Sunday, June 25th, was hot and sunny. We had been to Honfleur before and remembered it fondly. We grabbed the shuttle bus from the pier into the center of this lovely, tiny town. Many shops and businesses were closed since it was Sunday. Our initial stop was at the tourist office where we picked up a map and got our bearings. As we were walking into town I took a photo of the street. Not too much traffic on the roads so I was able to obtain an uncluttered (with traffic) picture.
This fountain, of washer women, fronts the tourist office and library.
Map in hand (like we really needed one), we were on our way to the Old Port, Le Vieux Bassin. We walked past the Church of Saint Leonard. This statute, entitled the Savior of France, stands in the plaza in front of the church.
By now you should know that I can’t pass up a church or cathedral and the Church of Saint Leonard was no exception.
The ceiling was beautiful . . .
. . . as were the archways.
Some additional photos. Note the ship in the photo of the side alter. Honfleur is/was a fishing port and clearly the sea was an important part of the lives of the residents.
The main attraction is the Old Port, Le Vieux Bassin. Here are a couple of photos taken as we made our way.
The port is lined on three sides with timber-framed houses, many of which now exist as restaurants. Here is a shot of the area.
There are a number of boats tied up in the harbor. In the first photo you can see the spire of the old wooden church.
Following a light lunch, we walked over to St. Catherine’s Church, which is behind the harbor at Place Saint Catherine. It is the oldest wooden church in France, dating back to the 15th century. The crowds around the church were sizable and, I confess, my photos, especially of the exterior, are lacking. That said, here is a shot of the exterior.
The nave of the church was built like an upside down boat by the local woodworkers. After all, Honfleur was a center of the fishing industry. Hopefully you can see the “ship’s hull” on the left side of this photo.
The interior was very interesting but I couldn’t get good photos because there were people milling around, many waiting with families for baptismal services. I did manage to capture this shot of the alter and the church’s stained glass windows.
Taking this was fun.
Strolling around a new and interesting place is an adventure. New discoveries at every turn. I think I’ll take you on a walk, as we did, where everything is new and different. See things the way we did and experience Honfleur for yourself.
How about a piece of whimsical sculpture?
A photo of the Maritime Museum.
Some shots just appear and demand to be taken. Here are a couple of shots taken behind the Maritime Museum. Let’s take a step back in time.
And then, in the blink of an eye, we were on our way back to the Journey and this magnificent sunset.
