Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article The commercial port, directly linked to the Seine estuary, supports modest trading activity (such as the import of petroleum products) and is connected to an industrial zone with a mixture of small-scale activities including metallurgical, chemical, and electronics industries. Accessibility to Honfleur was greatly improved by the opening of a new road bridge across the Seine estuary in 1998, providing a direct link to Le Havre. Pop. (1999) 8,178; (2014 est.) 7,440; (2022 est.) 6,751. Go: “The Midnight Feast,” a Salmon Bowl with Basil Sauce Franceself.__wrap_b=(t,n,e)=>{e=e||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${t}"]`);let s=e.parentElement,r=R=>e.style.maxWidth=R+"px";e.style.maxWidth="";let o=s.clientWidth,i=s.clientHeight,c=o/2-.25,l=o+.5,u;if(o){for(;c+1{self.__wrap_b(0,+e.dataset.brr,e)})).observe(s)};self.__wrap_b(":R4pa6:",1)EDITOR’S NOTE Foley: Really good bread — and butter with the little salt crystals My little sons have now taken on parental responsibility Foley: “Succession.” Not only have I watched every episode twice I’ve read the screenplays for all four seasons It’s just such great writing and so brilliantly performed Have We Reached Peak Baby Name...step aside It’s Time to Stop Inviting Plus-Ones to Weddings…sorry but your new girlfriend is going to have to sit this out I Have a Terrible Memory. Am I Better Off That Way...why being a forgetter might actually be better than being a rememberer PS: Looking for more books? Check out what Skimm HQ'rs have at the top of their summer reading lists and a simple tomato salad — all of which is smothered in a creamy basil sauce that’s so good But to make it even easier (read: one less pot to clean) Key Tips: Eagle-eyed readers may notice the recipe calls for corn keep this comment in mind: “[I] put [them] on some homemade crispy bread the next day...holy moly which has apparently “failed to hook” Americans Forget "girl dinners." According to the internet, these three items make the perfect “it girl” meal ⛪ Architecture nerds, assemble. The Église Sainte Catherine is one of the oldest and largest wooden churches in all of France built by 15th-century shipmakers to replace a stone church destroyed in the Hundred Years’ War the nave looks a bit like an upside-down ship Btw…you can get to Europe for up to 90% less this summer by trying this club for $1 now and watch the email alerts for can’t-miss roundtrip flight deals — like Paris from $293 We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered “It’s important to have a sit-down conversation Money [can be] a rocky point for couples because of a lack of communication … Sometimes all it takes is asking ‘How do you feel?’ It’s coming from a perspective of But I also want to hear your point [of view] if one partner feels very strongly about [splitting rent] 50-50 you may have to compromise by living somewhere less expensive The person making more may not be able to have the home they were expecting — same with the person making less take into consideration how you’re separating finances [beyond] rent … It’s about coming up with a compromise … and practic[ing] those communication skills — making sure you’re [being] heard but also listening to what your partner needs That’s going to help down the road when the conversation is bigger than rent.” Patients are less likely to have health complications with a female doctor — but less than 40% of doctors are women. 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This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply The ship used by William the Conqueror to invade Britain in 1066 is being rebuilt on a chantier spectacle (performance construction site) in Normandy that is now open for visits The plan is for it to be rowed across the Channel almost 1,000 years after William went on to be crowned king of England following his victory over Harold at the Battle of Hastings The construction site is an ‘archaeological experiment’ meaning La Mora is being built faithfully to the period No power tools or modern techniques are to be used and any findings will be shared with universities and researchers to advance archaeological study The tools are made on-site by blacksmiths according to the demands of the project. axes and drawknives often take a day to make. The oak for the new ship was sourced from the nearby Forêt de Bellême. but likewise it cannot be old or have any knots,” said Mr Havarv, “so it took our carpenters several hours to choose the right trees. “The heart of the project is this scientific research: the problems that our carpenters will run into will be the same as those the carpenters had in the 11th Century.” Click on arrow to scroll through images of La Mora: Visitors can observe the ship construction and learn about preparations for the crossing The aim is to welcome 150,000 visitors in the first year. which includes the ship creaking and rolling and the sound of horses breathing. joked: “We are aiming for a lot of English visitors – as long as they are not resentful. "The immersive experience can be in English or German It is hoped the project will provide valuable insight into the techniques used for shipbuilding in the 11th Century. Around 15 to 20 people are working on construction of the ship It is housed in a hangar specially constructed on brownfield land in Honfleur (Calvados) Cultural and historical mediators are on hand to observe and discuss any problems, which will also be considered by historians at nearby universities. They will liaise with a museum in Roskilde which has built several replica boats using techniques from this period The original La Mora was given to William the Bastard One theory is that its name is an anagram of amor was propelled by both sail and by a crew of 60 oarsmen It led a fleet of up to 600 ships – historical estimates vary – and was the largest and quickest by a margin William allegedly stopped in the middle of the Channel to wait for the rest of the fleet to catch up before eventually landing on the shores of Pevensey “It is similar to a Viking ship but more supple and durable,” said Mr Rousseau The only known visual representation of La Mora is on the Bayeux Tapestry but it is mentioned in several historical accounts The aim is to put the replica on water in 2027 1,000 years after William the Conqueror’s birth It will probably journey across the Channel in 2030. Mr Rousseau said “part of the DNA” of the project is a social aspect as the association works with young people who are out of education or work to help them adjust to working life The project is estimated to cost around €12million 40% of which will be funded by public grants and subsidies and the rest by bank loans repaid from the income from ticket sales Find out more at la-mora.org ‘All I have is this precious image and the story behind it’ ‘I don’t think anyone could walk through without getting a real sense of respect for the soldiers who died here’ Health warnings are in place for vulnerable people founded in 1895 in the Calvados region of Lower Normandy It has specialized in the production of molecular sieves for almost 50 years and boasts unique know-how in the production of specialty molecular sieves It also produces levilite and activated powder the site now covers almost 9 hectares and has an economic impact throughout the region With more than 130 employees and twenty external people employed yearly, the Arkema plant is Honfleur’s largest employer Processes and Engineering departments are integrated on site 20,000 metric tons of products leave the workshops each year The teams specialize in physicochemical processes for the manufacture of molecular sieves and levilite The products manufactured on the site have a wide range of applications (separation/purification/drying) in a variety of fields (including medical The plant is ICPE recognized as a Facility Classified for Environmental Protection (Installation Classée pour la Protection de l’Environnement) with a license to operate Its ecological approach can be seen especially by the presence of an integrated purification plant Arkema's ISO 9001-certified Honfleur plant has signed up to the Arkema Group's SMART approach to operational excellence To support the growth of its customers in the energy sector the site inaugurated a new specialty molecular sieves production unit in April 2017 The Arkema plant in Honfleur participates in community life through various communication actions carried out as part of the Common Ground® program the plant organizes a safety challenge to reward exemplary behavior and good safety practices by service providers Arkema has made a long-term commitment to women's soccer as an official partner of the Equipe de France Féminine and the Arkema D1 The new partnership between C.S Honfleur and the Arkema Honfleur plant for the 2024/2025 season also aims to contribute to the development of women's soccer and promote the role of women in sport and business Honfleur is a soccer club with over 350 members The association is particularly active in developing women's soccer with a women's section comprising over 40 members As part of the CGénial Foundation's In-house teachers program, Arkema's Honfleur site welcomed teachers from middle and high schools in Normandy. This was an opportunity for them to discover our businesses and career opportunities, as well as new technologies and work methods, and to pass on concrete examples from the professional world to their pupils. After a presentation of the site and our businesses, the teachers were able to find out more about our processes, products and applications. * All the properties and products we feature are independently selected by our editors and contributors. If you buy something we may earn a commission. and end up experiencing history in a whole new way An enormous cement caisson—the remains of a Mulberry Harbour one of two temporary ports built off Normandy during World War II— marks the otherwise idyllic beach at Arromanches One of the very best trips my family has taken was one in which I (a consummate planner) had little time to plan at all A set of unforeseen circumstances—my then six-year-old daughter and Air France had staged a strike—left us stranded with at least four idle days and I weighed our options: Stay in a town we were already familiar with or strike out for someplace new and easy to get to and my only association with it was the D-Day beaches and Mont St-Michel I knew a little about Bayeux and Honfleur (me: art history minor) and about Deauville and nearby Trouville (daughter: obsessed with Gigi) all I had were some suggestions from friends and my smartphone Our rough plan had us spending a night or two in Honfleur before exploring the coastline farther west We left the city in the morning and pulled into Giverny—the famous home of Monet which is only ten minutes off the highway—a little over an hour later Monet’s much-painted garden is heavily touristed; you might run into the couple you chatted with while admiring his water lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris two days before it’s ideal: a beautiful setting and a hit of bona fide culture Tripping down the cobblestoned alleyway outside the sixteenth-century building that houses Honfleur’s Ethnography and Norman Popular Arts Museum a small medieval city strung along the banks of the Seine suggested to us by a cheesemonger friend in New York It’s probably best known for the Gros Horloge the great astronomical clock that’s nearly 500 years old with internal mechanisms that are far older the facade of which was prodigiously reproduced by Monet It has centuries of historical significance in the wars between the English and the French was that Rouen is the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake we parked our car right at the site of her martyrdom on the Place du Vieux Marché This of course necessitated an explanation of who she was (which is why all of Rouen’s other attractions will forever be sound-tracked to an endless feedback loop of my daughter asking it’s so charming that it can be overrun with tourists in summer the people who live there are genuinely welcoming it has a great organic farmers’ market every Wednesday morning right next to St-Catherine’s Church a quiet port town that has inspired so many of the country’s most renowned artists The composer and pianist Erik Satie was born there That night we stayed on the outskirts of town at a lovely hotel called La Chaumière with wood-paneled walls; the views were vast the breakfasts delicious and abundant; and the whole place was surrounded by grassy lawns that ran all the way down to the sea: heavenly Some of our favorites of the region’s sites and museums Bayeux Tapestry Museum Château de Balleroy (Museum of Balloons) Cornille-Havard Bell Foundry **Mémorial de Caen Museum ** Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial We could have remained longer in Honfleur—and indeed it’s the perfect place to stay when exploring much of Normandy—but we wanted to press on deeper into the region Our next move was to base ourselves in Port-en-Bessin exactly what you want in this corner of the world with a perfect blend of comfort and old-school style: towering French windows brass candlesticks on the fireplace mantles The staff are well informed and gave us great suggestions for off-the-beaten-path adventures One recommendation we followed immediately was to visit Les Sablés d’Asnelles a bakery in tiny Asnelles that is famous for its tinned shortbread cookies epitomizes what’s really special about Normandy Not far from the solemn significance of the landing beaches are these living small-industry villages that champion many of the things the French (and most of us) hold dear: good wholesome food and drink and beautiful handcrafted things that last and Pont l’Évêque cheeses all come from Normandy those lovely caramels made with creamy Norman salted butter the grand old estate house has just the right mix of comfort and luxury Photography Matt Hranek captures Normandy's breezy beauty read more we came across an umbrella maker called H2O Parapluies It’s a small family operation where all the components are hand-made and assembled in one room and it happens to be on a farm (Clara and I attempted to wrangle chickens while Matt shopped the in- credible selection of umbrellas owner René Petrich took us on a tour of his 200-year-old family-owned organic cider farm holding our daughter’s hand as we strolled up and down rows of trees bearing different apple varietals He also offered us a map of the cider route—indeed you could come to Normandy for the cider alone (And certainly don’t leave without picking up some of Petrich’s amazing Calvados and Pommier.) The seafood here is some of France’s best—like this plate of plucked-from-the-ocean oysters including its own impressive cathedral and the exceptional Bayeux Tapestry Museum (we sold Clara on a visit by pitching the tapestry as the world’s longest comic strip) their tiny delicate shears and hair-thin needles lined up precisely before them (This is where lace is made for some of the couture houses of Paris.) Then we indulged in the tarte aux pommes Normande at the town’s most famous tearoom it has what is probably the region’s greatest selection of striped mariner’s shirts one of our favorite restaurants of the trip: Le Bistrot d’à Côté whose seafood towers are stacked high with fresh langoustines and shrimp (for a fraction of what you’d spend in Paris) we couldn’t properly see Normandy without paying our respects at Utah and Omaha beaches As we walked with Clara past the endless rows of white crosses an old-fashioned carousel is painted in sugary pinks and greens and blues long beach and in the steel-blue waters beyond are enormous cement caissons—the remaining sections of the Mulberry Harbours that the British erected as temporary ports during World War II I was struck by the fact that these relics of one of the bloodiest battles of our time live right next to such sweet symbols of innocence and childhood by Charles Neal (Wine Appreciation Guild; $95) 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day by Cornelius Ryan (Simon and Schuster; $17) _ Traveling with Clara in tow was a reminder of how different—and oddly liberating—it is to visit a history-rich town with a kid we would’ve likely succumbed to the self-imposed yet inescapable pressure of The Checklist you adjust your expectations: You want to keep your kids stimulated you often find yourself discover- ing places—little streets small shops—that you might not have on your own because you’d have been so busy trying to see everything you thought you had to we stopped at a small hotel called La Marine we asked the clerk for some suggestions for the next day’s road trip to Mont St-Michel but because of the distance from Paris (three and a half hours by car) The sight of the island appearing on the horizon is nothing short of dazzling But then we got to the parking lots and had to wait in line And then we pushed through a near-solid wall of humanity at the city ramparts only to find another crush of visitors inside (And this was during the off-season.) Finally we conceded defeat and fled back to the car what must be the copper pot capital of the world an utterly charming town with a genuine fonderie de cloches that produces enormous The Cornille-Havard Bell Foundry is open to the public so we took a tour of the workshop and forge where we got to see artisans plying their trade using techniques that date back to the Middle Ages We couldn’t leave town without at least one piece of copper: We chose a tiny butter warmer we passed through the tiny village of Noron-la-Poterie which is equally famous for pottery—simple designs beautifully executed and produced in prodigious amounts we sighed over shelves and shelves of egg cups But of all the things we bought and did while on our trip what I cherished most—and cherish still—was the little joys we encountered along the way: a walk through an apple orchard; a perfect plate of moules-frites; an umbrella maker tucked away on a farm and historical poignancy—a perfect expression of Normandy itself Le Bistrot d’à Côté Les Vapeurs Château d’Audrieu Audrieu; 33-2-31-80-21-52; doubles from $275 Château La Chenevière Luxury hotel near the landing beaches and the picturesque fishing village of Port-en-Bessin Port-en-Bessin; 33-2-31-51-25-25; doubles from $350 Hôtel de la Marin, Quai du Canada Three-star hotel with a good restaurant and great views onto the sea Arromanches; 33-2- 31-22-34-19; doubles from $83 Hôtel des Loges with just the right modern touches and an organic breakfast Honfleur; 33-2-31- 89-38-26; doubles from $160 Hôtel La Chaumière Timbered manor house with smartly decorated rooms close to Honfleur and Deauville Honfleur; 33-2-31-81-63-20; doubles from $360 Hôtel Saint James, Well-appointed small inn with antiques and a fireplace in the salon. 16 rue de la Plage, Trouville-sur-Mer; 33-2-31-88-05-23; doubles from $130 up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world a group of alumni traveled together to the Normandy region of France through a trip hosted by the University of Delaware Alumni Association (UDAA) The trip marked exactly 100 years since UD’s first abroad program in France in 1923 though they didn’t exactly travel by plane back then Blue Hen and Associate VP of Alumni Engagement Lauren Simione shares blog entries highlighting some of the trip’s standout moments (and cuisine) we enjoyed a welcome reception in our hotel where we met our AHI Travel Director and other travelers on our trip (including Blue Hens from the Class of 1973 through to the Class of 2005) while sipping on local wines we walked into the downtown area of Honfleur for a delicious dinner at Les Deux Ponts (the two bridges) of Salade de Chêvre Chaud (salad with warm goat cheese) local fish with basmati rice and a sampler of several traditional French desserts—délicieux a local guide named Anne Marie gave us a walking tour of Honfleur where we learned about the history of this quintessential port town Honfleur is known for being home and inspiration to many artists including Claude Monet Gustave Corbet and native son Eugène Boudin and I could easily see why I was instantly charmed by the town – the 17th-century architecture beautiful flowers and many restaurants and cafés We’d only been out and about for a few hours and already I had taken a lot of pictures Each café or home seemed more charming than the next After our tour we strolled the streets soaking up the culture and sampling the local macarons caramels and biscuits and we walked up the big hill in town to Mont-Joli for a breathtaking view of the city before we found a restaurant for lunch lived in France for about three years so she was a big help with any language barriers when it came to ordering food and making our way through the town on our first full day That night we dined in another local restaurant Le Grenouille or Red Frog where we sampled delicious French cuisine and wines The apple tart with local caramel was especially divine We started our day at the Musée Arromanches les-Bains (the Landing Museum) with a listening tour detailing the history of the D-Day landings and elements like the construction of the Mulberry B artificial port which we could still see some of the remains of in the water right outside the museum It was incredible to learn more about the temporary floats Allied forces created to allow the unloading of supplies so Allied forces could wage war against Hitler vehicles and supplies secretly and while managing changing tides – not an easy task – and the museum details the challenge in great detail After the museum we had a quick lunch in Arromanches and then traveled to Omaha Beach The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial overlooks Omaha Beach and pays tribute to the 9,388 Americans who lost their lives during D-Day and subsequent battles It was incredibly sobering to see the many grave sites of all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of others Afterward we visited Point du Hoc where US Rangers scaled 100-foot cliffs to destroy German artillery emplacements The craters left behind by bombings were huge and the remains of several bunkers were fascinating to walk through Seeing it all in person resonated with me way more than any history book in school did Lots of other people were visiting these sites and I can only imagine how busy they will be next year for the 80th anniversary of D-Day My husband and I made a quick visit to the organic market that pops up in Honfleur Wednesday mornings before our official itinerary started cheeses and eggs looked amazing and many of the other booths were filled with things like handmade soaps We left our hotel with the group and headed across the Bridge of Normandy into La Havre another port town on the other side of the Seine River We spent a good portion of our day at a Chateau just outside of downtown La Havre a 10th-century castle which is privately owned and has been renovated in spectacular fashion While La Havre was completely destroyed in World War 2 the chateau was not destroyed because it was used as a hospital for German soldiers It’s a neat mix of old and new décor and furnishings We walked the beautiful grounds and helped the chef prepare a few items for our lunch feast in the gourmet kitchen many of which included items grown on the grounds of the estate and we sipped champagne and drank wines while sampling local cheeses and desserts I think we all wanted to move in after a few hours at the chateau From the castle we went into downtown La Havre to MuMa There we saw quite an impressive collection of impressionist paintings including some by Monet we set off to find another café for dinner where we tried traditional French galettes and crepes French people seem to eat late as there are many restaurants that close for several hours after lunch and don’t open again for dinner until 7 p.m The sun sets late here this time of year (after 10 p.m.) so the daylight allows for a lot of exploration even after our formal itinerary for the day is complete We traveled about two and half hours from Honfleur to see the spectacular Mont-Saint-Michel and the abbey perched atop the granite tidal island off the Normandy coast This was by far one of the coolest places I've ever been It's celebrating its thousandth anniversary this year which really made you think about how something so grand was built so long ago on top of a rock It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site which is a designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy We learned about how it was built and that it served as a fortress The views from the top of the Abbey and along the ramparts were fabulous and it was interesting to see how much the tides changed from the time we arrived to when we left There were many student groups out exploring on the beach once the tide went out The island has a variety of places to eat and shop and we even sent ourselves a postcard at the post office so we’ll see how long it takes to show up in Newark After we traveled back to Honfleur we found a great restaurant with outside seating near the courtyard outside of the old Governor’s house and enjoyed a local musician while dining we visited Le Memorial de Caen which highlighted the happenings between World War 1 and 2 the D-Day landings and the battle of Normandy It is a somber memorial but incredibly well done and educational We then spent some time at a Calvados farm which was absolutely a highlight of the trip The Normandy region of France is known for caramel and butter production (all the cows we saw do great work with delicious outcomes!) which distills the Calvados from the apples grown on its 42 acres of orchards We learned about the distilling process and sampled two of their ciders and had a lovely lunch on the estate grounds I made room in my suitcase for the two bottles I bought Then we went to Bayeux to see its Notre Dame Cathedral a masterpiece of Norman Gothic architecture We also saw the embroidered Bayeux Tapestry a 229-foot-long tapestry made in 1077 depicting William the Conqueror and the battle of Hastings in 1066 through 50 different scenes That night we had an amazing dinner with past UDAA President Linda Myrick and her husband Steve They had visited Honfleur with their two boys in 1999 and stumbled upon a restaurant The same chef was still there and he was thrilled to hear the Myricks’ story The food was incredible – our best dinner in France for sure Today was our last full day in France and we had some free time in the morning so we hit the Saturday market in Honfleur which was spectacular you could find it there – everything from meats a few of us got adventurous and took a bus to nearby towns of Deauville and Trouville flat beaches and lots of amazing architecture to see We sampled some local cider and tried to pop into the casino but none of us had our passports with us so that was a quick in and out Upon returning to Honfleur we met up with the group for our Farewell Reception where we shared reflections on the week and enjoyed our last group dinner before traveling home I’ve had some pretty neat work experiences over the last 18+ years while working at UD but this one was tops Cheers to UD’s 100th study abroad anniversary I’ll forever be grateful for the memories and Blue Hen friends I gained on this trip UD’s crowdfunding platform provides an easy way to directly support campus projects Support a Cause Maltese travellers overseas are often surprised by little reminders of home on their travels but seldom do they come across a piece of vibrant living history so far away from the island That’s exactly what happened to photographer Daniel Cilia this week when he spotted a traditional Maltese kajjik (fishing boat) floating in a French harbour. Against the backdrop of the colourful Honfleur harbour in Normandy the kajjik stood out to Cilia with its familiar blue and yellow hues and the Eyes of Osiris keeping watch from the bow of the boat setting it apart from the more modern vessels floating nearby. The boat bore the name of ‘Santa Maria’ in a somewhat auspicious reminder of the important feast week Malta is currently celebrating. “I had to do a double take when I saw it I might have mistaken it for AI,” Cilia told Times of Malta. The vessel attracts a lot of attention as there is nothing like it around After making inquiries with the Poudreux shipyard belonged to a family who lived in Malta at one time. When it came time for them to relocate to France they decided to bring the boat they had fallen in love with and had it professionally restored in 2021. “The boat was carefully transported to Honfleur in Normandy France from Malta in a container when the owners decided to relocate and wanted to ensure their cherished luzzu accompanied them,” Cilia said “Recognising the sentimental value and the potential of the boat the Poudreux shipyard in Honfleur undertook a comprehensive restoration project in 2021 they meticulously restored the boat to its former glory The shipyard also brought more longevity to the Santa Maria fitting an electric motor to the rudder in a seamless blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology “It is a truly unique and refined boat which gets lots of attention because there is nothing like it in Honfleur harbour which is visited by thousands of tourists,” Cilia added please register for free or log in to your account Vermont officials officially welcomed a delegation from its French sister city on Tuesday. This is the second official visit to Vermont since the sister city agreement was formalized 2012.Honfleur is located in the Normandy region of northern France on the banks of the Seine as it flows into the English Channel It is the port from which Samuel de Champlain set sail to the New World eventually founding Quebec City discovering Lake Champlain During the quadricentennial of Champlain’s discovery of the lake then-Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss approached Honfleur officials. "In 2009 I had been to Yuroslavl and we were able to drive to Honfleur and meet with Mayor Lamarre helped cement the idea that we should work together Michael’s College President Marc vanderHeyden believes Champlain’s connection between Burlington and Honfleur is unique and is the foundation for the sister city relationship. "Champlain came to the New World from Honfleur And the idea had really come from Mayor Kiss. So because of the initiative and the enthusiasm of Burlington City Arts and then the support of the current mayor and in particular because Honfleur responded so enthusiastically that’s why we have this now going on." The sister city relationship provides us an important opportunity to build on the historic bonds that bind our two cities and deepen the cultural ties between us.” This is the second time Honfleur Mayor Michel Lamarre has led a delegation to Burlington. He says there are a number of similarities between the two cities.Richard Gliech translates. "So ah the cities they have a lot of similarities Both cities have a historical importance in their own history. Culture is very much valued and very very present in both cities As well as durable development and ecology that ah sense of responsibility for future generations that is really shared by both cities." Burlington’s mayor visited Honfleur in 2015. While there he cut a ribbon at Honfleur’s new Burlington Square on the rue du Vermont. Weinberger was also able to visit the nearby memorials to the Normandy invasion. "What I think I will always remember most about that trip is that our host family drove us along the coast of Normandy and I got to visit Omaha Beach for the first time. It’s a very moving experience. And then even more moving for me they took us to a village called Arromanches. And I’m fairly certain that my grandfather was one of those people who landed in Arromanches about a month after D-Day and then went on from there up into Paris where he was involved in the liberation of that city. And you know he was very reluctant to speak about his military service and I don’t know very much about it It was very moving for me to stand there on those shores and think about him And I thought you know my grandfather would have been pretty proud of the notion that his grandson could have come back to this beach as a mayor at a time of peace Weinberger says there are already a number of cross-cultural activities occurring and he hopes the relationship with Honfleur continues to expand. "Visitors from Honfleur here and Burlingtonians who go there can go into museums for free and we continue to build on those exchanges. We’ve already had some boy scouts and high school kids make the trip. I’m excited to keep working with Mayor Lamarre the Honfleur delegation will visit art exhibitions Shelburne Farms and the Ethan Allen Homestead Be one of the first to know what's coming up on WAMC See additional subscription options This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our WAMU Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again This new unit demonstrates Arkema’s expertise in specialty molecular sieves while consolidating the IFPEN (IFP Energies nouvelles) / Axens / Arkema cluster of excellence in France for the supply of innovative technologies and solutions With this project some fifteen direct jobs were created on the Honfleur site Dès la conception de l'unité la 3D a permis de travailler avec les opérateurs sur l'ergonomie et la pénibilité au poste de travail 12 jours d'études et d'analyses de la maquette 3D ont généré 237 modifications The Seine à Vélo cycle route follows minor roads to major attractions The Guardian’s journalism is independent. 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My guide around the mighty Château Gaillard in Normandy delivered this line with commendable insouciance there was so much violence in his recounting of the history of Richard the Lionheart’s castle up to that point that villagers eating each other while trapped in a dry moat during a siege came as little surprise “The castle was strategically important,” he added “because it blocked the main transport route between Paris and Rouen.” And we looked down from the castle’s lofty limestone promontory to the River Seine – broad and dependable the second-longest river that flows entirely in France and a veritable motorway in the Middle Ages While today there’s still plenty of river traffic sailing along the Seine, it was the opportunity of cycling alongside it that brought me here. Starting (or finishing) at Notre Dame in Paris, La Seine à Vélo (The Seine Valley by Bike) is a route that follows the river all the way to the Normandy coast cycleways or paths shared with pedestrians Next year should see the completion of a 25-mile (40km) greenway from Vernon to Les Andelys (home to Château Gaillard) and on to Saint-Pierre-du-Vauvray which will make the experience even more tranquil Looking down on the Seine from Château Gaillard Photograph: Dixe WillsMonet and his fellow impressionists were very keen on the Seine I was continually coming across paintings on info boards placed at the spot where one artist or another had set up an easel there are plenty of views deserving of capture in oils At the evocative Jumièges Abbey – ‘the most beautiful ruin in France’ according to Victor Hugo – the route splits in twoThe cycling itself was a breeze The route sticks as close as possible to the river The banks of the Seine have been dotted with towns and villages since time immemorial and my daylight hours were spent zipping in and out of little communities often surrounded by farmland or squeezed between the river and a steep It makes the trail ideal for an out-of-season break since you’re seldom far from a cafe should the weather turn inclement I was guided around its gloriously restored tugboat Fauvette home to an absorbing exhibition of Poses life through the generations The museum cleverly tells her story through a series of filmed vignettes that place visitors in the role of Joan’s judges featured trips and local tips for your next break as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays Claude Monet’s Japanese garden in Giverny Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty ImagesHaving pootled along thus far I was going to spend a proper day in the saddle – covering 110km The sun burned away the morning mist as I passed through gentle farmland and hit some proper hills At Berville-sur-Mer – barely on the estuaire let alone the mer – I had my first view of the English Channel shimmering away beyond the elegant Pont de Normandie and the bijou L’Auberge du Moulin restaurant in Vatteville la Rue where the apples and blackberries in my crumble were “freshly picked from just outside the door” FrancePhoto: AlamySave this storySaveSave this storySaveIn its prewar heyday Normandy’s northern coast was the go-to spot for fashionable Parisians looking for a weekend getaway Deauville and neighboring Trouville-sur-Mer—the relative grande dames of the region with their Belle Epoque–style villas and stylish casinos—were and still remain the closest places to escape Paris’s stifling summer heat it was coastal Normandy’s general joie de vivre mentality that kept people coming back for more A weekend in Deauville was to Paris what East Hampton is to New York City Deauville was a place to let your hair down; gorge on the bounty of freshly caught seafood and apple brandy (local Norman delicacies); and imbibe with the best of them until the sun comes up Scott Fitzgerald had Tom and Daisy Buchanan spend part of their year in France here in The Great Gatsby Normandy remains something of a time capsule of its former self World War II and the D-Day invasion left an indelible mark on France’s northern coast and while it doesn’t possess the same pizzazz of its Côte d’Azur neighbor to the south and idyllic landscapes that add a certain je ne sais quoi to the little pocket of life found in France’s northwest corner the rolling hills and lush meadows filled with half-timbered farmhouses throughout Normandy’s countryside are a furious swirl of colors and bucolic charm It was these very landscapes that not only inspired some of the 20th century’s most important works but have also continued to bring with them a steady mix of artists from visiting the coastal seaside villages to sipping calvados in a 17th-century farmhouse in Honfleur and bearing witness to the majesty of Mont-Saint-Michel here’s why you should skip the French Riviera and head to Normandy instead this summer: where the dishes are as pretty as one of Monet’s luscious landscapes it’s time to head north to the picturesque port town of Honfleur Considered to be the birthplace of French impressionism and Monet came to capture the light and brooding Norman skies over the Seine A former fortress town and fishing village Honfleur today still maintains much of its old-world charm Take a stroll around Le Vieux Bassin (or Old Harbor) or lose yourself among the labyrinth of tiny streets It’s worth a quick visit to Saint Catherine’s Once a sojourn for young artists in residence, Ferme Saint Simeon is a charming 17th-century inn and the perfect place to post up for the night Enjoy a traditional-inspired dinner in the farmhouse-style dining room before retiring for a glass of locally distilled calvados HonfleurPhoto: Courtesy of Michelle GrossDeauvilleConsidered the “Riviera” of the north the 25-mile stretch between Honfleur and Caen known as the Côte Fleurie (or “the flowered coast”) is a beautiful stretch of craggily coastline and gorgeous beachside towns adorned with Belle Epoque–style haunts and villas Designed as luxury getaways for well-heeled Parisians at the turn of the last century Deauville and neighboring Trouville-sur-Mer’s are the perfect places to soak in some seaside merriment Deauville is perhaps best known today for hosting the American Film Festival each year and its acclaimed horse racing culture Madame Chanel loved Deauville so much that it was here she opened her first clothing store French novelist Marcel Proust first gained inspiration for many of his later works including In Search of Lost Time Enjoy dinner on the oceanfront terrace of Le Balbec or cocktails in the bar aptly named La Belle Époque a seafood tower that includes locally caught lobster a charming 18th-century townhouse complete with parquet floors and period decor and don’t miss a chance to have breakfast and coffee in