SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2008

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The ship left Caudebec in the dark and we awoke this morning already docked in Honfleur, our last stop for the cruise portion of our trip. After breakfast, we were off the ship for a little walking tour with Rita, our ace program director. She showed us how to find our way around and left us with 70 cents each to buy a loaf of bread at the local market.

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The market WAS an experience – it was Saturday, so everyone comes to town. Booths and tents are set up all over town and the crowds were thick.

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Just about anything/everything was for sale.....

Garlic and spices.

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Flowers and veggies.

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Meat and sausages.

Cheese, fruit, and bon-bons.

Fish and shrimp.

Clothes, shoes, hats.

Baskets and tablecloths.

Maybe even lunch?

Honfleur is perhaps the best preserved of the old ports of Normandy, with its tall 18th century houses and lots of flowers.

The center of the old town is the Vieux Bassin, which is ringed by slate-fronted houses that form a perfect backdrop, even though they are somewhat tottering and ill-matched.

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At the entrance to the harbor is the Lieutenance – the home of the King’s lieutenant in Honfleur – just beside the old gateway to the inner town. From this harbor in 1608, Samuel Champlain sailed from Honfleur to found Quebec.

Artists and dogs are everywhere.

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This is part of a 17th century salt storage, where 2 million pounds of salt were stored in the days when salt was a precious commodity.

The church of Sainte Catherine and its detached bell tower are made entirely of wood, supposedly due to economic constraints after the Hundred Years War.

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The church of Saint Leonard was built in 1186, in the flamboyant gothic style. Its exterior has suffered considerable deterioration over the years, but inside there are beautiful statutes and painted ceilings.

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All around the town, interesting streets and shops.

Just about every house has lace curtains in the windows – many different styles and patterns.

We DID buy our bread as assigned – a nice fat loaf of “grand pain de campagne.” We added ours to a giant collection gathered by our fellow travelers. We had some at lunch and dinner.

We also had some at a cheese tasting party this afternoon, with several different kinds of French cheeses: Roquefort, Neufchatel, Livarot, Munster, Briat Savarin, Pont l’Eveque, and Reblochon. Pont l’Eveque and Livarot have been made in Normandy since the 13th century.

We washed it all down with a local brew known as Pommeau (alcoholic apple juice – somewhere between cider and brandy).

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Dinner tonight was the Captain’s farewell dinner …an interesting concept with a Captain who doesn’t speak English, but the food was outstanding. Starting with smoked salmon and caviar and ending with baked Alaska.