge。但一直到十七世纪左右，才出现今天这样种类繁多的奶酪品种。软制乳酪的发明一般被归功于Marie Herel。据谣传，他是从一位来自Brie的修道院长那里得到到软奶酪制作密方的。在1790年，这位修道院长逃离了革命暴徒的掌控。不管这听起来多么具有传奇色彩，软制乳酪确实成功地赢得了Vimoutiers当地的市场，软制乳酪的生产也迅速从小作坊生产变为国际化生产形式。甚至在1855年的世界商品展会上，收到来自拿破伦三世的皇家批准。

These days Camembert is seriously big business. Since 1983 the Camembert name has been protected by an official AOC (Apellation d‘Origine Contr鬺ée) designation (just like vintage French wine). Between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes of Camembert are produced in Normandy every year, and it remains one of the country’s most popular cheeses – two-thirds of French cheese buyers still consider it an essential element of any self-respecting cheeseboard.

那些日子里，软制乳酪的销售情况好得出人意料。从1983年起，它的产品名称受到了官方 AOC (Apellation d‘Origine Contr鬺ée)的保护，就如同法国葡萄酒般地被奉为国之上品。每年软制乳酪的产量都在1，000至5，000公吨之间。时至今日，它还是全国最受欢迎的奶酪品种之一。三分之二的法国购买者仍认为软制乳酪是备受青睐的奶酪食品中的一项基本原素。

Camembert is traditionally made from unpasteurised cow’s milk, and requires two special moulds – Penicillium candida and Penicillium camemberti – to mature, a process that usually takes around three weeks from start to finish. The distinctive round wooden boxes in which Camembert is wrapped have been around since 1890; they were designed by a local engineer by the name of Monsieur Ridel to protect the soft cheese during long-distance travel.

传统上，软制乳酪是用消毒牛奶制作的。要用到两个特殊模子，Penicillium candida 和 Penicillium camemberti，它们的造型均已趋成熟。制作过程需花费三星期左右——从开始到制作完成。从1890起，出现了用以包装奶酪的木盒，木盒的造型很有特色。盒子的设计者是Monsieur Ridel—一位当地的工程师，他搞这发明是为了不让奶酪在长途旅行中失去柔软性。