Hi Everyone,
We had another lie in day today as we were only in Le Havre a few weeks ago so we when we woke up we were greeted with the views of the city. You'll also see the distinctive multi coloured containers made into two arches which I'll go into more detail later.
We headed out to shore around 10am as we weren't leaving till 8:30pm in the evening so we had all day to wander around. It's about a 20 minute walk just to get out of the port but you are allowed it and we didn't want to pay €7 for the shuttle bus that takes you into the centre of town. Also, there was a very long line to just buy the tickets for it but it's our third time here in the span of about 2 years so we know our way round.
Once you're out of the port area there is a fish market right opposite, the distinctive smell gives it away and it's about a 15 minute walk to the container. It also gives you views of the harbour as well as the cruise ship which is docked right opposite.
These multi coloured containers are called The Catène de Containers which is an art installation by Vincent Ganivet has become one of Le Havre’s newest and most distinctive landmarks. This installation was created for Le Havre’s 500th anniversary celebration and it has even been dubbed ‘Le Havre’s Eiffel Tower’. It looks like a giant set of building blocks, the artist has assembled a string of multicolored shipping containers making up two monumental arches that sit between the city and the sea.
From here you can walk into the town centre, there is lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. When walking into the city centre we passed Le Havre Cathedral also known as Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Havre. We've been in it once several years ago, before I had children but since then it's not been open and we've only viewed it from the outside.
From here we walked along the Bassin du Commerce which is a small rectangular lake in the middle of the city and decided to head to Docks Vauban which is a shopping centre. We've never walked that way in Le Havre so we thought why not? The interesting part of this shopping mall is that the buildings the shopping mall is situated in use to be the town’s historic coffee, spice and cotton warehouses.
After having a wander round, buying my son another Lego set we decided to head back to the ship for some lunch. After lunch we let my son run around in the splash zone to let off some steam before we had dinner that evening.
We sailed at sea for a day before stopping at Le Verdon sur Mer which is a tiny town but it's known as the Bordeaux Port. The next post will be both days combined as there isn't much to see in Le Verdon dur Mer.
Until next time, stay tuned.