Traveling in France #1 (Part 3 of 6)

Our trip to Normandy continues.

After visiting Rouen, we headed toward the very old port of Honfleur.  To get there, we had to cross the mouth of the Seine where it empties into the English Channel.  We crossed the graceful Pont de Normandie (Normandy Bridge), completed in 1995.  

Honfleur is picturesque and historic.  Because of its strategic importance as a seaport with river access to Paris, it has been held by the Normans, English, French and Germans over the centuries.  It played important roles during the Hundred Years War and during the colonization of North and South America.

We enjoyed a walking tour around the very picturesque town.

The harbor in Honfleur, with a Norman drakkar (dragon boat)

A gate into the old town

A memorial to Samuel de Champlain who sailed from Honfleur to explore North America in the early 17th century. 

A half-timbered building houses the Museum of Old Honfleur 

The Town Hall of Honfleur

Below is a group of photos of the Church of Saint Catherine in Honfleur, first constructed in the 15th century.  The bell tower (pictured below) is separated from the church to reduce the risk of lightning striking the tall bell tower and fire spreading to the church.  

The facade of the church, which is constructed primarily with wood.

The church has two naves constructed at different times.  The builders of the church were also skilled boat builders, which explains why the wooden roof looks like the hull of a boat.

One of the church's main altars.  The nautical theme of Honfleur is evident throughout the church.

Another view of the church, with its very tall spire.

While walking around the town, we spotted a recent discovery, a small winged person.  Apparently, during the town's early period, houses were identified not by street numbers but by symbols on their facades, like the winged person below.

When we toured the town, we were surprised to see a "Christmas Market" operating months after Christmas and an ice rink with artificial ice.  Greg asked Susan to push him around the rink.  No luck.

One of Honfleur's favorite sons was 19th landscape painter Eugène Boudin.  Boudin is known for his own paintings as well as for encouraging a very talented young painter who was then known as Oscar.  Two of Oscar's paintings of scenes in Honfleur appear below.

   

La Rue de La Bavolle at Honfleur by Claude Monet (1864)

The Entrance to the Port of Honfleur by Claude Monet (1867)

Next Up:  The Normandy Beaches.