Stories from the Road/France

Stories from the Road

October 1, 2010

Good morning,

The winds are blowing hard today in Honfleur, and a cold chill has gripped Normandy. Fires have been lit in our small hotel, and we are comfortable. Today we are taking a rest day and will read, cruise shops, and take pictures, if the rain holds off.

Last night Elayne, Vicki, and I ate at a restaurant near our hotel. Rob wasn't feeling well, so he skipped dinner. Vicki had steak, and Elayne and I has Cornish hen. The food was good, and our waiter, who spoke reasonable English, told us of his visits to New York and Los Angeles. Florida, New York City, and California seem to be places Europeans like to visit. We left some extra Euros for our genial server and made our way uphill through the cobblestone streets to out hotel, La Maison de Lucia.

Last night I thought more about our visit to Omaha Beach and the American cemetery there. It is an important place to visit.  It stimulates thought and connects us to past generations and our history in meaningful ways. The cemetery is sobering and inspiring.

Now Vicki and I are sitting before the fire listening to Mozart's 21 ST symphony reading and enjoying the setting. My feet rest on a beautiful oriental rug, and flowers and antiques grace the room. At some point we will walk into town, but there is no rush.

Our first walk into town was pleasant in spite of the steady rain. We found an interesting place for dinner. The menu looks good, the prices are reasonable, and the decor tasteful. There are few people in town, and I think it will close down for the winter soon. Last night we were the only people in our restaurant. Now we are back in the hotel reading.

The hotel staff is very nice. There is a very gracious woman from Senegal who serves breakfast, which consists of wonderful breads, pastries, cheeses, and bacon and eggs. She married a Frenchman and lives in the area. Her smile is radiant and warms the hotel. The woman at reception is very interpersonally skilled. She is professional, but you feel connected with her right away. She told me she hated computers, and the next day the hotel lost its Internet, which she attributed to cyber-space revenge.

Honfleur is filled with fine restaurants, bakeries, and tasteful shops. Chocolate stores are everywhere as are art galleries. The town may be the non-skiing Aspen of Normandy. It seems void of the trinket shops that adorn many tourist villages. Calvados is the locally produced liquor, and it certainly tasted good the other night. I may have one after dinner this evening.

It is still raining, and the wind has been blowing hard all afternoon. I slept some and finished my book. We are now drinking a bottle of Clos De L'Oratoire De Papes 2008 from Provence. I bought it at the winery we visited in Provence. Tonight we'll eat at a place I saw this afternoon while walking in town. Tomorrow we'll hop in our Ford mini van and tour some more.