Honfleur, Normandy, France

Yesterday was another gorgeous day, weather-wise. Some months back, Ronnie had booked the excursion “D-Day Landing Beaches”. He has always wanted to see where his Dad fought in WWII. However, it was a 10 hour day away from the ship (total of 4 hours driving time). I wasn’t that interested in doing the all day excursion so I opted to stay behind and mill around near the port which is exactly what I did. He returned to the ship around 7:15 last evening, tired and totally famished. However, he was really glad that he went. He made a short post on FaceBook this morning, but I’m hoping I can get him to share a little more plus a few of his photos here. We’ll see..

 

this is where we are

 

In the meantime, I’ll tell you about my nice day in Honfleur, France. The ship provided a free shuttle into the port area so I took that and was dropped off near the ferris wheel – an excellent landmark to help me to find my way back to the pick up site. Ha! After a 5-10 minute drive, we arrived a little before 10 a.m. It was only a short walk to the old port from there. The merchants had just begun washing down the sidewalks, cleaning their outside tables and opening up their shops, so things hadn’t become nearly as crowded with tourists as they would be soon.

Not having booked a tour, I didn’t learn all that much about the history of the place. I did read that the town dates from the 11th century and “has changed hands many times in the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) between England and France”. Here's a link on Honfleur for any history buff friends who may be interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honfleur   

 

The Lieutenancy - city's oldest building

"Le 3 Septembre 1899"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed wandering around the picturesque port, slowly making my way up and down the narrow cobblestone streets and taking lots of pictures, as usual. Speaking of cobblestone, this was the roughest I’ve ever walked on and I actually found it somewhat painful to my feet. What was the difference? I’m not sure. I did notice that most of the stones were larger (maybe 8 or 9” square-ish), worn smooth in some places, chipped and rough in others and fairly uneven (stones are higher than whatever is between them). A lady I know from the ship advised me to try stepping directly on the individual stones. I did look for more level areas whenever I could see them. However, it’s hard to watch every step while looking around, taking photos and trying to stay out of other visitor’s photos.

 

the larger ones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some of the smaller, but older ones

But I especially loved photographing the 15^th and 16th century buildings that lined the harbor and their reflections in the water. Also the half-timber houses and the 15^th century Sainte Catherine Church, one of the oldest and largest wooden churches in France.

 

half timber buildings

separate bell tower

Sainte Catherine Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of shops, modern galleries, several museums and many eateries so it wasn’t long before the sidewalks were bustling with tourists and locals alike. It’s easy to spot the difference – tourists don’t have their dogs with them!

something is missing here.

how??

 
      

 



    

 

 

 

 

 

 

new and old co-exist - Ethnographie Museum

 

cafes line the harbor

Le Vieux-Bassin - the Old Basin of Honfleur

pleasant morning for breakfast at the harbor

 

harbor reflections

boats line the harbor

Ronnie has said that I have to stop at every souvenir shop (not true – not EVERY one!) I’m usually just on the lookout for Christmas ornaments for our girls, post cards for our house sitter Josie who collects them and perhaps a thimble to add to my collection. I had no trouble finding any of these. The trouble will be trying to get them home without damaging them. Anyway, I'll end this post on a sweet note.

macarons and chocolate Eiffel Tower - what could be more French?

yum yum