the hotel’s beautifully appointed garden before you go and pick up some of France’s original sailor stripes the island monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel is one of France’s most visited landmarks It was transformed into a prison from 1793 to 1863 and subsequently used as everything from a military base to religious commune only a handful of nuns and monks reside on the island abbey and it is easily one of the most beautiful architectural landmarks you’ll ever set foot on For a little something sweet on the way up head to Crêperie La Sirène for traditional Breton galette (buckwheat pancake) La Mère Poulard Café has been a Mont-Saint-Michel mainstay since it opened in 1888 and is renowned for its open-fire-cooked omelets and local delicacies including salt marsh lamb and apple cider they lived in Paris with their two young children the chateau dream was born out of financial planning many years because at one point when we were moving from one house to another in Paris I realized that I could buy for the same price of a small apartment in Paris a chateau somewhere in a French countryside," Mayrhofer "And so this became almost an obsession of mine to see and to compare what I could buy if I would give up the Paris apartment," he continued As his wife worked long hours as a fashion and textile designer there came a point where they both decided they needed a change of pace Mayrhofer provided Insider with proof of purchase of the chateau but requested that the closing price be kept private Insider verified the sale with property records found online the house was in poor condition and required a complete overhaul The windows were cracked and there was no proper heating system in many rooms Some of them even lacked an electricity supply In addition to the challenges posed by the house itself the couple also encountered some financial roadblocks "When the insurances of the banks found out it was a chateau we're not going to insure that,'" Mayrhofer said the banks agreed on a loan — but it was much smaller than expected. "The banks agreed on a normal loan that we would have gotten for an apartment in Paris of that price," Mayrhofer said There were two big jobs where they needed contractors to step in: Restoring the facade of the home and connecting the house to the public sewage system "We had to dig up a huge trench to get the wastewater from the chateau to the street which is about a hundred meters away or so because before it was a septic tank," Mayrhofer said I would say the most challenging part is painting because she has quite high standards when it comes to finishes," Mayrhofer said but we couldn't find any painter who would be as meticulous as we wanted it to be," he said We had to take off the old tiles and we had to put a new dry slab the hardest part of the renovation was installing showers and toilets in the guestrooms which was enough for the chateau's two original bathrooms — but not nearly enough for the renovated plan "Finding a way to get water in and out of these rooms in the ceilings was quite a challenge without damaging any of the historic features of the rooms," he said "We needed to bring in water in a bigger pipe so that the pressure would be good enough for a house of this size," he added The work included lifting a 15-meter (nearly 50-foot) chimney that went up to the roof so that there was sufficient space to put a range cooker underneath it "We found out it had original painted wall frescos from the early 19th century so we want to restore them," Mayrhofer said "That's going to be a really nice dining room in the future." The previous owners had left some furnishings But the couple bought the rest of the furniture from local secondhand or charity stores known as Brocante shops but the couple also preserved the chateau's historical charm The family's quarters are located on the second floor but the chateau also serves as a guesthouse where visitors can rent bedrooms "We were actually featured in an English TV show called 'Escape to the Chateau: DIY.' From the beginning we knew this was a very good exposure for our guesthouse business," Mayrhofer said everything had to be put on hold — including their plans for the guesthouse So we thought maybe we should film ourselves a bit and put it online We thought that would help people visit us after COVID was over," he said Their Youtube channel, How to Renovate a Chateau "We know that whoever owned the chateau during the French Revolution "The previous owners had it for about a hundred years — they bought it during the first World War They were a family from Paris who wanted to escape the bombings and so they bought a country house and transferred all their wealth into this place," he added The couple is currently working with archives and are in the process of translating the documents they've found which they estimate will take a few months The couple now uses the salon as a breakfast room Prices for the rooms It overlooks the chateau's lawn and woodlands, and has an attached bathroom hidden behind the wood-paneled walls, per the guesthouse website While the couple has completed a large part of the chateau's renovations they said they hope to reinvest proceeds from their guesthouse business into further developing the rest of the home and they are also looking to work on the property's expansive gardens Mayrhofer himself is excited for the switch I have time to start working on restructuring the garden That's something I'm really passionate about," he said "We have the space and it would really nice to grow our own vegetables," he added French Property News is the go-to title for anyone considering a French property purchase Packed full of expert advice from property professionals including estate agents it is the ultimate house hunter's guide to the French property market financial and tax advice along with inspiring in-depth location guide entertaining regular pages and the latest property news and market reports makes it a must-buy publication for anyone serious about buying and owning a property in France Those considering a full-time move to France will benefit from the ‘Guide to...’ series covering all the essentials of life in France along with insightful columns from expat authors Janine Marsh and Ian Moore Serving the international Francophile community Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time We've all had those days when travelling You've been looking forward to visiting a place for ages imagined wandering the picturesque streets window-shopping and generally having a lovely time the weather is so bad your daydreams are impossible to act out Come rain or shine - and on this unseasonably chilly early May morning it's raining - Honfleur is one of Normandy's This historic fishing port is perched where the River Seine flows into the La Manche (you won't find anyone here calling it the English Channel) We've popped to Honfleur on a shore excursion from our Viking cruise ship 25 kilometres to the east across the Ponte de Normandie a 2-kilometre-long feat of modern engineering bridging the Seine estuary While Le Havre was devastated by World War II bombing and is regarded by many French as one of the country's ugliest cities Its medieval centre is delightfully-preserved and teems with vibrant markets and elegant cafes St Joseph's Catholic Church.Credit: iStock Although it's a magnet for visitors - French and overseas - we have the town virtually to ourselves at 9am this Saturday as we shuffle around in our raincoats and beneath umbrellas with drizzle falling from gunmetal grey skies which are overlooked by colourful gabled mansions and creaky We'll have free time to explore later whose near accent-less English is so good it's a surprise to discover he's Parisian Honfleur was founded by the Vikings and became a major seafaring hub in the Middle Ages playing a key role in the Hundred Years War with England as well as the French settling of Quebec Samuel de Champlain established the north American colony in 1608 and Christian points out a commemorative plaque by the Vieux-Bassin Postcards outside Honfleur's shops reveal the harbour in sun-kissed glory but even in dreary weather it's stunning and edged on its Quai Sainte-Catherine by tall slate-tiled buildings that cast a mirror reflection into the water crowds congregate outside the harbour-side bars and eateries listening to street musicians and sipping classic Norman tipples: cider and calvados (apple brandy aged in oak barrels) and the photogenic alleys that slope off it it's no wonder artists adore Honfleur English watercolour painters such as John Constable and JMW Turner were enchanted by the light here There's an art museum here named in his honour One of the first French landscape artists to paint outdoors who was born in Paris but grew up in Le Havre introduced Monet to Honfleur and the wonders of outdoor painting A giant sculpture by Frenchman Vincent Ganivet in Le Havre features two huge cobbled together with shipping containers.Credit: iStock The town's St Catherine's Catholic Church is a work of art in its own right (and it's the largest timber-built church in France staring up at the intricately-carved woodwork and stained glass Christian says a bomb fell on the church in 1944 which resembles an upside-down ship's hull one of the most amazing things about Honfleur is that it's made me feel hungry again - a sensation I thought I'd lost after a week indulging on the cruise Passing the market stalls clustered around the church square I eye and nose a variety of appetite-stirring aromas: fresh shellfish The whiff of freshly-baked baguettes and croissants drifts from boulangeries bistro and restaurant menus entice with the likes of mussels in cider and Camembert sauce and shop windows flaunt neat bundles of Norman cheeses You could easily spend the day (or more) in Honfleur the moment we head back over the Ponte de Normandie Today's Le Havre looks very different to the city Monet knew and painted (his 1874 gem Sunrise depicted the harbour here and helped coin the Impressionism movement) three months after the D-Day Normandy beach landings France's largest seaport after Marseille it had been declared a "festung" (fortress) by Hitler Dubbed "the storm of iron and fire" and "France's forgotten Blitz" the Allied onslaught liberated the city but killed an estimated 5000 civilians and left 80,000 homeless Pioneering Belgian-born architect Auguste Perret - a tutor of Le Corbusier - oversaw Le Havre's post-war reconstruction multi-storey blocks on the streets and boulevards around the austere L-shaped city hall which is fronted by a string of fluttering tricolour flags Tours are offered inside one of the Soviet-looking blocks fully-furnished Temoin Perret Show Flat at 181 Rue de Paris transporting you back to the 1950s and the home of a typical Le Havre family You can't miss Perret's most incredible building: St Joseph's Catholic Church It's been called a "lighthouse at the heart of the city" with its octagonal lantern-like spire rising 107 metres above the altar Dedicated to the memory of the war's victims the church is particularly magical when sunlight pours through its 6500 stained-glass windows Perret's Le Havre revamp was controversial and derided at the time but in 2005 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site a leading example of post-war urban planning and architecture His buildings have subsequently been labelled "concrete-chic" you'll see how other artists and architects have helped brighten the city's grey image a whitewashed volcano-shaped theatre and arts centre by the late Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer there's the glass-and-steel-fronted Modern Art Museum which has one of France's best collections of Impressionist works Les Bains des Docks is a gleaming new aquatics complex designed by Jean Nouvel part of a project to regenerate Le Havre's old docklands Fringing the city's 2-kilometre-long pebble beach are wooden huts we pass a giant sculpture by Frenchman Vincent Ganivet it was unveiled in 2017 for the 500th anniversary of a city that may lack the quaint Gallic charm of its neighbour traveller.com.au/france traveller.com.au/cruises en.normandie-tourisme.fr Steve McKenna was a guest of Viking Cruises Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. We've all had those days when travelling. You've been looking forward to visiting a place for ages, imagined wandering the picturesque streets, soaking up the atmosphere, people-watching, window-shopping and generally having a lovely time, but when you do finally get there, for real, the weather is so bad your daydreams are impossible to act out. Well, almost. Come rain or shine - and on this unseasonably chilly early May morning, it's raining - Honfleur is one of Normandy's, and France's, most beautiful cities, though, with a population of about 8000, it's really more of a town. This historic fishing port is perched where the River Seine flows into the La Manche (you won't find anyone here calling it the English Channel). The town's St Catherine's Catholic Church is a work of art in its own right (and, we find, a warm place of refuge). Built by 15th-century shipwrights, it's the largest timber-built church in France. Seated on pews, staring up at the intricately-carved woodwork and stained glass, Christian says a bomb fell on the church in 1944. Miraculously, it didn't pierce the roof, which resembles an upside-down ship's hull. You could easily spend the day (or more) in Honfleur, but I fancy seeing Le Havre, too, and as luck would have it, the moment we head back over the Ponte de Normandie, the skies clear and the sun appears. Today's Le Havre looks very different to the city Monet knew and painted (his 1874 gem, Impression, Sunrise depicted the harbour here and helped coin the Impressionism movement). In September 1944, three months after the D-Day Normandy beach landings, Allied bombs rained down on Le Havre. France's largest seaport after Marseille, it had been declared a "festung" (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Dubbed "the storm of iron and fire" and "France's forgotten Blitz", the Allied onslaught liberated the city but killed an estimated 5000 civilians and left 80,000 homeless, engulfed in rubble. Pioneering Belgian-born architect Auguste Perret - a tutor of Le Corbusier - oversaw Le Havre's post-war reconstruction. Prefabricated buildings, made of reinforced concrete, mushroomed along a new grid system, with uniform, beige-grey, multi-storey blocks on the streets and boulevards around the austere L-shaped city hall, which is fronted by a string of fluttering tricolour flags. Tours are offered inside one of the Soviet-looking blocks, with the large, bright, fully-furnished Temoin Perret Show Flat at 181 Rue de Paris transporting you back to the 1950s and the home of a typical Le Havre family. You can't miss Perret's most incredible building: St Joseph's Catholic Church. It's been called a "lighthouse at the heart of the city", with its octagonal lantern-like spire rising 107 metres above the altar. Dedicated to the memory of the war's victims, the church is particularly magical when sunlight pours through its 6500 stained-glass windows. Perret's Le Havre revamp was controversial and derided at the time, but in 2005 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a leading example of post-war urban planning and architecture. His buildings have subsequently been labelled "concrete-chic". On a shuttle bus back to our cruise ship, we pass a giant sculpture by Frenchman Vincent Ganivet. Featuring two huge, multi-coloured arches, cobbled together with shipping containers, it was unveiled in 2017 for the 500th anniversary of a city that may lack the quaint Gallic charm of its neighbour, Honfleur, but has its own unique and surreal allure. Le Havre is a port of call on 15-day sailings between Barcelona and Bergen on Viking Jupiter from April to October 2020. The cruise is priced from $6995 per person, based on double occupancy. Some shore excursions, including certain day trips to Paris, are complimentary, but the Honfleur guided tour costs $US79 per person. See Steve McKenna was a guest of Viking Cruises. Honfleur was originally being built by a German shipyard for operation between the ports of Caen and Portsmouth in the UK via the English Channel Fosen Yard took over construction in the middle of 2020 The vessel was completed earlier this year and is now under the ownership of the Siem Group and registered under the flag of Cyprus The ferry can transport up to 1,680 passengers in 261 cabins while the freight capacity is 2,600 lane metres or the equivalent of 130 trailers or 550 cars and 64 lorries The LNG-electric propulsion system consists of four main engines with a total rated output of 30,000 kW This configuration will enable the ferry to reach speeds of up to 22 knots The cranes will be used primarily for the loading and positioning of ISO 40-foot containers that will supply LNG fuel to the four main engines Empty containers will be replaced with full ones each time the ferry makes a port call The vessel's design took the method of "swapping" fuel tanks into account This is because the original owners had anticipated that there will be insufficient LNG storage and bunkering facilities at the ports that the vessel will serve by the time it finally enters service The passenger cabin options include four-person staterooms and staterooms for people with limited mobility All cabins were also designed to be pet-friendly and are fitted with televisions and wi-fi connectivity The other onboard facilities include two cinemas and accommodation spaces for the 130-strong crew Access between the various decks is via two centre stairways and two lifts Work on all interior spaces on Honfleur was completed by Aros Marine which also installed the public toilets and the fixed furniture such as sofas Click here to read other news stories, features, opinion articles, and vessel reviews as part of this month's Passenger Vessel Week. French ferry operator Brittany Ferries and Somanor have announced the termination of the shipbuilding contract for Honfleur a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ferry The companies terminated the Honfleur contract with Germany-based Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) shipyard The vessel is under construction since 2017 in Flensburg Honfleur was scheduled to enter service in June 2019 but the vessel delivery was postponed due to continued financial problems faced by the yard’s management Brittany Ferries said: “The change of the main shareholder in September 2019 with the arrival of Lars Windhorst and the Tennor group did not allow the yard to return to growth and competitiveness.” the yard was put under the protection of the Commercial Court Following ‘unsuccessful’ discussions with the management of FSG and its main creditors companies said that they ‘lost confidence in the yard’s ability to complete the vessel within a reasonable period of time’ Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis In 2017, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Brittany Ferries and the Societe Generale bank finalised a financing agreement for a new LNG powered ferry owned by Brittany Ferries Societe Generale acted as the main arranger of the €142.6m funding for the acquisition of Honfleur The financing package also includes a tranche of €49.5m that will be fully guaranteed by the EIB Last year, Brittany Ferries and the Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF) signed an agreement to buy Condor Ferries Nominations are now open for the prestigious Ship Technology Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Sign-up to the latest news from Better Homes and Gardens Disclaimer: By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use There’s something slightly familiar about Honfleur a small French medieval town on the coast of Normandy Honfleur has attracted artists with sketchbooks and easels under their arms for many centuries and has duly been immortalised on canvas Paintings of the town and surrounding beaches are hanging in the world’s best galleries and featured in art books The pretty coastal settlement that sits on the estuary to the Seine River retains much of its charm and character of yesteryear and is a great excursion from Paris by train (departs Gare St Lazare) The changing light of the estuary has attracted artists since the 18th century Visitors come to see Honfleur’s tall houses with slate-covered exteriors the beautiful St Catherine’s Quay and the Vieux Bassin – one of the most frequently painted harbours in the world Troyon and Daubigny all spent time in Honfleur painting and influencing ‘newcomers’ like Gustave Courbet and Eugene Boudin to early Impressionism and painting outdoors in Honfleur His works are displayed beside paintings of other great Impressionists like Dubourg who also stayed and painted at Boudin’s Saint-Simeon farmhouse on the outskirts of the city Many 20th-century artists – like Dufy Friesz and Gernez – are also represented The museum also presents a great opportunity to admire a large collection of traditional regional headdresses colourful costumes and furniture all providing a fascinating snapshot of life as it was here Ravel and Stravinsky and artists and writers like Picasso You can relive his music at the quirky Maisons Satie It is a vibrant experience obviously revealing much about him Walk the cobbled streets of Honfleur and you will discover its charm artist studios and craft shops with displays of paintings Honfleur was founded in the 11th century and during the long course of its colourful history including once to the English who occupied this important defensive port from 1418 to 1450 The town predictably has a rich maritime history and in the 16th and 17th centuries it played a leading role in the voyages of discovery to the New World The port of Honfleur offered much to shipping enterprises: a fertile hinterland that provided provisions for the fleet experienced sailors trained in the hard school of deep sea fishing and long voyages to the cod banks the salt warehouses located in the Rue de la Ville have been classified as historic monuments They were built to store up to 10,000 tonnes of salt needed for cod fishing on the banks of Newfoundland and were last great salt warehouses in Normandy The outer harbour is a fascinating place to watch the local fishermen shore their catch of sole cod and whiting as well as Honfleur’s famous shrimps which are sold live in season Many quaint restaurants line the old port where fish is naturally a speciality and features on all the menus The city is also famous for its apple cider and apple brandy called Calvados as well as Pont l’Eveque and Livarot cheeses visit the lively open-air market where you can pick up supplies for a picnic One of the most impressive attractions of Honfleur is the Church of Sainte-Catherine which dates back to the second half of the 15th century Constructed by ship builders after the English exodus it was erected with from timber from the Touques forest and built based on their shipbuilding techniques It is still the largest wooden church in France with a separate bell tower and looks like an upturned ship Located on one of the steepest hills around Honfleur is a charming little church It is a steep climb but well worth it and if you do you’re rewarded with wonderful views of the area The Lieutenance – the former Governor’s residence – stands proudly at the end of the old port was one of the two entries through the town’s fortifications It is called the Lieutenance because from 1684 up to the French Revolution the apartments above the fortifications were used to house the King’s lieutenant One day in this charming town just isn’t enough Published under license from Well Travelled for your chance to WIN $25,000 cash or curated gift set Construction on the half-completed LNG-powered ferry Honfleur will resume at Fosen Yard AS in Rissa instead of at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) yard in Flensburg As informed, Fosen Yard has been awarded a contract by Norwegian shipping company Siem Group to complete the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger vessel whose construction started back in 2018 The 42,400 gross ton newbuild (known as hull no 774) is now being towed from Germany to Norway and is expected to arrive in Rissa next weekend French shipping company Brittany Ferries cancelled the construction contract for the LNG-powered ferry with FSG citing delays in the vessel’s delivery caused by the yard’s persistent financial problems The ship was then acquired by Siem from FSG. The German shipyard has built a number of vessels for Siem in the past Siem also owned a minority stake in old FSG before selling it to investment company Tennor Holding After starting insolvency proceedings in August, FSG was taken over by several companies belonging to Tennor Holding in September 2020, making a fresh start. Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC, part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business, is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment. In close cooperation with our customers, we translate experience, science, and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas. The performance of new and existing jack-ups, vessels […] a family-owned maritime services company based in the French port city of Rouen The tugs were built in response to TSM's need for newer vessels that not only possessed the latest towing technology but were also capable of generating reduced emissions while on operations in line with the owner's goal of business activities with minimal adverse environmental impact the tugs will be operated by TSM in the waters of the Seine River just off HAROPA – Port de Rouen a port that lies between the ports of Honfleur and Rouen Damen said the newbuilds will be used primarily to assist bulk carriers to facilitate the export of cereals from Rouen currently the largest port in Western Europe in terms of grain exports though the tugs will also be tasked to assist tankers and other commercial vessels inbound for the port The two newbuilds utilise a standard Damen 25- by 13-metre seagoing reverse stern drive (RSD) tug design that has been modified with a draught reduced from 6.2 metres to 5.7 metres to enable easier navigation in shallower inland waters Damen said that even with this modification recently completed sea trials proved that the two Caterpillar 2,525kW main diesel engines and the two Kongsberg fixed-pitch propellers fitted in each tug were still capable of delivering a bollard pull in excess of 80 tonnes as well as speeds of up to 13 knots TSM chief executive Loïc Thomas also claimed that the design of the tugs helps significantly reduce any vibrations caused by the engines thus increasing the crew's comfort even during days of heavy use the tugs rely on a hydraulically-driven double drum winch that was developed in-house by Damen This will enable low-speed pulling of 27 tonnes up to 30 metres per minute and high-speed pulling of 27 tonnes up to 49 metres per minute The two tugs are also each equipped with Damen's proprietary selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that the builder said can help guarantee 70 per cent fewer NOx emissions compared to other IMO Tier II-compliant vessels clarified that the tugs were designed from the outset to be able to accommodate modifications to ensure compliance to IMO Tier III standards in the future if the owner so wishes The tugs boast firefighting capability thanks to a main engine-driven pump and two monitors that can discharge water or foam at a rate of 1,200 cubic metres per hour The crew of six on each tug are comfortably housed in a captain's cabin All interior spaces including the wheelhouse and the switchroom have air conditioning while the wheelhouse also features a ceiling made from sound-absorbing material Two Caterpillar C4.4 81kVA generators provide power for the onboard systems and electronics including Furuno radar Simrad autopilot and satellite compass/GPS A Norselight 2,000W searchlight has been installed as well Construction of TSM Honfleur and TSM Rouen took place entirely at Damen Song Cam Shipyard located just outside the Vietnamese port city of Haiphong The vessels were handed over to TSM in March 2021 and duly began operational sailings in support of HAROPA the following month These are the 21st and 22nd vessels to join TSM's current active fleet See more stories from this month's Tug and Salvage Week here. 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Read our Privacy notice Ancient houses of mellow stone line the perimeter of a sheltered harbour the water of which is haunted by their reflections Set back at either side of the shimmering haven Behind them tangles of cobbled lanes spread around a hill graced by terraces of gracious gabled mansions and timber-framed houses It's with good reason Honfleur is said to be the jewel of Normandy's coast But inevitably there's a downside: Honfleur – on the south bank of the Seine estuary opposite the port of Le Havre– is hardly undiscovered Most of the year you'll share this picture postcard with hordes of others Yet go there now and you'll see Honfleur without the crowds you'll walk those cobbled alleyways unhindered by dithering tourists The cafés lining that stunningly attractive old harbour – the Vieux Bassin – will be sleepy You won't find the full and impressive gamut of Honfleur's gourmet restaurants open during the low season but several factors outweigh this inconvenience Then there's the ease with which you'll be able to take in the rich history And today the town's four museums reopen after their annual winter closure Honfleur was once an important seafaring centre playing a major part in the Hundred Years War And it was also from here that Samuel de Champlain sailed out to found Quebec in 1608 The launch of his small fleet is commemorated by a bust of the great explorer that sits together with a plaque by the old harbour wall the effects of silting had put an end to the town's maritime importance Honfleur gradually became rich artistically from English watercolourists such as William Turner to the Impressionists Start an absorbing tour by ambling over to the church of Sainte-Catherine off the northern side of the Vieux Bassin This week you may have this fabulous building to yourself It was made entirely of wood during the 15th century Honfleur's shipwrights played a big part in the construction devising a roof like the hull of a ship – you see the similarities clearly as you walk around the interior You'll also get an intriguing insight into life in old Honfleur at two extraordinary museums on the southern side They're housed in wonderfully creaky old buildings that look as if they've barely changed from the Middle Ages The 14th-century church of St Etienne is now the little Musée Maritime Tucked under stained-glass windows are displays of charts Adjacent to this is the Musée d'Ethnographie with nine rooms kitted out as interior sets from the 18th and 19th centuries Honfleur's finest sights are a short walk from the harbour Meander north along the old alleyways and head for a remarkable art gallery filled with masterpieces depicting the estuary Landscape painter Eugène Boudin was born in Honfleur in 1824 It was at a small art shop in Le Havre that he met the young Claude Monet and became his mentor Musée Eugène Boudin displays many of works paintings by Jongkind and works by artists Paul-Elie Gernez and Raoul Dufy an elegant house on Boulevard Charles V was the early home of the avant garde composer Erik Satie Maisons Erik Satie is now a brilliant museum An ingenious English audio tour takes you into the fantastical world of the composer: his music and the museum is almost as wacky as the man himself You're confronted with a giant pear with wings on entering and the last exhibit is a crazy musical merrygoround devised from original plans by Satie It's as uplifting as a glass of Calvados by the old harbour musees-honfleur.fr ot-honfleur.fr Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Honfleur is a new cruise ferry being built by Flensburger Schiffbau shipyard in Germany for Brittany Ferries The passenger and vehicle ferry will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) The vessel has been designed by Brittany Ferries’ naval architect Brice Robinson. The first steel was cut for the ferry in March The keel-laying ceremony is scheduled for August The vessel is expected to be launched in December for delivery in May 2019 It will sail on her maiden voyage in June 2019 The Honfleur ferry will operate on Portsmouth-Caen route which is the most popular route carrying approximately one million passengers 300,000 cars and 100,000 freight units a year It will sail along with the Brittany Ferries’ Mont St Michel and will replace Normandie cruise-ferry which will be deployed on the Portsmouth-Le Havre route The Honfleur cruise ferry will be 187.4m-long maximum draught of 6.6m and gross weight of 42,400t It will feature 11 decks and offer a total passenger area of 5,200m² It is capable of carrying 1,680 passengers and will offer 2,600 lane metres to accommodate 130 freight trailers Two large stairways in the centre of the ferry along with two elevators will allow passengers to move from garage to cabins and other areas of the ferry. The large windows fitted to the cabins will provide a wider view of the sea The vessel will have 261 cabins with different configurations and capacities The exterior and interior cabins can accommodate up to four people The ferry will also feature luxury cabins and dedicated cabins for people with reduced mobility All the cabins will be pet-friendly and will have TV and Wi-Fi facilities The passenger spaces will feature a range of digital innovations but will retain Brittany Ferries’ traditions and principles including wellness The ferry will provide two different dining options including a full-service à la carte restaurant and a self-service facility with high-quality food Passengers can watch the latest movies in two theatres while the boutique shopping on-board the ship offers fashion and technology products The ferry will also feature play areas and digital spaces for kids exterior decks and car decks will have Wi-Fi provision Passengers will be informed of the ship’s progress through a screen showing a feed from front and rear cameras Large screens fitted in public areas will allow passengers to check services available on-board and the places to visit on arrival The information desk will be completely digitalised in order to communicate easily and effectively The ferry will be fitted with cranes to lift 40ft LNG containers into their fixed positions It will be the world’s first passenger vessel to feature onboard cranes Containers will be transported by trucks from an LNG terminal to Ouistreham and then placed on the ship next to the LNG storage tank The ferry will be equipped with four main engines The propulsion system will include two electric shaft propulsion motors with two fixed-pitch propellers The LNG-electric propulsion system fitted to the ferry will deliver quieter operation It will avoid sulphur emissions and will also enable the ferry to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions The propulsion system will provide a maximum service speed of 22k Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker here is what you need to know to avoid immigration and customs headaches for a smooth entry and exit from the country The Cruising Association and the RYA are advising cruisers from the UK to arrive and depart from France via an official Port of Entry UK sailors planning on sailing to France this summer are being warned that a shortage of officials means not all ports can be treated as Ports of Entry the French authorities aimed to simplify entry and exit for non-EU cruisers by allowing sailors to email their intended passage using a Préavis Police aux Frontières (PAF) Immigration/Notice of Immigration form in advance This would allow arrival at any port and not require a designated port These forms started to appear on some port websites such as St Cast and St Quay Portrieux in Brittany and it soon became clear that there were not enough French officials to go from port to port to check boat papers and stamp passports Honfleur in Normandy is one of France’s official Ports of Entry This resulted in the number of ports included in the Port of Entry scheme to be limited The CA and the RYA are now advising those sailing the English Channel from the UK to France’s channel ports to choose an official Port of Entry The CA has highlighted the although Boulogne is officially a Port of Entry there are no PAF officials locally to process arrivals and departures with some arrivals being advised to travel by train to Calais for processing From 1 June to 30 September 2022 a temporary concession has been introduced for British and Channel Island nationals visiting Saint Cast and Saint Quay, which will require a modified Declaration of Arrival/Departure form. It can be found here. recreational boaters will be required to complete the Declaration of Arrival form These must be completed and sent to the marina office email address displayed on the form The marina office will then forward the completed document to the maritime authorities in Saint-Brieuc for processing Once the form has been validated by the authorities a copy will be returned to the marina office who will then return it to the boat concerned This copy should then be kept on-board at all times during the period that the boat remains in the Schengen Area so as to be available in the event of a customs visit The boat will then be cleared to sail elsewhere in Brittany If entry into the Schengen Area is via the Brittany ports of Saint-Quay or Saint-Cast then departure from the Schengen Area of Brittany must also be via either of these two ports On departure from Saint Cast and Saint Quay recreational boaters must download and complete the modified Declaration of Departure document one copy only is needed per boat and should be completed and sent to the email address of the departure marina The marina office will then forward the completed document to the authorities in Saint-Brieuc a copy will be returned to the marina for onward transmission to the boat concerned The boat will then be clear to leave the Schengen Area France’s Atlantic coast Ports of Entry are: Brest France’s Mediterranean coast Ports of Entry are: Antibes Those sailing to a port or marina that is not a Port of Entry need to check whether an immigration form is available and what special arrangements for arrival have been made with the authorities then complete and send it to the email address on the form call the named local Border Police (Police Aux Frontières – PAF) or Customs (Douane) to ask for advice Police Aux Frontières officers handle sailors checking into and out of France all non-EU crew will need to see the local PAF or Customs (Douane) for immigration and customs This may involve travelling to the nearest PAF office; many are located away from marinas and are not open 24 hours In case of extreme weather or other force majeure boats from a non-EU country can enter any port or harbour with permission from the harbourmaster but the crew must report the boat’s presence to the authorities at the nearest Port of Entry and undergo immigration and customs checks the same process should be followed as arrival UK cruisers need to make sure passports are stamped on departure to avoid overstaying in the Schengen zone which could result in future entry being denied Since Brexit visits to the Schengen zone are limited to 90 days in every 180 days for UK nationals Both the CA and RYA warn that PAF offices are not open 24/7 and crew should plan around this Make sure you check out before leaving France to avoid overstaying in the Schengen Zone The CA’s channel section secretary and council chair, Bob Garrett said the process may ‘seem onerous, but it is a legal requirement and those of us who have sailed beyond Europe will be aware of these processes in other countries.’ ‘Other non-EU sailors visiting the EU have always had such processes for sailing to France without the advantage of some of the flexibility now being offered All reports the Cruising Association has received from its members of interaction with French officials have been good – friendly so they are making it as easy as possible within the legal framework and resources available,’ he added Anyone cruising to and from the UK needs to inform Border Force and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs The newly launched single Pleasure Craft Reporting (sPCR) online platform – www.spcr.homeoffice.gov.uk – is now the preferred option for reporting journeys for anyone leaving or entering the UK This includes cruisers sailing from or to the Channel Islands and Ireland as well as those sailing to or from other EU countries and the rest of the world The new platform is currently in ‘beta’ mode but will eventually replace the C1331 postal form and e-C1331 online forms The eC1331 is only available as an Excel document can be stored to make filling out the form on return easier It has also been renamed: ‘Pleasure craft on non-UK voyages: leaving or arriving in the UK (pleasure craft report (sPCR) fallback template The C1331 can be printed off and filled in before being sent to Border Force New users of the online service – www.spcr.homeoffice.gov.uk – will first be required to complete a ‘once only’ account registration before being required to ‘add a pleasure craft’ and then proceeding to submit voyage plan data including: Boat Registration Number passport or travel document details for all people on board Goods documentation and Date and estimated departure and arrival locations and times for your voyage plan The voyage plan must be submitted at least 2 hours but not more than 24 hours before departure For those concerned about giving estimates of departure and especially arrival time the ‘beta’ version allows a two-hour range The Cruising Association has discussed with UK Border Force the difficulty of giving relatively precise arrival times at the end of longer passages and the UK Border Force advice is to give your best estimate and then update your report if you believe that either your arrival place will change or the time will be outside the range you gave Data can be updated online or skippers can telephone the appropriate UK Border Force Operational centre* for the area of your arrival as soon as you can reasonably do so Pleasure craft arriving to the UK from outside the UK (including the Channel Islands) must fly the ‘Q’ flag as soon as entering UK waters (the 12 mile limit) and unless you are told otherwise by Border Force you should call National Yachtline on 0800 123 2012 on arrival who may give you clearance to leave tell you to wait for a Border Force Officer or to contact one of the regional numbers below The ‘Q’ flag must remain flying and all crew must stay on board until you have received clearance from a Border Force Officer Both the eC1331 and C1331 can be found here The eC1331 requires a United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UN/LOCODE) for the departure and arrival points Some skippers have experienced problems finding the UN/LOCODE of their destination or reported the link on the eC1331 to the UN/LOCODE is not working A list of UN/LOCODEs can be found here Alternatively skippers can write in the full name of their departure and arrival locations along with the latitude and longitude coordinates Sailors using the eC1331 will need to complete two forms – one of the outward voyage fill in part 1 and post to Border Force at the address provided fill in part 2 and ring Yachtline an hour before arrival as part of a long term cruise around the UK ‘We arrived at the marina office and the staff didn’t know what we should be doing as far as checking into France they suggested the main police station in the town Officers there didn’t know but suggested the Police Aux Frontières (PAF) at the ferry terminal It transpired the PAF officers had never done it before but they did stamp our passports or even visit the boat,’ explained Richard Roger and Bernadette chose to sail from Falmouth to St Malo The couple cruised the coast but returned to St Malo to check out of France The PAF in St Malo is only open from 0800-1600 As Richard and Bernadette were leaving on a Sunday their passports were stamped the day before Richard and Bernadette returned to France due to weather when they arrived at the marina office in Cherbourg staff didn’t ask them to check into France marina staff rang the PAF office at the ferry port in Cherbourg and two officers visited the marina to stamp their passports the boat papers were not looked at and a visit to the boat wasn’t required Richard and Bernadette visited the PAF office at the ferry port to get their passports stamped ‘Everyone I speak to in the UK is shying away from going to France as they think it will be a nightmare ‘All the French marinas are desperate for us to come; a lot of them Sailing the English Channel for the first time can be a daunting prospect especially if your sailing experience so far… For home-waters sailors who are considering a holiday cruise to France Ken Endean looks at the options for making a… As Europe begins to open up again for cruising Lu Heikell looks at the implications of Brexit on UK sailors… Yachting Monthly experts help you unravel the new regulations in relation to the thorny issue of VAT following the end… His advice is to arrive and leave via a Port of Entry Richard used the eC1331 when leaving and arriving back in the UK ‘Getting the UN/LOCODE was a real pain as the link provided on the form didn’t work; I ended up googling the UN/LOCODE for our port of arrival to find it,’ he said Richard completed the form on his iPad which converted it into a Numbers document without him realising and he had to save it as an Excel document before it would be accepted He used the eC1331 when sailing back to the UK ‘The eC1331 is a very clunky system and doesn’t work properly,’ commented Richard especially for us as liveaboards as often we don’t have a mobile phone signal We could phone Yachtline but you need all the information the C1331 form requires at your fingertips,’ he added ‘At none of these stops were we asked anything about immigration And there did not appear to be any facilities to do so,’ commented Richard ‘St Malo was the same as before – the marina did not ask us if we needed to sign in Richard and Bernadette sailed to Cherbourg ‘We decided not to sign out of France whilst doing this,’ shared Richard who said Cherbourg has a ‘very good system’ in place with PAF making twice daily visits to the marina where PAF is located in the ferry terminal – a 20 minute walk from the marina – and Calais ‘Boulogne no longer has a PAF facility The marina advised us to take the train to Calais we did have a visit from the Douane [in Boulogne] who came aboard and gave us a full inspection And they were also very surprised that this had not been done in Roscoff,’ said Richard Calais marina had a full set of details of how to get to the PAF at the ferry terminal It is either a 40 minute walk or cruisers can take the free bus Richard said signing out of France was ‘very straight forward’ He said the “Submit a Pleasure Craft Report” (which is replacing the C1331) to report back into the UK was a ‘better system’ than the C1331 form although you do need internet access to set it up but did not receive a visit from Boarder Force given that they have their base here,’ commented Richard ‘We did encounter a lot of British sailors who simply had not bothered to sign in/out of France, especially around Cherbourg, with sailing schools and charters from the Solent We also heard anecdotal reports that “the French weren’t bothered” But I don’t think that I would like to put this to the test Andy du Port shares his experiences of sailing to France The marina staff were very helpful and arranged for the Police Aux Frontières (PAF) to come to the marina to stamp passports if there were more than two or three yachts waiting the PAF office is only a 10 minute bike ride away the PAF were willing to stamp passports the day before if you needed to sail early the next day Dunkirk: This is not a viable port of entry as the PAF are in Dunkirk West which is a long way from Dunkirk East where yachts go Boulogne: May be a ‘port of entry’ but we were firmly told that the PAF were not available and we would have to go to Calais (by road) to complete formalities France must visit the PAF at the ferry port; they won’t attend at the marina We needed to sail quite early one morning but the PAF refused to stamp our passports until the day of departure the PAF office is closed from 0600 to 0800 (no idea why) so we had to bike round at 0530 to be sure of sailing at 0630 It became very clear that the PAF have very different rules in different ports Having sent an e-C1331 for departure from the UK and any changes were dealt with very efficiently by phone Part 2 of the C1331 is irritating as it asks for ‘Date/place of expected return to the UK’ even though we were completing the form It also asks ‘What ports have you visited?’ In our case it was only five but could have been 20 A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The June 2025 issue of Yachting Monthly is out now It is specifically designed to sail all along the Seine River from Paris right into the port of Honfleur at the mouth of the river; many of the other river cruise ships must dock upriver and transport their passengers to Honfleur by bus it is one of the most spacious ships on the Seine in terms of the ratio of number of passengers to the size of the ship It always feels like there is plenty of room onboard Scenic Gem delivers the same all-inclusive luxury experience as all the other Scenic river cruise ships including butler service; a wide choice of complimentary drinks; spacious well-designed rooms with private Sun Lounge balconies with sliding-glass window; all shore activities and tipping/gratuities Shore activities are diverse with excellent guides whose tours are accessed via an ingenious Tailormade GPS system with headphones These same devices provide interesting insights into the riverside landscape and ports for self-guided tours and the staff is always friendly and professional and no announcements over the loudspeaker interrupt your voyage The ship's motor is also whisper quiet although most passengers tend to be over 50 and passengers are strongly advised to dress in layers and to be prepared for rain at any time Guests tend to dress up for evening drinks and dinner with women wearing smart casual dresses or pants and a blouse and men wearing jackets Just about everything is included in a Scenic Gem cruise: unlimited beverages Complimentary mini-bars are restocked daily these jewels within striking distance of the northern ports offer a total immersion into French culture This article was amended on 18 September 2022 A photo captioned as being of St Malo was actually of Cancale And the address of Le Café de France in Villiers-Sur-Mer was misspelled as “rue de Generale de Galle”; that should have been Rue du Général de Gaulle This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Summer NAMM 2021: The Boutique Guitar Showcase exhibit is one of the highlights of any NAMM show and this year’s scaled-down show in Nashville was no exception that rule READ MORE: All the best gear from Summer NAMM 2021 A curated selection of some of the world’s most innovative and desirable guitars Summer NAMM 2021: The Boutique Guitar Showcase exhibit is one of the highlights of any NAMM show and this year’s scaled-down show in Nashville was no exception that rule in the picture that opens this article – to cutting-edge acoustic luthiery Indonesian luthier Ivan Mulia pays tribute to the cigar-box guitar tradition and legendary musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin with this aluminium design that incorporates a stand and mini-amp. Visit iVee Guitars for more Inspired by the main antagonist of Tolkien’s Silmarillion, this forward-facing electric guitar design combines fanned fret/multi-scale geometry with the True Temperament system. If you think that’s wild, check out the Shen Swedish luthier Vilhelm Engström specialises in flat-top acoustics with ladder bracing and metal-bodied resonators and says his ambition is to capture the spirit of early blues, country and pioneer steel-string guitar music. Find out more Canada-based luthier Reuben Forsland is responsible for the world’s first traditionally built hemp wood guitar, an innovation that has huge implications for sustainability. In order to ensure the instrument is structurally sound, Forsland integrated carbon fibre and kevlar honeycomb material into the design for extra strength. Read the full story via JOI Guitars Handmade in Cumbria, England, the Paradox was conceived in collaboration with former Verve guitarist and all-round six-string genius Nick McCabe. Boutique specs are blended artfully with vintage and offset influences on this updated model, and you can find out more here This Michael Sankey build celebrates “humanity’s oldest tool” – fire. The bevels and cutaways are carved after the charring has taken place, leaving tool marks intact, and the finish is fully stabilised to ensure you don’t get black marks on your stage gear. Read more about this unique build on the Sankey Guitars website The Fugue is an asymmetrical archtop from Californian luthier Tyler Wells with an arm bevel built into the top carve and a sound hole design that projects forward but also gives the player some of that soundport-style perspective. Visit LHT Guitars for more When Japanese luthier Michihiro Matsuda isn’t causing headaches for guitar-stand-makers everywhere, he’s busy pushing boundaries with some of the most innovative builds we’ve ever encountered. Read more about the former Somogyi apprentice’s work here Rachel Rosenkrantz is a French luthier based in Providence, Rhode Island with a background in architectural design. The Honfleur is a semi-hollow design featuring sipo wood, eggshells, lacquer and gold leaves. In a nod to sustainability, Rosenkrantz has adapted the Fishman Fluence pickup with a rechargeable USB battery pack. Find out more here Visit Boutique Guitar Showcase for details on upcoming BGS events. The world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. LNG dual-fuelled Honfleur will now be delivered in 2020 The delivery date of Brittany Ferries’ LNG dual-fuelled Honfleur has been pushed back The ferry operator said in a statement “Due to a delay at the shipyard Honfleur will unfortunately now not be delivered in time for the summer 2019 season as originally hoped work has now recommenced on the ship and both the shipyard and Brittany Ferries’ teams are working hard together to deliver the ship in time for the 2020 season.” Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard, which is building the ship, made a loss on the back of constructing Irish Ferries’ WB Yeats – but the shipyard took “immediate action” and “is making good progress” Shippax Ferry Conference delegates were told Flensburger head of sales and design André Powilleit explained “It was an ambitious project in price It definitely met quality – we received positive feedback But we had a financial hiccup earlier this year that was related to this project so we made a loss [this was reported in the media] received a new investor and replaced our chief executive “We are re-planning and it is quite a complex activity because [it involves] suppliers, customers and the shipyard itself but we are making good progress and pushing hard on our next vessels.” at least the company’s bunkering infrastructure will be ready With no permanent bunkering along the busy Ouistreham-Portsmouth route Brittany Ferries has opted for truck-based fuelling at Ouistreham that deploys an innovative combination of onboard vehicles and cranes Lorries with ISO tanks will be driven directly onto the 187.4-m vessel with the tanks hoisted into position in frames next to a fixed storage tank with a maximum capacity of 350 m3 at the rear of the superstructure the tank containers will be offloaded during the next call at Ouistreham and replaced by filled units Honfleur will provide capacity for 1,680 passengers and up to 550 cars and 64 trailers – or an all-freight roro payload of 130 trailers As well as being the first vessel to bunker with onboard cranes it will be the first Brittany Ferries’ vessel powered by diesel-electric propulsion Four Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines with a total output of 29,700 kW will drive electric generators and propulsion motors for two fixed-pitch propellers with flap rudders Manoeuvring capability is enhanced with two 2,000-kW thrusters at the bow and one at the stern host: The French region of Normandy served as the backdrop to World War II But it was also the cradle for some of the most beautiful artworks ever made In the towns just east of the D-Day beaches French artists launched the 19th century revolution that became impressionism NPR special correspondent Susan Stamberg has a series of vignettes from those towns the small and charming port town of Honfleur has everything.. (Soundbite of church bells) STAMBERG: ...an iconic old bell tower that gets excited about weddings.. (Soundbite of organ music) STAMBERG: ...an ancient wooden church across the street where the organist does better than "Here Comes the Bride." (Soundbite of organ grinder music) STAMBERG: And along the little cobblestone streets more contemporary music for the hordes of camera-toting tourists Honfleur has a museum with samples of impressionism in Normandy The Boudin Museum was founded by a local boy who made good But his influence is visible in every collection of 19th-century French art His father ran a ferryboat between Honfleur and Le Havre STAMBERG: Bridget Mueller guides visitors around Normandy he fell overboard and was just caught by seamen; otherwise So his mother said: You're not going on this ship again and Eugene Boudin went to sea on the canvases he painted Bridget says there's also hidden proof of the artist's seamanship MUELLER: Every picture painted by Eugene Boudin has on the rear the indication of the weather - the wind force and the weather STAMBERG: That assertion could not be confirmed by this reporter; the Boudin Museum has extremely serious-looking guards - and some seriously fine Boudins: small portable canvases painted outdoors on nearby beaches of Deauville and Trouville Museum guide Rosalee Aussenac says those beaches were just becoming all the rage ROSALEE AUSSENAC (Museum Guide): Up to the 19th century the beach was the place where fishermen used to go to work - not a place to have a nice walk or to have a nice conversation STAMBERG: But Boudin's pictures are full of fancily dressed men and women -long skirts fainting - became nearly epidemic among England's noble and wealthy women going into the sea was not for the faint-hearted then Ladies changed into bathing costumes inside little cabins And he would take her into his arms and walk into the sea (Soundbite of organ grinder music) STAMBERG: Eugene Boudin had a grand time painting all this beach activity If the British - then French - rich were going to the beach and make some money under the sunny-cloudy Norman skies Boudin urged his friend Claude Monet to come to Honfleur STAMBERG: Boudin kept nagging his young friend STAMBERG: There was the amazing light: the rich big-bellied clouds that shifted the sunlight Claude Monet just understood what his friend had been telling him about It was just - he said afterwards that it was just like a curtain that would open in front of his eyes (Soundbite of church bells) STAMBERG: Monet went on to create the very first impressionist painting and to make studies of light as it fell on haystacks tangles of water lilies floating in a pond more Normandy towns where these masterworks were created (Soundbite of church bells) STAMBERG: I'm Susan Stamberg KELLY: We've got some of those paintings from Boudin and Monet at our Web site along with the Normandy scenes that inspired them and a couple of those caricatures Monet was drawing in Paris a collection of lost impressionist and modern art The works were placed in a Paris bank vault in 1939 The man who sealed them there was killed by the Nazis and the art was left forgotten - until bank clerks opened the vault decades later The collection sold for just over $4 million Copyright © 2010 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information Become an NPR sponsor Brittany Ferries’ new LNG-powered ferry Honfleur will not be delivered in time for the 2019 summer season Being built at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard (FSG) in Germany the ship was originally scheduled to enter service in April 2019 on the company’s Caen-Ouistreham (France) and Portsmouth (UK) route However, the German shipyard is reportedly facing a financial crisis. As explained by Brittany Ferries, the financial difficulties are consequence of penalties imposed for late delivery of Irish Ferries’ newest ship “Brittany Ferries awaits a concrete proposal from FSG to secure the contract to deliver Honfleur The company hopes this will come in the very near future and will communicate in more detail at that time,” Brittany Ferries said “Passengers who have booked travel on Honfleur from 9 July will automatically be transferred to Brittany Ferries Normandie The company apologises for any inconvenience and disappointment that this change will cause,” the company added Following the steel-cutting in March 2018 and keel laying in August, the 1,680-passenger, 42,400 gross ton Honfleur was launched in December Honfleur will be the first ferry on the English Channel to be powered by LNG The ship’s hull has been hydro-dynamically optimized — this combined with gas-electric propulsion machinery will reduce energy consumption while minimizing vibration and noise levels In 2017, the environmentally-friendly LNG-powered ferry received financial support from the European Investment Bank’s EUR 750 million Green Shipping Guarantee (GSG) program The companies awarded by MEA get the opportunity to work closely together with a transnational team of Marine Energy experts on both the technical advancement of their technology as well as the development of their commercial strategy and business plans Each service offer is intended to put the company’s technology and business firmly on the […] Brittany Ferries has confirmed its order for a new £175 million (US$223 million) LNG cruise ferry which will join its 10-ship fleet in early 2019 The most popular stories of the month delivered to your inbox deliciously sweet and with the faintest hint of iodine On this immaculate summer morning I'm tucking into a dozen of these plump little beauties in the certain knowledge that nothing is going to top this moment of gastronomic bliss; until a gulp of locally brewed Sagesse Pilsner incroyable!," I call to the stallholder exhausting my limited supply of French adjectives The morning produce market outside Saint Catherine's Church is an enticing introduction to Honfleur a beautifully preserved medieval city at the mouth of the Seine the halfway point on Scenic's 11-day "Normandy and Gems of the Seine" cruise guests have the chance to join a walking tour of the town or a side-trip to the seaside resort of Deauville there are escorted tours of several D-Day Landing sites the D-Day Museum in Arromanches and the Normandy American Cemetery Rediscovered (and immortalised) by artists such as Monet the quiet fishing port soon became a popular holiday destination for Parisians 4 million visitors throng Honfleur's cobbled streets over summer Locals seem to take this annual influx in their stride visiting yachts motor in the picturesque harbour and the crowd at the Wednesday morning farmers' market swells "In Normandy we are not afraid to open our doors to people," says Adeline landscape and architecture – all of these thing make Normandy such an interesting place." it's no surprise that the people of this region are so defiantly proud of their identity Even my platter of freshly shucked oysters flies the Norman flag The fresh produce at today's market provides an insight into Normandy's natural abundance from land and sea Apart from its celebrated seafood (Normandy produces a quarter of France's oysters) calvados; this apple brandy has been distilled here for more than 500 years and is traditionally drunk to refresh the appetite during a lengthy Norman feast "You drink Calvados in one shot," says Adeline "It burns a hole in your stomach and this way you can keep eating We name this the Norman hole [Le Trou Normand]." Only cheese is perhaps treated with as much reverence as calvados which is still made on family-owned cider farms dotted around the countryside visitors will find plenty of small restaurants cafes and patisseries in Honfleur – along with boutiques selling sailor shirts and caps buttery biscuits and every type of calvados imaginable The port also provides an abundance of architectural gems timbered medieval houses and the distinctive narrow terraces that line Quai Saint Catherine; in the 16th century local regulations limited the width of buildings to 7.6 metres "They are actually one house built on top of another," says Adeline "With one entrance on the quay and another round the corner on the Rue du Dauphin." A little further up the hill is Saint Catherine's Church has a vaulted oak ceiling resembling an inverted ship's hull and a quaint bell tower Honfleur's long and colourful past includes Viking invaders Erik Satie and clutch of trans-Atlantic explorers traveller.com.au/france British Airways flies from Sydney and Melbourne to London Heathrow via Singapore, with plenty of connections to Paris. Phone 1300 767 177 or see britishairways.com Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now On this immaculate summer morning I'm tucking into a dozen of these plump little beauties in the certain knowledge that nothing The morning produce market outside Saint Catherine's Church is an enticing introduction to Honfleur the halfway point on Scenic's 11-day "Normandy and Gems of the Seine" cruise 4 million visitors throng Honfleur's cobbled streets over summer and the crowd at the Wednesday morning farmers' market swells landscape and architecture \\u2013 all of these thing make Normandy such an interesting place." it's no surprise that the people of this region are so defiantly proud of their identity The fresh produce at today's market provides an insight into Normandy's natural abundance from land and sea Apart from its celebrated seafood (Normandy produces a quarter of France's oysters) cafes and patisseries in Honfleur \\u2013 along with boutiques selling sailor shirts and caps A little further up the hill is Saint Catherine's Church has a vaulted oak ceiling resembling an inverted ship's hull and a quaint bell tower Honfleur's long and colourful past includes Viking invaders British Airways flies from Sydney and Melbourne to London Heathrow via Singapore Scenic's 11-day "Normandy and Gems of the Seine" cruise sails from Paris to Paris via Honfleur and includes escorted day trips to the Somme battlefield and Omaha Beach plus shore excursions to Monet's Garden