Sea towns Etretat and then Honfleur, and then arrive in Bayeux

26-27 March 2018

On the way to Etretat, a cool old train bridge, and puffy white clouds, sun, and blue sky - what we like to see for our arrival in Etretat.  And then here we are - nice deep blue skies.

Étretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy in north-western France. It is a tourist and farming town best known for its chalk cliffs, including three natural arches and a pointed formation called L'Aiguille or the Needle, which rises 70 metres (230 ft) above the sea.  The Etretat Chalk Complex, as it is known, consists of a complex stratigraphy of Turonian and Coniacian chalks.  Some of the cliffs are as high as 90 metres (300 ft).

The old man and the sea....?

"Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre.  It is especially known for its old, beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind, forming the école de Honfleur (Honfleur school) which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell tower separate from the principal building, is the largest church made out of wood in France."

Coming from Etretat, passing le Havre, we cross this huge suspension bridge to enter Honfluer (photo on right taken from Honfluer later in the day).

After checking into our AirBnB, the owner took us on a 15 minute tour to get orientated for the sights and recommended restaurants. 

The clock/bell tower separate from the church - when lightning strikes the bell tower, fire won't burn down the church (both structures are wood).  Gerri and I enjoying the gratis apertif liquor in the AirBnB - it was strong with an apple background.

Saint-Catherine's Church"The church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria as evidenced by a wooden sculpture above the porch of the bell tower which separates the two naves. She is shown holding a wheel and a sword. The first nave is the oldest part of the building, dating to the second half of the 15th century, constructed right after the Hundred Years War. It was built on the model of a market hall, using naval construction techniques, which gives the impression of an upside-down ship's hull. In the 16th century, a second nave was added, whose vault was like the wooden vaults of modest Gothic churches. This second part was rather rounder, and did not look like a ship's hull. Later, supplementary bays were added to both naves. 

The famous "Axe masters" of the naval yards of the city created this lovely building without using any saws, just like their Norman ancestors. The beams used to create the pillars of the nave and the side walls are of unequal length, because there were no oak trees long enough to construct them uniformly. Also, some have a footing of stone, some of greater or lesser height, and some have no footing."

Dinner is served.  The food was great and very reasonable, with a roaring open hearth fireplace just behind our backs inside.

The next morning, after checking out of our lodging, Gerri had a vigorous hike in mind, as recommended by Rick Steves in the tourbook.  Going up the top of the town, walking, walking, climbing, climbing...

---

We arrive at Chapelle Notre-Dame de Grâce,  Built during the 17th century, this chapel is richly adorned with paintings and models of ships offered in devotion by sailors.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today we next drive to Bayeux, our base exploring WWII's Normandy landings.  We took the scenic route, and not far along found a quiet seafood market in Trouville-sur-Mer.  With it being late March, they were a bit limited in selection, but we tried some scallops and peel-n-eat shrimp, along with a carafe of wine.

After checking into our lodging in Bayeux, we ventured out for some vittles, and decided on just bringing home some groceries.  Bayeux Cathedral is just a couple blocks away, so we managed to get that viewing in before it closed, as tomorrow with the Normandy Invasion tour, time will be limited.  (photo below from Wikipedia)

(not so random note:  one attraction we passed on [this time?], was a viewing of the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry, a 20 inch high by 230 foot long embroidery depicting the events up through the Battle of Hastings; we somehow felt we needed to move on without seeing it; perhaps someday we will return for it)

Supper is served with the nighttime view of Bayeux Cathedral outside the window of our lodging: