We docked in La Havre, France this morning at 7 am. This port is the second largest port in France, after that of Marseille, and is the largest container port. The name Le Havre means “the harbour” or “the port.”
This port and city on the Seine River were founded by King Francis I of France in 1517 and development was interrupted by religious wars, epidemics and storms. At the end of the 18th century, the port became important for slave trade and later for international trade.
The entrance of the harbor appeared to be an old fortification from WWII days and currently there is a lighthouse at the mouth of the harbor. As we pulled into port, we noticed the new Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Sea docked. It is on its maiden voyage, having been launched on April 16th. It holds over 4000 passengers. It is too big for our tastes.
We boarded a bus at 8:15 for transport to Paris and a city tour of the main attractions. Our guide was excellent and we saw the exteriors of most of the main attractions in the city.
The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces.
 |
| Earline at the Eiffel Tower |
Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world.[3] The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.91 million people ascended it in 2015.
The Paris Ferris Wheel (Grande Roue de Paris).
It seems there is a custom to placing locks on various monuments in Paris to show a sign of commitment to each other. Recently, thousands of locks were removed from the Pont des Arts bridge because of worry over the weight hurting the bridge.
The Louvre Museum
At 1 pm to 4 pm we had time on our own and spent part of that time eating in a French cafe and drinking wine. We walked along the Seine river and across a few bridges.
Getting through rush hour traffic, we were back on the boat at 6:45 pm looking forward to dinner and more wine. Life is hard. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment