Honfleur is a little port town ten minutes over the Normandy Bridge from Le Havre. This lovely old harbor town was the perfect place to spend a sunny morning in France. We strolled through the streets past a fountain representing the “oyster washers.” Further down the street and around the corner our guide showed us the community washing machine where the ladies of the town gathered to wash their clothes. It was the social event of the week, I guess.
The most distinctive building in town is the wooden church. Amazingly, much of it is still preserved. The belfry of the church is in a separate tower from the main building. Apparently, the bells were rung as a signal to fishermen and a way for them to find their way home. Their reasoning for the separate building was that if fire should consume the church at least the bell tower would be saved and the men could find their way home.
When our tour was done, we had some free time to explore on our own. We sat in the warm sunshine and enjoyed a cappuccino. On the way back to our bus, we found an interesting fish market. It is fun to see how some seafood actually looks without all the fancy prepackaging we do in our country. The scallops were especially interesting as were the snails.
In the afternoon, we began our cruise down the Seine River. While it only took us two hours to reach Le Havre by train from Paris, it will take us almost a week to lazily make our way back by the river which winds back and forth as we head south.
The most distinctive building in town is the wooden church. Amazingly, much of it is still preserved. The belfry of the church is in a separate tower from the main building. Apparently, the bells were rung as a signal to fishermen and a way for them to find their way home. Their reasoning for the separate building was that if fire should consume the church at least the bell tower would be saved and the men could find their way home.
When our tour was done, we had some free time to explore on our own. We sat in the warm sunshine and enjoyed a cappuccino. On the way back to our bus, we found an interesting fish market. It is fun to see how some seafood actually looks without all the fancy prepackaging we do in our country. The scallops were especially interesting as were the snails.
In the afternoon, we began our cruise down the Seine River. While it only took us two hours to reach Le Havre by train from Paris, it will take us almost a week to lazily make our way back by the river which winds back and forth as we head south.
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