Europe Trip - Day 4 Part 2 - Honfleur
After the delightful Rouen, we headed further west along the Seine to the harbour town of Honfleur. Honfleur is in the Calvados region of Northwestern France on the south bank of an estuary and close to the Pont de Normandie (which I did not get a good photo of because we were rushing past in the coach).
It’s harbour is lined with sweet shops and a TON of restaurants. The vibrant colours of the buildings are reflected in the waters, especially on a bright sunny day like the day we passed through. We were told that many painters liked the place, to be inspired by the flecks of colour on the water, artists such as Courbet, Boudin, Monet and Jongkind formed the “Ecole de Honfleur” which is said to have contributed to the impressionist movement.. It reminded me a bit of Banff, in the number of people enjoying their meals by the water. Though coming from land-locked Saskatchewan, the smell of the sea was a bit of a new experience for me. It took a bit time to get used to it, but there was also something comforting about it.
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.