Trip to Normandie -Day 2 (27 Apr 2008)

Dieppe

The next morning, we took a walk along the beach in front of the hotel. It was Sunday, the place was very quiet compared to when we arrived yesterday afternoon. Spotted a few ships and yatchts sailing in the horizon. The sea was very calm and serene.

****View of the sea (English Channel) from the hotel beach

****another view along the promenade

****the pebbly beach..

It was very cold and windy so we just took a short walk and then went for some coffee and croissants in the town before checking out of the hotel.

****the hotel cat - sweet and plump with a black moustache

Honfleur

On the way to Mont St Michel, we decided to stop by Honfleur for lunch. Honfleur is a very pretty little port, full of art galleries, cafes and restaurants. There were a lot of people there, i think a mixture of local and international tourists.

****Honfleur - St Catherine quay in the center of town

****another view of the pretty St Catherine quay

****Some artists painting from a church in town

We had lunch at one of the many restaurants around the quay. It was rather touristy fare- i think there are better restaurants further away from the quay near the old town area which we noticed when we took a stroll around the town after lunch.

****Lunch - seafood platter with mustard and sauerkraut

****Honfleur - a street in the old town

Bayeux

Our next stop was Bayeux - a beautiful historical town with a grand cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame). The most famous attraction here is the Bayeux Tapestry which is almost a thousand years old and some say, is the world's oldest comic strip. It is about 230 feet long and sets out in continuous form the story of William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066, culminating in the battle of Hastings and the subjugation of England to Normandy. After all these centuries, the linen tapestry is still in amazing form with the colours still vivid.

*****Centre Guillaume-le-Conque'rant which houses the tapestry

Ducey
We arrived in Ducey around 6pm. Ducey is a small village about 15 km from Mont St Michel. That will be our overnight stop for the day. The hotel that we booked used to be an old mill -it's very charming with views of the canal from the hotel room. All the shops in the village were closed; however we managed to have some dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel just 2 mins walk away.

*****Ducey hotel (building on right)