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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 6:41:21 GMT
Yesterday I decided to hit the road, and I took a direction that I rarely take -- west. Parisians seem addicted to weekends in Normandy. *yawn* However, the weather was perfect, and I was beating the weekend, so I figured that I would give it a try. Unfortunately, there was a big accident near Rouen, and that was good for being stuck almost an hour. But finally Honfleur opened its gates to me. On the main road into the city are all of the traditional buildings -- post office, bank... Nobody cares about this street, though. People are here to gobble seafood at the port.
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Post by bjd on Apr 23, 2011 7:45:02 GMT
I have never been there, but only know of Honfleur as a place for artists -- so I'm surprised at the dark colours around the port.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 23, 2011 16:47:41 GMT
Of course for us here Honfleur and several other places in Normandy (and other parts of Northwestern France) hold great interest. But of course Honfleur's ties with la Nouvelle France and the "New World" in general had a dark side, as for a time the port derived much wealth from the slave trade.
bjd, I believe some of those dark buildings are covered in slate.
The architecture is very picturesque, though it does look overly tarted up. I take it that Honfleur did not suffer from the same degree of wartime devastation as the nearby, more modern port Le Havre?
I'm very jealous of your weather there - we have been having a nasty, blustery sping.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 23, 2011 17:03:38 GMT
The differences in perception can be funny! I think it looks quite bright & cheery, & particularly noticed the nice touch of painting the undersides of some of the overhangs in a peachy shade. I also liked the dark-light-dark-light sequence of buildings that seems to be a feature of Honfleur. I sort of associate tall, sober-fronted buildings with old ports, so it looks "right" to me. It also looks drop-dead French to the nth degree, to the point that if I saw it in a movie, I'd be suspicious that it might be all sets. So yeah, tarted-up, but seductively so.
Great pictures, Kerouac! Love the can't-eat-another-bite blonde woman and the older couple two pictures above her. And that shot coming into town? Whoo -- it looks as though it could lift right off the page. Lovely!
What did you eat? I keep scrutinizing the menus, but can't make up my mind yet.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 18:11:14 GMT
Honfleur was just slightly bombed by the Allies in 1944. After all, it is just a town of 8000 inhabitants, so not much of a strategic objective. Besides being a favourite of the impressionists, Honfleur was also a favourite of the English, who occupied it in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. In fact, Honfleur is still occupied by the English, as that is the principal language that I heard yesterday. There are a few places that specifically appeal to them. And, as Lagatta pointed out, Honfleur has a special place in the hearts of the Québecois, since it was Champlain's birthplace.
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Post by mich64 on Apr 23, 2011 19:01:01 GMT
You are so very lucky Kerouac to be able to get into the car and drive to see so many distinct and interesting places and we are lucky that you share them with. The photos do make me envious as well for many reasons including the weather.
Samuel de Champlain is also important to my area in Ontario. When the weather is warmer here I will get out to take some photos of monuments dedicated to him at the Lavase River in town and the Provinical Park just outside the city named after him due to his explorations of our region.
We travelled by the area you are in on our way from Brugge to Rouen and my father and mother-in-law talked at great lengths of their departure to Canada from Le Harve.
Your photos show what a wonderful time you are having on your weekend away, lucky you! Cheers, Mich
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Apr 23, 2011 19:33:16 GMT
The buildings in the port area are very different architecturally from those you'll find on the windy cobbled streets behind it, which are full of 2-3 story half-timbered buildings. The buildings are certainly renovated throughout the town so it does look all "tarted-up", which I imagine has something to do with the level of the owners' affluence.
