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| Honfleur at sunset |
No, I'm really no more fluent in French now than I was a week ago. It is pretty easy to figure out how to say goodbye to one city and hello to two others, especially with google translate. Yesterday (Sunday) we left Bayeux for our next destination, Honfleur. Along the way we stopped at the coastal town of Etretat. This small town of less than two thousand residents is known for the tall white cliffs along both sides of the city's waterfront.
The cliffs rise close to 100 yards above the English Channel and have been the inspiration for many artists including Monet. There are hiking trails up the cliffs that offer great views down to the city and rocky shoreline.
Etretat is a popular destination for both tourists and day trippers. The cloudless sky, warm temperature (around 60, which is warm for here at this time of year) and the fact that it was a weekend brought out a big crowd. Finding a place to park was a bit of a challenge and figuring out how to work the pay station for the parking was an even greater challenge. I did feel a little bit of comfort in the fact that even those folks from France, who could read the instructions, were having a problem. A nice attendant came over and helped me properly feed the beast and we were soon legally parked and on our way to enjoy the scenery. We hiked along the flat boardwalk before going up to the top. The views were magnificent and by then we had worked up a hearty appetite. We both enjoyed huge bowls of mussels, that gave us a protein lift to hike a little more before heading back to the car. On the way out we decided to drive to the top of the opposite cliff where there was a small chapel. The views were equally magnificent from this cliff and as an added bonus, the parking up there is free!
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| Looking down on the city of Etretat from the cliff |
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| There's free parking behind the chapel! |
From Etretat to Honfleur was an easy one hour drive. Honfleur is located at the mouth of the River Seine where water flows from Dijon, through Paris and into the English Channel (482 miles). We arrived just as the sun was setting. We met our Airbnb Host who gave us some very helpful suggestions for things to do in Honfleur. Not wanting to waste any time we headed out for the city center and it's small but scenic harbor. The water in the harbor was perfectly still which allowed Beth to take some great pictures that captured the reflection off the water. We weren't the first to discover this, it has been the subject of paintings and pictures for centuries, including famous works by Claude Monet.
This morning we enjoyed a long walk along the bank of the River and through the public gardens which were quite nice even though nothing is blooming right now. From there we explored the city center some more including Saint Catherine's church, which was built in the second half of the 15th century. It is very unique because it was built by shipbuilders and is constructed of wood. There is a separate bell tower that is also constructed of wood and the church has the distinction of being the largest timber built church in France.
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| Along the banks of the River Seine in Honfleur |
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| An old guy on a park bench in the Honfleur Public Gardens |
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| A hot mama on a bridge in the public garden |
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| St. Catherine's Church-Honfleur |
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| The Bell Tower of St. Catherine Church |
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| Honfleur basin by day |
This afternoon we took a short twenty minute drive to the twin beach communities of Deauville and Trouville. These cities are located directly on the English Channel and have wide, sandy beaches. We were surprised to see how busy they were on a Monday but we learned that this is winter break for many schools in France. They were nice to explore but we soon retreated back to the friendly confines of Honfleur to enjoy a glass of the local specialty on the balcony of our apartment. No...…….this region is not known for it's wine. It's famous for it's fermented apple cider. There are numerous brands ranging from dry to sweet. We've tried four and they have all been tres bon (very good)!
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| The boardwalk along the Deauville Beach |
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| Deauville Beach |
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| Cheers! |
