Approaching Cabourg from the direction of Ouistreham, on highway D514, I was a little disappointed. The highway passes through some very touristy areas, mixed with featureless apartment buildings and giant supermarkets like Attac and Champion. Was this the town that inspired Marcel Proust's Balbec in À La Recherche du Temps Perdu ? We parked our rental car in a parking lot, and headed down the main street of town toward the Grand Hotel, the only Proustian site of note in this vacation mecca on the coast of Normandy .

As we walked, I thought about how Proust had spent happy vacation days as a child along the seacoast of Normandy . After reading an article in Le Figaro about a new hotel in Cabourg – the Grand Hotel – with all the latest in modern conveniences, he decided to summer here in 1907. The Grand Hotel and the sea had a salutary effect on his health and his spirits, and he came back every year until 1914.

Our first encounter with the spirit of Proust was the large garden in front of the Grand Hotel. A circular area filled with flowers in bloom, it has plaques that identify the flowers, along with quotes from Proust's writings. One plaque merely displays a picture of Proust as a young man, along with the Cattleya, the orchid that Odette, Swann's mistress, wore in Du Coté de Chez Swann, or Swann's Way .

Leaving the garden, we now approached the Grand Hotel. It looked much as I imagined it would: a graceful, Belle Époque building, with pastel walls and a gray mansard roof. Next door is the casino, just as in the novel. We entered the hotel. A grand staircase sweeps up to the right as you enter. A picture of Proust is prominently displayed. Everywhere there is dark wood, soft carpets, and service staff in uniforms. We found the dining room, but unfortunately it doesn't open until 12:30 for lunch, and we were quite early. We glanced at the menu: 49 euros for a three course meal. A bit expensive, but the Grand Hotel is a four star hotel in the Mercure chain now, and the restaurant is known for its gastronomic delights.

We walked past the dining room. I looked at the tables, with their starched white tablecloths and sparkling crystal wine glasses, and I could easily imagine the narrator of À La Recherche sitting down to lunch with his grandmother on his first stay in Balbec, surrounded by well-heeled vacationers taking their midday meal.

We walked out onto the back terrace, which looks out on the sea. From there we walked onto the “digue” – the broad walkway that runs along the shore. Today, there were strollers in modern vacation garb, but you could easily imagine wealthy women with long dresses and parasols taking a morning stroll. Letting your imagination go further, you could imagine the “petite bande” of young girls walking or cycling along, with Albertine, the narrator's future love, in the lead.

The era of ease and comfort that existed when Proust stayed here is now long gone. But the Grand Hotel remains, and Parisians still flock to the seashore during the long summer holiday. We headed back to our car, looking back at the vestiges of an earlier time. Proust did much the same when he sat down to write his great work.