While kerouac was heading for the northern part of Normandy the Mrs. and I spent a day touring cheese and cider country south of Honfleur before ending up in the lovely and touristy seaside resort of Trouville, where we had summer-like weather and relaxed on the beach. I'm sure cheese and cider country would bore you to death kerouac, but the beautiful countryside and small worthless villages are where I thrive. I'll be posting some pictures soon but rather than writing a report (I'm already behind on several) I'm just going to post a link to our facebook page so you can see the pictures with captions.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 19:50:33 GMT
Once people are stuffed, it's time to walk around a bit, look at the water, buy some Egyptian cotton or maybe just some tacky souvenirs. I didn't really investigate what most of these places were. I am not a "Michelin Green Guide" sort of person, and I sometimes regret it. Time for me to leave. As is often the case in these coastal towns that nestle against cliffs or bluffs, the moment you look back from the main streets, there is a complete change of terrain... and architecture. Some people are going this way, but I was going the other way. The war monument always makes it clear why WW1 was called "the Great War" -- as you can see, the list for a town of 8000 people is quite big, but the WW2 names at the bottom were very easy to fit on the bottom piece because there are far fewer names. Back on the road to cross the Pont de Normandie, one of the biggest bridges in the world and the very last one across the Seine. Toll: 5€. And that was the end of Honfleur for this time.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 19:56:42 GMT
FMT, just like everybody else, I adore those worthless villages that you visit! Keep 'em coming!
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Apr 23, 2011 20:40:39 GMT
I checked out your "Michelin Green Guide" recommendation of Les Vapeurs in Trouville but we decided against it (too many people jammed in like sardines) and ate a few doors down at Le 142 which was quite good, although since I'm regretfully not a foodie I don't know that my endorsement carries much weight. If you are really interested in my eating habits I can tell you that the next day we ate at Café La Coupole, which was also quite good despite its touristy location across from the casino. If I were to describe Trouville on the forums I would say that there are "plenty of things to do for a 3 to 9 year old" and that "it is a good place for teens". I could also tell you "what is there to see" in Trouville and "how much time do I need for a visit". If you would like to know "what else is there to do in the area" I can help you there as well.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 20:45:28 GMT
One of the best things to know about Trouville is that the casino is quite elegant but not at all as snooty as the casino in Deauville, where you actually have to dress up to enter on the weekend.
Yes, Les Vapeurs is always too crowded. Lunch during the week is okay.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Apr 23, 2011 21:50:19 GMT
The Mrs. made the mistake of taking a picture inside the casino and we were promptly chased down by security who watched as we erased the digital photo from our camera.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 23, 2011 22:48:56 GMT
That is a lovely bridge! bixa and casimira, you may have noticed that Champlain explored ACADIA and CANADA. Acadia really was a different French colony from what was then "Canada" - part of what is now southern Québec along the St Lawrence (St-Laurent) and not all of Nouvelle France. fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:New_France_(orthographic_projection).svg Note that most of the vast territory shown had little or no European settlement.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2011 4:58:15 GMT
Here is a more professional view of the bridge.
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Post by bjd on Apr 24, 2011 6:00:37 GMT
And here is Sieur de Champlain once he arrived in Ottawa and climbed up onto his memorial
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Post by RC on Apr 24, 2011 22:06:02 GMT
I hate to be pedantic but Champlain was not born in Honfleur... he was born in the Saintonge but left on some of his voyages from Honfleur hence the plaque.
I live almost in sight of the Ottawa River and drive along it's banks almost daily... I always think of Champlain ascending the river by canoe when I do.
Thanks for the report K... I was in Honfleur for part of an afternoon 25 years ago and hope to return again...
Rob
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2011 22:18:14 GMT
You are absolutely correct. Honfleur was indeed his "home port" rather than his home. I think I knew I was wrong as I was typing that but was a bit too lazy to check my facts.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 25, 2011 15:04:48 GMT
Fabulous pics Kerouac...as always you've managed to give us a tantalising glimpse! thank you . ;D
oooh and did you buy anything?
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Post by hwinpp on Apr 27, 2011 4:48:30 GMT
I like that whole area of France, the more 'done up' the better... I liked Deauville (even dressed up for the casino there), Trouville and Honfleur, I liked the white painted fences around the horse paddocks, I liked the cheese and cidre tastings.
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Post by Luke on Apr 27, 2011 18:21:52 GMT
Thanks for the wonderful pix of Honfleur which is one of my favorite French towns, in fact wish I could live there as the people are so friendly and wonderful. Two stories to tell on myself: the French language eludes me so in a very nice resturant in Honfleur I ordered, to my astonishment, sauerkraut with my seafood !!! Was hilarious. The other noteworthy thing that happened to me, I found a fantastic painting that the artist had just painted and he made me a very good price but alas, I did not buy it! Regretted it ever since. :'(Later when visiting Provence, the same type paintings were twice as high in price. Live and learn.
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Post by tj on May 1, 2011 12:35:05 GMT
My wife and I are really looking forward to using Honfleur as a base for a week this fall (and another week in Antibes). So I've really enjoy all of the posted photos of this beautiful town. Originally my plan was just to use Bayeux as our base in order to visit (and, for me, revisit having been there with my son in 2009) the war sites (particularly the Canadian ones). We'll have a car so I think we'll have the opportunity to see and visit many more small towns in the area. Unfortunately, it now looks more and more difficult to get a mainly Canadian oriented WW11 tour unless we hire a private company which, for2 people, is very expensive (400-450E).
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2011 14:24:05 GMT
I suspect that tours will become more and more expensive as the generations the most interested in those times continue to disappear.
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Post by lagatta on May 2, 2011 11:59:37 GMT
tj, you can do your own war tour with maps (paper or GPS or better, both) and web sites devoted to the Canadian beaches - not just the D-Day landing sites but also the site of the disaster at Dieppe (a town worth seeing). www.junobeach.org www.canadianbattlefieldsfoundation.ca/ www.dieppetourisme.com/ www.junobeach.org/e/2/can-eve-mob-die-e.htm You will have the satisfaction of a history learning project and won't need a tour guide. You can ask any questions at the Juno Beach museum. Remember to reread all these sites in French - I don't know how good your French is, but it is a good way of refreshing it. In Normandy, Britanny and other parts of Northwestern France, you will also encounter family names very familiar on our side of the pond. That can be another facet of your historical explorations. Yes, the people who experienced these battle whether in combat or as civilians are passing on. Most of the people alive today who remember the battle were children back then. Even my friend who was a Resistance fighter in Normandy back then (and they were almost all very young) will turn 90 this month.
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Post by mich64 on May 2, 2011 15:18:47 GMT
Off the topic of Honfleur, but I wanted to stress to tj the importance of making time to visit the monument in Vimy of Vimy Ridge. It is beyond breathtaking and besides standing on the shores of Juno Beach was a highlight of our trip. We did it on our own as well. I just visited many websites and gained information and even borrowed some of their itinerary tour ideas.
This whole region is an honour to visit. Cheers, Mich
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Post by tj on May 6, 2011 19:52:24 GMT
Thank you kindly for those Juno Beach links, lagatta.. Mich64, in fact we're visiting Vimy for a couple of days upon arrival in September and really looking forward to that. I just feel so privileged to be able to visit these historic sites.
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Post by mich64 on May 6, 2011 20:24:46 GMT
Oh tj then you are lucky to have a couple of days at Vimy, I wish we had. There is also a Museum down the road from the Monument that is very interesting and you can book a tour through them to see some of the tunnels that are right there, I hope you have time for that and report back here how it was.
The care and attention that is provided to these Monuments and Gravesites is heartfelt when you are standing there. When we were in Bergen-Op-Zoom, The Netherlands visiting my husband's Uncle's grave, the workers all stopped mowing the grass and chores there were doing until we left. It is sombre but you feel proud at the sametime. Mich
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Post by sojoh on Aug 18, 2011 8:42:50 GMT
Kerouac, I wish that I would have read your post on Honfleur before we stopped there for lunch on our way back from Normandy on Monday. It's a great place that I'm planning to go back and explore. I'm still trying to figure out how to upload pictures onto "Any Port", but if anyone's interested in visiting the beaches and the American cemetery in Normandy, I've just written a couple of posts with pictures of our trip. It was a sobering and thought provoking experience. In the meantime, here's the link for my blog. Just type "Normandy" in the search window and you'll see the posts. outandaboutinparis.blogspot.com/
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 18, 2011 13:13:51 GMT
Great photos, as always. Thanks for sharing.
What is that huge swath of yellow near the Pont de Normandie? It's beautiful.
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Post by bjd on Aug 18, 2011 14:56:33 GMT
Rapeseed (canola) fields.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2017 11:15:46 GMT
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