Written TidbitsHonfleur France

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

Often we are asked, "What is your favorite town?" We always have an immediate answer, but rarely is it ever the same. Our favorite town is the last one we visited, or talked about, or the first name that comes to mind. But, after a little thought, if we make a list, Honfleur is always near the top.

Honfleur is located on the south side of the Seine Estuary, across from Le Havre. Honfleur's Ste-Catherine Quay, with its seven-story houses, is in splendid contrast to the two-story stone dwellings on the St.-Etienne Quay, just across the Old Dock. Even more contrast is the Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors ice cream store in an ancient building on the St.-Etienne Quay.

A generation of impressionists have set their easels on this quay, and there are always artists with easel and palette, and photographers with a neck full of camera straps, attempting to capture the charm of this venerable city.

Ste-Catherine's church is a rare example of a wooden church in a part of the world mostly populated with huge stone and mortar edifices. The boat builders knew how to build a waterproof boat, so they built two large fishing boats, turned them upside down and constructed a church underneath.

Just across the small market square, the church belfry, covered with weathered chestnut boarding, contains the bell ringer's dwelling. Narrow cobblestone streets go off in all directions from this market-square, some are crowded with shops, restaurants, and hotels, other narrow streets are lined with homes.

One year Emmy was tempted by a painting in an art store in Honfleur, but the quoted price of 25,000FF ($4,300) ended the negotiations quickly. She says, "That's not the reason, we have no wall space left to display it." (Wanna bet which excuse was decisive?) Jim found a useful gadget, a yoke made of wood and carved to fit over the shoulders so he (he?) can carry two buckets of water or whatever he may want to carry.

We don't worship lunch time like the French, so it's easy for us to walk past the very fancy, very expensive restaurants. Each small table in one restaurant was set with more glass, silver, more dishes, and more linen than needed for a large family. The cost to set the table, then wash and put all that stuff away, would cost more than we would like to pay for a meal.

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
City of Honfleur
Honfleur Tourist Office
Discover Normandy - Calvados - Honfleur

D-Day Hotels

French Video Immersion