Day 6: Honfleur and Merville

It rains again overnight. Fortunately, all the stuff is stored in the camper. The towels from yesterday are still not dry. There is no dryer at the campsite. We leave the campsite around 9:30 am and cross the Seine via the Pont de Normandie, a toll bridge. The crossing of 856 meters costs € 5.50. Right on the other side of the Seine is Honfleur. With its narrow houses, charming streets, picturesque half-timbered houses, and remnants of the 17th-century fortifications, this fishing town is one of the most charming places in Normandy. We take in the atmosphere and walk through the town and along the Seine. The children also admire a boat lift that lowers 4 ships. Then we return to the car. After a short shopping trip, we arrive at the Calvados Expérience museum 20 minutes later. First, we have a picnic in the parking lot to start our visit refreshed. The Calvados Expérience museum offers an animated video presentation on the topic of Calvados. We receive a German-language presentation. We enter 7 rooms one after the other and receive information about Normandy, apple harvesting, the production of Calvados, and storage in barrels. The apple brandy is made by fermenting the apple into cider. Then this cider is heated and the steam cools down. The resulting drop is the Calvados. The quality of the brandy depends on the apple, how many times the distillation process is carried out, the barrel storage (type of wood), and of course the age of the Calvados. Afterwards, we are allowed to taste 4 different varieties and treat ourselves to a bottle of Calvados, a regional cider, and 1 bottle of apple juice for the children. Now we continue to the campsite in Merville. It's still early. We do laundry, prepare dinner, and the boys go swimming. The sites usually have playgrounds and other activities. The children like to explore the sites and we are also a well-coordinated team. I imagined the loading and unloading to be more time-consuming. Traveling by bus is quick and affordable. We can see and experience so much. After dinner, we decide spontaneously to walk to the English Channel. The sun is just setting and the children collect seashells. That's when the holiday mood sets in.