Honfleur, France
The sky was an overcast gray with low clouds as we approached the famous Cotentin Peninsula of the Normandy Coast. This coast is one of the most historic places we shall visit, as from here were launched two of the greatest invasions of all time: William the Conqueror left from near here in September 1066 and changed British history for all time, and of course on the 6th of June 1944 the allies mounted the world’s largest invasion against the German forces who fortified the five beaches from east to west (Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah) situated in the Seine Bay. Tom Heffernan gave a lecture on the D-Day Invasion before we disembarked in the important Norman city of Caen.
We split into two groups after lunch and the sun shown as we left the ship. Some of us went to Honfleur, this most picturesque village at the mouth of the Seine and our other colleagues went to visit the tapestry museum in Bayeux.
Honfleur was a favorite of French painters of the 19th century. Courbet and the leading Impressionist Monet – whose teacher and early Impressionist Eugene Boudin was born here – often painted here and the village became so famous that it developed its own style, referred to as “Ecole de Honfleur.” Although this area of Normandy was shattered during WWII, Honfleur was not bombed and hence its architecture is largely intact. The most picturesque houses surround the Vieux Bassin (the old docks) which are located in the center of the old town. The houses are chiefly from the 16th and the 17th centuries and are so tottering that they look as if they are about to tumble over.
I think the most interesting architectural feature in Honfleur is the great wooden church of Ste-Catherine, a somewhat curious departure from the traditional stone churches of Normandy. There is a legend that suggests that after the end of the Hundred Years War (1453) with the English, there was such an economic downturn that the funds were unavailable to build in stone. Whatever the reason we should be grateful, because the church is a gem with its twin naves and rounded, almost boat-like, vaulting. Naval architects had a hand in the design of the church and it is no accident that its vault looks somewhat like an upturned boat. It is one of the few churches that has a completely separate wooden belfry.
Honfleur’s Museum, Eugene Boudin, was a treat for many of us, and has a surprising variety of early Impressionist paintings.
Returning to the National Geographic Explorer for recap and dinner, we also did a repeat showing of the second half of the movie, “The Longest Day,” in preparation to an always powerful visit to the D-Day beaches in Normandy tomorrow.
