HONFLEUR AND THE BAYEUX TAPESTRIES

Today is our last night on the boat, and we have a full day today. We are docked today at Honfleur, which is a totally adorable place, made even more adorable today by the fact that it’s a market day and also a holiday because tomorrow is Easter. 

It’s an old city, Honfleur comes from norse words meaning up the river and there was another port on the other side that was a bit downstream, but it eventuallly silted up.  n the present day, across the river on the other side, which we can’t see from our ship, is Le Havre.
I don’t have much to tell about this town, other than it’s so cute and picturesque, and I’m just going to post the pictures. There’s a fishing harbor, though not much commercial fishing left, a farmer’s market where they are selling what we usually get at farmer’s market, but also including various kinds of cooked foods and also a small flea market is there today as well. 

There was a real organ grinder, but apparently he didn’t have enough money for a monkey, so he brought an old, fairly lazy cat. The organ grinder kept having to shoo a pigeon away from the cat’s food, because the cat was too lazy.
I’m writing this on the bus, as we have just been to visit the Bayeux tapestries They were absolutely wonderful. We were allowed to go into a darkened room and given headsets, and as we walked through the room looking at the tapestry, they told us the story that the tapestry describes. It’s not really a tapestry, by the way, but a 200 foot long embroidery which culminates in the Battle of Hastings. It tells the story of Harold, who made an oath to defend William (the Bastard’s) right of succession to be king of England when Edward died. But as soon as Edward died, he decided to try to gain the throne himself. He was crowned but there was argument whether Edward had changed his mind or Harold had stolen it from William. Seven months later, Haley’s comet appeared, and the people figured he was being punished for having broken his oath. Eventually William decided to mount an attack, which was eventually successful, making him William the Conqueror in 1066.
We couldn’t take any pictures, and we didn’t spend any time in town, so I have no pictures for this visit. It was the best museum of the trip for me, though. I was sorely tempted to buy a kit to embroider a pillow from one of these, but stopped myself just in time and before I spent 66 Euros on it as well.
Tonight we had our Easter bonnet contest (since tomorrow is Easter) then the Captain’s dinner, then trying to pack all our souveniers into our suitcase so we can leave tomorrow. Tomorrow we visit the Caen peace memorial and our group divides up. Some of us will go on to Brittany, some will go to London, and the rest will go home. I think we’re going to stay in St. Malo tomorrow nighte.  Here are some Easter bonnet pictures from our Easter bonnet contest tonight.  You were supposed to make an Easter bonnet from whatever you had available.  I forgot to get a picture of my own or Zoe's, but we didn't win anyway.