75th Anniversary of Normandy Invasion

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Sunday, 16 June 2019 - Traveled by bus from Paris to the northwestern coast, admiring rolling hills, green pastures, and quaint cottages along the way. Arrived in Honfleur, explored the old harbor with its restaurants and historic buildings, and settled into the Mercure Hotel before a quick walk through the village.

We took a bus from the airport along the busy and congested streets of Paris for the 2.5-hour drive toward the northwestern coast of France. You could not help but be mesmerized as we passed beautiful rolling hills, green pastures framed by towering trees occasionally dotted with herds of cows, church steeples in the distance designating a village, and the quaint, picturesque cottages marking the rural and agricultural life of the people who call this area home.

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I found myself straining to peer into the cottage windows to see its inhabitants and wondering what their daily life is like. I take a deep breath knowing these people are sustained by living off the land surrounding them. In June, this is the season where they harvest corn, beets, and vegetables from the garden and enjoy the Camembert cheese from their cows in the pasture.
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I reflect upon my life as a child growing up in a farming community in middle Georgia and how excited we were to go out early on a summer day to pick fresh peas, tomatoes, and corn. This is life lived at a slower pace where one values the simple pleasures and courtesies of rural life. As we near Honfleur, I am excited that we are about to walk into their story as guests on this journey.
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Around the old harbor are many storied apartments. On the harbor side are mostly restaurants and a few stores with a view of boats bobbing their colorful reflections mirrored in the water.
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There is an interesting mix of rock and brick in the construction of buildings. It seems more like decoration than structural.
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Old iron on a balcony
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The lieutenancy building (la Lieutenance) is at the entrance to the old harbor. It is an old building of the 18th century, and the former home of the Governor of Honfleur. One of the sides of the building is an old gate of the city, the Port de Caen, which was to be part of the city's fortifications. It was between 1684 and 1789 home to the Lieutenant of the king.
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Arriving in Honfleur in the Normandy region of France, we settle into our rooms at the centrally located Mercure Hotel and venture out on a quick walk through the village before dinner.
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