Exploring Honfleur

Today was our first full day in Honfleur. We got up for a breakfast of fresh baguettes and nutella, which I could get used to! Then a group of us went up the hill to church at Notre Dame de Grace, which is a small Catholic chapel. It was originally built for Richard II, Duke of Normandy in 1023, then reconstructed in 1615. Though we couldn't understand, it was easy to follow along for the songs, and the set up of the service is the same as any other Catholic mass, so we all did OK. Very cool experience being in such an old church and worshipping in a French congregation. Then we came back for lunch before spending the afternoon exploring. We walked down to the turret we can see from our window, then walked to a park along the English Channel with beautiful gardens. The afternoon turned out nice, and we wandered into town and window shopped. Honfleur looks like it is out of a storybook, and we had fun We successfully ordered ice cream and croissants in French, and were very proud of ourselves. After dinner, we took a walk up in the Norman country side. While we got a little lost, we did see a bunch of houses straight out of Disney story books, cow coutry, horses, owls, and beautiful sunset over the English Channel. We also walked down to an old farm house which is now a hotel and restaurant. Its famous because many artists have painted it, including Monet. All in all a good first day exploring, and I feel already over my jet lag. Classes begin tomorrow!