Phil&Jill

Have you ever heard of a place called Honfleur. Until we started planning this trip in Normandy I hadn't. Some of you travellers who have done a river cruise on the Seine may have known because Honfleur is at the mouth of the Seine where it flows out to sea. Well have a look at it...it is now a town I will never forget. On a 28 degree sunny day
saw it at its most picturesque. Every corner of this medieval town with its narrow winding lanes offered something for the eye.

We caught the bus (4 eu 50 each) at the Dives station and passed through Hougate and saw where the Dives runs out to sea. Through Trouville with stately mansions (a lot of which appeared to be upmarket accomodation) and after just over an hour's driving, to Deauville - a large town with a huge marina and station constructed in the half timbered wall style typical of the rehion. Deauville is situated right on the beach with vast expanse of white sand. We changed buses here to go on to Honfleur. We only waited 5 minutes for the next bus to arrive.
This time crowded with excited passengers going to see Honfleur. It must be noted how pleasant the bus drivers are to each individual passenger greeting each one with 'bonjour' and having a joke with one or two, particularly the older women. Each small cehild gets individual treatment. You would think they had all the time in the world but they still seem to meet the timelines. Phil thinks they have immeasurable patience too when driving on the road. They manoeuvre their massive machines with only inches to spare from the on coming vehicles.

From Deauville the route climbs and you get wonderful views over the slate roofs to the sea. Through the forests of Touques ⁹where many cut logs were sitting along the roadsides. Wood has been a great resource in medieval times

2 hours after setting off we arrived in Honfleur. The first thing we saw was a massive tall ship. I had read tha yesterday there had been a parade of boats in the harbour.

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Honfleur, the ancient name of the town, came from the original language of the area - Viking. Honfleur is an ancient village first mentioned in documents of the 11th century. Its geographical position enabled it to become a place of importance in the construction of the Norman state. The big military period of Honfleur started at the 14th century with the 100 years war. Honfleur was occupied by the English at the start of this conflict, from 1357 to 1361 and then from 1365 to 1366. Charles V decided because of its strategic position to build a defensive fortress under the control of the English invaders. There was lots of building during the reign of Charles V and VI. It played a defensive role for Normandy because of the entry to the Seine. Honfleur stayed in the hands of the English for 32 years until claimed by Louis XI.

We were taken by the obedience of this set of dogs whilst their owner set up a postcard photo.

Local produce, artists, and our lunch cafe were delightful

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The church of St Catherine dates back to the middle of the 15th century. The naval carpenters used their skills with local wood from the forests of Toque. The roof is like an upside down boat. It is the biggest church constructed in wood in France. Beautiful stain glass windows, organ and flags spelling out the alphabet in naval terms.

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We wandered up and down many of the back lanes. Unfortunately for Phil the Marine Museum was closed being a Monday. Honfleur is one of those magical towns you can't get enough of. It gave much more than we had expected and will be fixed into the memory bank. At 4.15pm we caught the bus back to Dives and by 6.30pm we were in our appartment having a light dinner. A top day!!