Post 62. Le Havre 8. Day Tripping from Le Havre: Honfleur, Étretat and Fécamp

When in France, one of the first things we usually do is look online for a list of flea markets, vide-greniers, garage sales, etc. As luck would have it, we happened to arrive on the weekend of the annual Fête des Greniers Vides in Montivilliers - formerly a separate town but now, to all intents and purposes, a suburb of the city. As it was only a few kilometres' drive away, we immediately made a plan.

 

 

This was one of the biggest flea markets we had ever been to, and it was spread out all over the town for one day. While we love strolling around flea markets, I don't ever remember buying anything at one in over ten years. Today was different, however, and we came away with these four double espresso cups for 50 cents each - what a bargain!

 

 

Les Jardins Suspendus

A surprising local discovery was Les Jardins Suspendus in Sainte-Adresse. I saw this place online and found it hard to believe that I had never heard of it before, as it looked like it had always been there.

 

 

A little online digging explained everything. Don't go expecting a Le Havre version of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon however - it is actually an old hilltop fortress, transformed in recent decades into a beautiful set of gardens, whose greenhouses and outdoor spaces feature exquisite flowers, trees and grasses from five continents. The best thing about it, though, is the exceptional view of the sea, the port and the city centre.

 

Honfleur 

 

On our last day in Le Havre, we took out the car and went for a spin to Honfleur, Étretat and Fécamp, three of the gems of the local area. We had visited each of them before, but not for decades. We started off in Honfleur, and within minutes of our arrival we were completely taken aback by the number of foreign tourists. This was full-on mass tourism in Normandy. We escaped the main drags as soon as we could and went down some of the side streets which were a lot quieter. 

 

 

 

 

It seemed many had come on tour buses from cruise ships. There were so many people on the streets that it became uncomfortable - and this on a weekday in mid-September. What on earth is it like at the height of the tourist season? After a quick tour of the quays and a few of the quieter side streets, we had had enough, and we were gone within the hour.

 

Étretat

 

Next it was on to Étretat, to see the cliffs and walk the promenade. This town had a completely different feel to it. Yes, there were a lot of tourists about, but not the hordes of Honfleur. There was a great outdoor arts and crafts market, where we bought some lavender hanging things for wardrobes, and we sheltered from a heavy rain shower while enjoying some crêpes in a café on the seafront.

 

Fécamp

The last part of the plan was to go to Fécamp for a final seafood lunch feast in a restaurant that seems to have a huge social media following, called Chez Nounoute. However, we got delayed doing some wine shopping in a local supermarket, and we arrived in Fécamp just as the lunch sitting was finishing up. Instead, we found a lovely alternative in another seafront restaurant that was open until 4pm - see the previous post for more details.

 

 

After lunch, we took a brisk walk along the promenade in the wind and rain and admired some of the impressive metal sculptures, before it was time to head back to Le Havre and visit our last hypermarket of the trip.

So that was it - our seven days in Le Havre were over in a flash. Going back to a place after almost 40 years is always a bit of a risk. My wife Tricia always says she is not someone who goes back. I am the opposite, I love revisiting my past lives and reconnecting if it happens. In this respect Le Havre did not disappoint. 

When I lived here in 1987 as a 23-year-old, I have to admit I never gave the architecture a second thought. This time I saw it with fresh eyes - the Perret buildings, the street art, Monet's view of the harbour - and it all made a lot more sense. 

Add in a comfortable HomeExchange house, good simple food, a flea market bargain, a day trip to three of the iconic coastal tourist  towns and a car boot full of wine, and it was hard to ask for more. 

A big thank you as well to Bettina, Florence, Martine and Antoine, whose local tips added greatly to our experience. Le Havre is not on most people's list of places to visit in France, but maybe it should be. Next stop, the Balkans sometime in the spring! Stay tuned ...

 

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