Honfleur, Normandy, France
Today brought our first rain of the trip but we made the most of it, heading east along the Normandy coast from Bayeux to the old French port town of Honfleur (pronounced ON-fluh). What’s a port without a little water?
Honestly, it just drizzled some here or there so it added to the atmosphere. No worries, I threw on a rain jacket and mom popped open her umbrella. Usually vacation photos are like a highlight reel but let’s be honest, sometimes you have days like this:
As Napoleon said, ‘On with the show’ (he didn’t).
Honfleur was a delight. Located on an estuary of the Seine, it’s especially picturesque with a protected harbor lined by narrow, tall houses fronted with slate. Evidently the townsfolk were once taxed on the width of the buildings back in the day but not the height. Somehow, Honfleur escaped the bombs of World War II.
We wandered around the cobblestone streets and peeked in store windows. Despite the drizzle, people still flocked to cafes along the water, happily sipping wine and coffee.
We browsed through a chocolate shop and selected a few samples (well, mom used a scoop while I used tongs).
Of course I had to get a few military sites in during our drive around Normandy. We stopped at the Canadian cemetery at Bény Sur Mer to get a perspective on the 1944 Allied invasion from our friends up north.
This was a different experience than the American or German cemeteries. We appreciated the short text added by the families at the bottom of each headstone. It made the experience more poignant, more personal.
We crossed the Caen Canal at Pegasus Bridge, a key objective of the British glider-borne force on D-Day. The successful capture of the bridge played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the aftermath of the Normandy invasion.
Originally called Bénouville Bridge, it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in 1944 in honor of the shoulder emblem worn by the British Parachute Regiment.
A bit further west, we peered in the gated entrance at the perfectly-French Château de Fontaine-Henry. Although we couldn’t get a closer look, the sign outside informed the same family had owned the mansion for more than 800 years. I’m sure each member of the family enjoyed their own wing!
Finally, I decided the perfect cap to the day would be a bit of Indiana Jones adventure. I pointed our little Fiat off the pavement and took a washed-out cobblestone drive just outside the village of Barbières to a secluded, forested spot along a creek.
This was Église Saint-Pierre or the old Church of St. Peter. Romanesque in design, the steeple was built on four, strong pillar frames which constituted the oldest part of the building, dating from the years 1050 to 1070(!).
Although locked, there was a hole in the wooden doors through which I could carefully pass my phone camera for a glimpse of the interior. I’m not sure what I would have done had I dropped my phone. But, what a thrill!
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Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.
