Honfleur

In 1517, Francois the First, King of France developed a new Transocean port known today as Le Havre.
But before then then, Honfleur was the main port of the Seine estuary.
Honfleur later gained fame thanks to the impressionist painters that used to paint the town and harbour and also used to stay in the Saint Simeon farm where they got cheap and food and lodging.
There is a museum in the town itself dedicated to one of these painters, Eugène Boudin. He was among the first artists to paint outside and later met the young Claude Monet, introducing him to the importance of light in painting.
Honfleur is most famous today for its port known as the “Old Dock” where the medieval trading ships and war ships used to tie up.. But the town has many other things to show to the visitor.
First of all, the church of Saint Catherine which was built at the end of the Hundred Years War. The population of Normandy had fallen by two-thirds during the Hundred Years War and so skilled stone-masons were scarce. The villagers decided that to build the church the local boat carpenters would be a good substitute. These carpenters built a wooden church, the roof of the nave can still be seen today to be the shape of an inverted ships hull.
Honfleur today is now made up of a large number of Cafes, restaurants, Art galleries and shops selling local products.