We started our Country Walkers tour in Rouen, along the Siene river, and worked our way to Honfleur, a picturesque seaside town. We hiked, and they moved our bags from hotel to hotel. Nice!
- Rouen’s famous Roman Catholic cathedral, which contains the actual heart of Richard the Lionheart, 12th century King of France.
- Monet painted this cathedral multiple times, at the exact same angle, but in different light.
- Rouen cathedral’s “butter tower” was built by donations. Butter was banned during Lent. Those who didn’t want to forgo this luxury donated money for the permission to eat it.
- Tasty offerings from Manoir d’Apreval, a family owned apple orchard and cider house.
- Agathe, the mistress of cider, explaining the process to us.
- Bottling the bubbly.
- These are NOT eating apples. They’re quite bitter, but wonderful for cider. Cider is only made from apples on the ground, never picked from a tree.
- Hydrometers measure the density, and therefore the sugar and potential alcohol of a cider.
- Calvados is an apple brandy only from Normandy. Not too sweet, but with a kick.
- Our first Country Walkers trail, a lovely wooded path.
- Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Grâce was built by sailors in 1615. They still pray here before sailing trips.
- The Duke of Normandy, who promised God he would build a church if he survived the storm.
- Aside the church, there is a carillon of bells that chime every quarter hour.
- Translation: A farmer loved Calvados so much, he asked to be buried in a waterproof coffin filled with it. He could not imagine a better way to float into the afterlife.
- How can you not love French cheese?
- The port of Honfleur. Our room was in a restored salt warehouse with ceiling beams so low we had to duck!
- Just the tabletop decoration we were looking for.
- Got silverware? This guy can match anything.
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