May 1, 2026
Our last trip ashore was to France, where we visited the beach at Deauville, and a cheese factory in Livarot. As always, we were impressed with the beauty of the French countryside.
May 1st is a bank holiday in France, so the day at Deauville was very quiet. The umbrellas were folded and horses were being ridden on the beach. We walked along the boardwalk and danced to musicians who were warming up for a wedding. Not a bad morning.
Deauville was visited frequently by Monet and Renoir. This is a painting Monet did there.
We then visited the Graindorge cheese factory in the town of Livarot, Normandy, where we toured the factory and sampled cheeses. We were told that an important contribution to the quality of their cheeses is the cows’ milk, and that all of their cheeses were made with milk from cows within about 25 miles of the factory.
The cheesemaking process today is largely automated. An oversimplified description is that the cheese is made by mixing milk with various cultures, then coagulating it with rennet and forming the resulting curds into cakes that are drained in molds for one or two days. It’s then stored for drying and ageing for several weeks.
We tasted the four kinds of cheese made in the factory, in increasing order of flavor intensity, along with French bread and some very good cider.
We started with the mildest cheese, Pont-l’Évêque, shown at the top of the photo. It’s known to have a briny and slightly mushroomy taste. We then went clockwise to sample Camembert (on the right) and then Livarot, which is more pungent. Finally, we sampled Neufchâtel which is considered salty and cakey. We liked them all. Mal thought the Pont-l’Évêque was a little mild, the Neufchâtel was a little strong, and the Camembert and Livarot were just right. Goldilocks agreed.
We bought a Livarot, which they assured us would be acceptable to US customs because it was made with pasteurized milk. We’ll see . . .
Back on the QM2, we took one package of Livarot to dinner, with trepidation. Our worry was because one of our tablemates is a naturalized American from France, who made a living manufacturing cheese. Fortunately, he pronounced it good.
Next stop, New York and HOME!
Dottie and Mal
