Walking through Honfleur on a sunny day is like walking through a painting. Courbet, Monet, and Boudin came here to paint the quaint harbour town in northern France in the 19th century. The dreamy greys, slates, and earthy reds echo impressionism beg to be painted.

The town sits on the base of the Seine river, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, and seafood overflows every plate in the bustling town. It was the last day of our Normandy road-trip and we were hopeful to suck up as much culture and food as possible.

We parked our little Renault and wandered through the town. Like most well-known towns in Normandy, Honfleur is full of tourists, especially in June. But it’s Sunday; it’s quieter, calmer, and the American tourists don’t seem as loud. There is a fresh food market in the centre of the town and I’m already salivating.

Walking down the streets I have seen in art books for years was a surreal experience; it felt as though I had become a part of the paintings I had studied.

Seafood is a certainty in Honfleur

There are countless restaurants that sell seafood towers and giant plates of shellfish. Adam and I randomly picked a place a sat outside on the street. We went classic. White wine and garlic mussels. Beer. Fresh warm bread.

I could see and smell the ocean where the mussels just came from. They were full of flavour but the ocean was still there.

Perfection.