The river Douve, Normandy

A photo taken from the bank of the river Douve in the village of Beuzeville-la Bastille.

The river appears to have broken its banks, but this is in fact a regular, controlled occurrence during winter.  There are up to 50,000 hectares of meadow which may be inundated.  The French call this land the Marais (marshes - we would call them water meadows), and when under water they are described as blanchi (whitened) - it can be a jaw-dropping sight.