To me it seems that France has been more diligent than most countries in preserving its heritage.

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, just up from the plage (beach) at Cap Hornu, has a well-preserved medieval city dating back to the 11th century.
Here I discovered that what I always thought of as ‘English Tudor’ is actually French Norman!
Walking down the narrow winding roads of the medieval city I found many ancient stone buildings.
An abundance of flowers grow along the stone walls of the town.
I think the roses must be old-fashioned roses as well – they are way more fragrant than the tea roses that are so popular nowadays.
There are several jardins (gardens) done in the medieval style as well.
The church in the medieval city of St-Valery-sur-Sommes shows the flint (dark) and sandstone (light) patterns.Detail of the flint and sandstone wall on the church.Description of the the ramparts and moat that surrounded the old city.
There is a cemetery as well, although the tombs are not medieval but part of the Commonwealth War Graves, another part of France’s heritage that they have also taken great care in preserving.
‘Nous ne t’oublierons jamais’ – ‘We will never forget’. We visited the Baie de Somme enroute from Amiens to Rouen.

• More about travelling in France.
• More of the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage.