Promenade Marcel Proust Live Cam
Balbec, the fictional seaside resort in Normandy, was inspired largely by Cabourg, a real city in northern France, and its waterfront Grand-Hôtel. This seaside resort on the Normandy coast is the model for the hotel in the novel that Proust locates in the fictional coastal town of Balbec. During his long vacations at the hotel, Proust wrote many passages for his book. The building, its dining room, and the esplanade (now the Promenade Marcel Proust) that runs in front of the hotel along the beach are the models for the Grand-Hôtel at Balbec in the novel. Proust's stays at the hotel ended due to the outbreak of World War I, during which time the hotel served as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The Grand-Hôtel remains virtually unchanged from Proust's era and operates as a luxury hotel. Proust's room, № 414, was recreated with period furnishing and décor.