Sunday 6 October

We enjoyed another excellent breakfast with that unctuous cheese and salty charcuterie combination balanced with organic pressed apple juice and completed with a good French coffee. Next to us were an Aussie couple from Brisbane who we struck up a conversation with. Great travellers with a son residing in Amsterdam, they were kindred spirits and few years older having retired recently, sold the family home and shifting to a new one. There was a bit of a long possession time, so they thought they may as well fit in a holiday. My kind of retirement!

Initially we planned a quick walk to view the basin on a bright sunny day, and then do the cider trail or walk the bridge. However, we got into the pulse of the gorgeous town and decided to stay put and enjoy all Honfleur had to offer.

From people watching around the basin we wandered around the narrow and winding medieval streets, around the network of basins, canals and bridges that either turned or lifted. We came upon an old communal laundry washing site that had been preserved to honour the washing women. There are so many quality art shops-galleries in Honfleur they may even match the number of eating establishments. Walking around is like being in an art gallery!

We came across a cute and clever urban garden made for city dwellers to enjoy and preserve an old mill site and washing area. Not far around the corner was we discovered another street known as the butchers street with stunning examples of old timbered buildings. We have read and certainly do not agree that you can see all there is to see in Honfleur in a couple of hours.

Apparently in summer it is so busy you can barely move down by the basin. Martin said that we came at the best time of the year to enjoy the town, and we certainly have been charmed by it. This is also an example of the type of travel we have chosen for this trip. Yes, there are some tourist sites and activities, however, we are slowing the pace and getting ‘local’.

All this discovery is making us fit and stimulating the appetite, so we enjoyed a cuppa and cake at the same patisserie as yesterday, fitted in time for a bit of rest and blog catch up before dinner. As it was Sunday we were limited in choices and chose an Italian. Mmmm, probably our worst choice on holiday so far.

All the seafood dishes that I chose were available, so I ended up with an anchovie, olive and caper pasta, and Vern a carbonara as per usual. They were cheap and very basic 12 and 13 euro respectively and filled the spot ok once we had emptied a good amount of the Parmesan jar. I would have left the restaurant and gone elsewhere, however the waiter was very quick to pop the bottle of cider open before we got to the food, and we felt we may as well stay rather than pay for cider and move on.

All in all a lovely relaxed day simply in Honfleur.