A place of open country and vast woodlands, Normandy also hosts some of France's most impressive structures, the incomparable abbey town of Mont-Saint-Michel chief among them. Hugh Palmer toured the region with his camera, capturing its ports, châteaux, churches, and half-timbered buildings. Among the hundreds of photos here are a cider factory in Orne, surrounded by mountains of apples; the twin spires of a gothic cathedral looming over the town of Sées; Giverny's Hôtel Baudy, which maintains a cheerful room once frequented by Claude Monet; and Livarot's ultra-dignified cheese museum.