Saturday – Le Havre
Today, we landed in Le Havre, France. It was bloomin’ cold out, with a bit of a keen wind blowing, but the 20-minute walk into town was, thankfully, reduced to a short shuttle bus drive.
We didn’t find anything particularly remarkable about the place, but did endeavour to hunt down the highlights listed in the daily blurb, and places to visit courtesy of the Travel Advisor website.
Our first stop, on foot, was what appeared to be the tallest building in Le Havre; looking distinctly like a very tall lighthouse, it was in fact a modern church. The windows set into the tall tower also gave it the vaguest impression of a tall office block, but it wasn’t until we stepped inside the place that it really came into its own. It was a church, of course, with seats surrounding a central, modern-looking altar area, but above it, the tall tower stretched away upwards; an empty space for sure, but with coloured glass in each of those windows, giving the whole thing a strangely futuristic, retro sci-fi look. It was absolutely marvellous!
Our next stop was the Museum of Modern Art (or, MuMa). It’s normally 5 euros each to get in, but we were delighted to discover that it’s free on the first Saturday of every month… woo hoooo!!!
MuMa is a modern, purpose-built gallery, housing a broad collection of, mostly, impressionist paintings; Gaugin, Monet, Pisarro featured strongly, but the largest part of the gallery appeared to be dedicated to the work of Baudin.
There were a couple of Renoirs there, and even a single offering from John Constable… an enjoyable cultural meander if ever there was one.
I have to say at this juncture that I haven’t been feeling well all day. I’ve been dogged by this gripy stomach – not sick, but more akin to trapped wind – since waking up this morning. By the time we were half-way round the gallery, I was starting to feel particularly rough, and all I could think of was being back on board ship and curled up on the bed…
The Notre Dame Cathedral (not THAT Notre Dame Cathedral) was our last stop before arriving back at the bus stop, waiting for the shuttle bus to return. The cathedral wasn’t open, it was cold, and it was raining… I think it’s safe to say that, by that point, I’d had enough.
Back at the ship, I did indeed spend the afternoon curled up and moaning on the bed.
It’s the last night for these passengers aboard the Marco Polo. Franky, the Cruise Director made an excellent speech at the end of the evening show, acknowledging the difficult times we’ve all suffered over the last couple of weeks, but finished on a very poignant high note… nice one Franky!
Tomorrow, we arrive back in Tilbury, and I lose my partner in crime, temporarily at least. Sadly, Tracey has to return to work for a week, but all things well, plans to be re-joining the ship in Madeira (…or will she?… watch this space…).
Sunday is turnaround day; the Canary Islands Cruise Passengers depart and the Amazon Cruise Passengers embark, thus beginning a whole new adventure….
