June 9, 2022
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.
Or close the wall up with our English dead………..
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The games afoot.
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George!”
- Shakespeare - Henry V at the siege of Harfleur
Shakespeare, ever the propagandist, tells the story in Henry V of the siege of Harfluer, as the town was known then in the summer of 1415. The fortress was important because it lay at the mouth of the Seine River which was navigable all the way to Paris. If it fell, then France would be very vulnerable to attack.
Harfleur did fall and Henry V would go deeper into France and ultimately prevail over the French army at Agincourt.
Today, Honfleur, as it is now known, looks nothing like it did then. Where once weedy marsh land gave way to rolling pastures it is now a popular tourist location and vacation destination. The Seine river, long since modified, damned and controlled is like a broad highway as it empties into the Atlantic ocean. Across the harbor lies the industrial port of La Have, one of the largest in Europe.
Today, it is simply a cute town lined with cafes amusement rides, and trinket shops. There is a beach, but it is often sullied with the local mud flats. Swans are native here and dot the shore line. It is a charming place for a stroll and to get something to eat. Large vacation homes inhabit the hillsides amongst the pine and scrub oak trees.
Honfleur is the home of several artists, the most notable is a contemporary of Monet, Eugene Boudin. Several great impressionists works were painted here and the town is considered the spiritual home of the movement.
A notable place here is the St Catherine Church. Originally on the site was a stone chapel However, it was destroyed during the 100 Years war. The local authorities were hoarding stone to use to build the outer walls for defense. The only funds that remained were enough to build a wood structure. Since the local craftsmen were all ship builders, the roof took on a ship’s hull appearance.
Locals consider the church blessed. During the war a bomb fell down through the wooden roof into the nave.
It did not explode.
We drove from Honfleur a little North to the resort of Etretat. This is a beach town and is filled with high end resort homes. It is notable for its white limestone cliffs consistent with the geology of the white cliffs of Dover across the channel in England. The beach doesn’t have sand but rather gravel and stones. It takes some getting used to, that and the spectacularly cold Atlantic waters.
We are back to our village for a rest day tomorrow before traveling to the D Day Beaches.
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