Normandy Road Trip: Rouen and Honfleur

Vieux Bassin in Honfleur

We are planning to meet and stay with friends in Bordeaux midweek.  Before we left, we discovered that it would actually be cheaper/easier to rent a car to get from Paris to Bordeaux than taking the train.  So this morning we went to Hertz (the only rental car place open on a Sunday in Paris) to pick up the car we had reserved for our trip.  We got through all the paperwork and the guy brought out the smallest car we'd ever seen.  Seriously.  Only one of our suitcase-sized backpacks would fit in the trunk (and it took up all the space).  The rental guy wisely suggested the next larger size and we wisely took his advice and got a Vauxhall Corsa.  Never heard of it?  Neither had we.  At least all our luggage fit in the back though.

Our first stop was the town of Rouen, home to the famous Cathedral - Claude Monet painted its facade in varying light conditions: at dawn, in morning sun, full daylight, evening sun and at sunset.  Funny I don't remember any painting being titled "View of Rouen Cathedral, overcast sky with facade blocked by large restoration scaffold".

Rouen is a very picturesque town; walking through the narrow streets is like taking a step back in time.

We had some time after lunch to check out the museum.  It was a nice change from yesterday -- at the Orsay museum, the Impressionist rooms were so packed it was hard to see some of the paintings.  But that wasn't a problem here at Rouen's Beaux-Arts museum.  We were often the only people in the room.

After Rouen, we drove to Honfleur, a port town right at the mouth of the Seine river.  It was a little stressful driving the car up some of the extremely narrow streets.  There were several times when the street was so narrow Kevin thought it was one-way...but nope, suddenly a car would approach and we'd have to carefully maneuver past each other.  It was a relief to finally find the hotel, park the car, and just walk around for the rest of the afternoon.  The boat basin in town is surrounded on three sides by cafes, restaurants, and shops.  We were surrounded by French tourists on holiday.  Aha!  So this is where all the Parisians disappear to in August.

Photosphere (click inside photo for 360-degree view)

Views: Honfleur, France by Kevin Salt

All the cafes were pretty packed but we managed to get a table just next to the water.  We just enjoyed our meal and beverages and watched as the boats came in via a tiny drawbridge.  A great way to unwind after a very long day!