Le Havre, France

Last night we sailed across the English Channel to the French port of Le Havre in Normandy.  The ship offered tours to a number of locations, including Paris, Rouen and the Normandy beaches where the D-Day invasion took place.  We had visited the Normandy beaches on a previous trip, so we chose to visit the village of Honfleur near the mouth of the Seine River.  It was a beautiful ride through the farmlands of western France, and through several villages where many houses still sport thatched roofs.  They told us that a thatched roof will last 40 years, but then it must be totally replaced.

As there are fewer and fewer roofers who can build thatched roofs, it is very expensive so many homeowners are choosing to replace their roofs with tile or slate.  The area’s soil is very rich, with wheat, rape seed from which canola oil is made, and dairy making up the majority of the local agriculture.

The cities in western Normandy were heavily bombed during WWII, but the village of Honfleur didn’t suffer serious damage, so many buildings date from the 15^th to 17^th centuries.  There is an inner harbor, called the old dock or “le Vieux basin”, surrounded by half-timbered buildings and filled with sailboats and other watercraft, and a canal which connects with the Seine River, allowing the long, low river cruise boats to dock right downtown. 

We explored Saint Catherine’s church, built in the 15^th century by shipbuilders.  It is the largest wooden church in France, and the ceiling resembles an upside down ship.  We also explored a French pastry shop for a mid-morning snack, YUM!  We had plenty of time to see the sights of this medieval village, including the remains of the old prison and the 17^th century salt warehouses that are now used for exhibitions and concerts.

Whereas we’d taken the scenic, country route to Honfleur, we returned to Le Havre by the faster route over the Normandy Bridge, built in the 1990’s.  It is the largest suspension bridge in Europe with twin towers and a total length of over 2,000 meters or 6,500 feet.  We had most of the afternoon at leisure because the ship didn’t sail until the last of the passengers who had spent the day visiting Paris got back aboard about 7:30 PM.

Then, like a ping pong ball, we jumped back across the channel to England again, this time to Dover.