Normandy notes 3...

We were staying in Asnelles in a gite 50 metres from the lovely beach and promenade. When the tide was in, you had a good two to three metres of soft golden sand to play in. When the tide was out, you had to walk a good kilometre or so to be within paddling distance. Quite a difference. That morning, the children had constructed a fort in the sand and throughout the day it took and changed shape, growing to an impressive size, adorned with feathers, shells and signs that said “Ne touche pas!” and “Do not touch!”. There was some meddling by youngsters or parents unable to read while we were all on a necessary bathroom stop at the gite but on the whole the construction survived the day well. It was situated just below the high tide mark.

After a day lounging around on the beach the kids decided that we would eat dinner on the beach too. As they guarded their enormous sand fort, we (the obliging parents) rallied our resources and produced a super summer picnic snack, carefully couriered down the lane and onto the beachfront from our gite. Sadly the wind was up a little and our sausies and salad were soon full of sand… Yummmmm.
But the highpoint of the night was yet to come.

“Dad? What time is high tide tonight?”

“Oh, about 9pm I think.”

Actually it was closer to 11pm (someone’s chart was a bit out), so three happy children balanced themselves on the middle island of the fort as the waves g r a d u a l l y washed closer…and closer…and closer, until – whoosh, the fort was gone. The kids had waited for hours and every moment was fun. I’m sure they’ll remember that for years.

The next day we visited Honfleur.

Honfleur on a quiet day

All I knew was that it was a very cute fishing village, one of the most popular in France, and that it had been re-created in Lego at Legoland in England. In my mind’s eye I saw a port, a cluster of restaurants and a scattering of visitors. I wasn’t expecting a heaving mass of summer-heated energy all concentrating their lunchtime eagerness on a portside view and a stiff cider or two. Fighting my instinct to Run the Other Way, I concentrated on the beauty around me: the squished up houses, tall as anything, all holding the others up; the boats bobbing in the harbour; the Lieutenance building, ages old and full of stories; the icecreams and gelato stands; the languages I could hear around me including the startlingly clear English accents, “William! Get down from there. Now!”; and our own slice of heaven when we finally found a seat or five in the shade and with a portside view. Phew.  (My daughter overheard something even better when one teenage American girl asked another, ” Do you, like, generally, like, like babies?” with the other replying, tunefully, “Like, yeeee-aaaaah!” )

After lunch we walked towards the water and the boats coming and going and found a lovely cool and quiet park far enough away from the Boulevard Charles V to hear no traffic noise. The children launched themselves onto stationary exercise machines in the park and quickly worked off their ubiquitous kids’ menu lunch of steak haché et frites while husband took photos and wife sat under the shade of a tree. Lovely.

We walked back to the car through the old quarter after a three and a half hour visit. It was pretty special and memorable, but just not what I was expecting. We bought a fridge magnet anyway. Most remarkable was the Sainte-Catherine church, which is the largest church made out of wood in France (because they couldn’t afford any other building material at the time), and which has a bell tower separate from the main building. After all the stone and brick churches/cathedrals/abbeys, etc, we have seen, this was a real treat. Oh and the old quarter was gorgeous too.

Here’s a link to Lonely Planet’s information on Honfleur:

Long a favourite with painters but now more popular with the Parisian jet set, Honfleur is arguably Normandy’s most charming seaside town. Even though it can be overrun with tourists in the summer months, it’s hard not to love its graceful beauty.

Its heart is the Vieux Bassin (Old Harbour), from where explorers once set sail for the New World. Now filled with pleasure vessels, this part of the port is surrounded by a jumble of brightly coloured buildings that evoke maritime Normandy of centuries past.

Read more in an article in I found in France Today: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2011/05/23/honfleur_picture_perfect_port.html

Our next day was the last day in Asnelles, and we spent it again on the beach. “Quelle belle journée!” a French woman warmly expressed to me as I stumbled to the beach to find the family at lunchtime (I slept in a bit). We soaked up every lovely moment before the long drive home to Toulouse, via Brittany!

More on that to follow.