Day 13
Today was the eastern part of the Normandy……..First was
Deaville and finally Honfleur!!!
Both are about an hour’s drive away and of course no main
road does the GPS take us. But the
ride was nice and OMG the weather has been fantastic for us….today it was in
the mid 70s and all sun. So the ride was
nice and scenic as usual. First to
describe the area a little. Around us
the land is flat, super flat and all farms and pastures with hedges to block
the houses and to divide the properties.
But as we worked our way east the landscape changed to become more hills
and rolling farmland.
We reached Deaville around 11:00 and the city is right on
the water and quite large for towns on this shore. But what we noticed the most was the area had
very large luxury housing, all along the beach line. Large gorgeous older style homes that must
belong to the wealthy and their second homes, because 90% were boarded up for
the winter. And as we drove we saw very
few people…..like the city was abandoned.
But as we got into downtown it became livelier and more city-like. We parked and walked along the main streets
and found a flea market. It had almost
everything from clothing to shoes to gloves to food and wine. It was fun just walking around. Deaville is a large city and downtown is not
quite on the beach like other towns and cities.
We finished and ate lunch in the local park with our usual sandwiches,
cookies and chips. Then it was off to
the one spot we all wanted to visit…….Honfleur.
This place was just like the travel books say it
is…………absolutely beautiful. Probably the
most beautiful town we have visited in both Normandy and Brittany. It was breathtaking as we drove into
downtown We parked (which was warned to
be very difficult) and ran to the water ‘s edge to take photos. The sun made it even more beautiful. WE walked to downtown area where all the
action was and there was certainly action.
There were people EVERYWHERE. But
the way the town was laid out and next to the water was incredible. Also it must be noted that the houses and
buildings are much different than all others in Normandy. They were like Netherland buildings….narrow
and tall and all next to each other. Oh
Diana and I were in photograph heaven.
We just kept taking photos….IN ALL DIRECTIONS. WE then spent most of the day just walking
around and noting how beautiful and old the buildings looked….they will
definitely be part of my year’s calendar.
WE shopped, window viewed, people viewed and just enjoyed the area. But we did have things to see. Our first stop was Boudin Museum…..he was the
father of Impressionalism…..the style that Monet, Renoir and others took up
. But he was really the first to use
it. We saw many of his works at the
museum plus others similar to him. Then
we went to the cathedral…..what a surprise….NOT LIKE ANY OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCH
WE HAD EVER SEEN. It was old and really
neat looking. After all that it was
around 4:00 and about time to head home.
WE decided to take the faster route home using the major
highways…..which there are not many up here.
Most roads are narrow, windy and made for local traffic. OUR HIGHWAY…..Route 514 is the road that
covers most of the Normandy coast….so we are on it a lot. WE got home around 5:30 and relaxed…..a big
night tonight at our favorite restaurant in town. We ate there the other night and liked it so
much we wanted to eat there again. WE
had reservations for 8:00 so we did a little shopping downtown at a great
clothing store prior to going to the restaurant. Diana bought some stuff while I strolled down
to the beach to just wonder at the glory of the sea and beach and town. Ammoraches is a gorgeous gorgeous little
town…..we are so glad we decided to us it as our base of operation. It is large enough to enjoy but small enough
to feel comfortable and the people are soo
great. To give an example we walk
to the bakery every morning to get baguettes for breakfast and lunch. It is that kind of place.
Tomorrow we try the market in Bayeux and maybe drive to see
some places we missed so far. It will be
Saturday, so it is more relaxed day. We
have only Sat. and Sun. left before we drive back to Paris. We want to stop at Giverny on the way to
Paris to see Monet’s gardens……
Night all!!!!
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