Dries Buytaert

A pebble beach with calm waters in the foreground and towering cliffs extending for miles in the background.
Our camping trip in Normandy unexpectedly led us to Petites-Dalles Beach. To our surprise, we discovered that this was the exact location where Claude Monet painted his masterpiece, Cliffs of Les Petites-Dalles. Standing in the exact spot where Monet once set up his easel, on this quiet, untouristy beach, was an unexpected thrill. It made me appreciate how this landscape has inspired people for centuries. The moment became even more special when we learned that Monet's work is now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston — only a few miles from our home, yet worlds apart from where it was created.