HI,
Had a lovely day with cruising friends Steve and Valerie. We’d last seen Valerie in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia many years ago and Steve more recently, but also years. No matter, we just picked up from where we’d left off. They live about 90 minutes from here and drove over to see us and then took us off to a lovely village in the country for a stroll, tea at the old church and then a pub stop. It was great. Doubly great after our disappointment this morning trying to visit HMS Victory at the historic dock. We took the ferry over to Portsmouth side to be there 10 am when it opened but it was part of the venue of an all day festival sold old ages ago. Not one of the 50,000 tickets left. So we took the ferry back and spent the morning in Gasport going to Morrison’s for a few groceries, to a bedding shop for our new warm duvet, and then a book shop where the paperbacks were 3 for 5 pounds. I also bought a book for 1.99 pounds called Green Men & White Swans : the Folklore of British Pub Names by Jacqueline Simpson. Should be fun reading.
Tomorrow at daylight we’re off to East Bourne about 61 miles away. Hoping the tides won’t be too terribly awful and make the passage take forever. The 73 miles Cherbourg took 15 hours because of the adverse currents. The weather is supposed to be pleasant when we start off, so that’s good at least.
We have loved Gasport and hope to take the train back to spend time across the way visiting Portsmouth. So nice to be in England!
Ru
Cherbourg for a Day
“First of all by its maritime temper. Located on the Channel, near the Anglo-Norman islands, close to the English coast, Cherbourg is at the heart of an exceptional nautical dock, with a huge sea wall and its dikes, monumental architectural masterpiece from the 18th century. This sea wall offers an ideal space to practice nautical sports.
… with its architectural and botanical heritage. Its Italian style theatre, its churches, its museums, its secret streets boarded by blue schist houses, or its former transatlantic harbour station. Flagship of the Art Deco, it shelters today La Cité de la Mer, theme park dedicated to the human adventure under water where you can discover a nuclear submarine (the only one you can visit in the world) and an abyssal aquarium. The town cultivates an exceptional botanical heritage, inherited from the sailors, scientists and adventurers which stopped over in this port.
Town of history, of culture and of travellers, Cherbourg possesses a long welcoming tradition. It lives with intensity, following the rhythm of great events such as regattas, the 9th art biennial, the botanical event Presqu’île en Fleurs… and welcomes cruisers all year round.”
http://www.ville-cherbourg.fr/en/public/tourist/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/109354/Cherbourg will tell you the history if you want to read about it.
|
DoraMac on dock H, a visitor dock just near the marina entrance. The docks float up and down with the tide and you can see the variation on the piling; how much of it is under-water at high tide. |
|
This is low tide. At high tide the ramp is almost horizontal. |
|
The statue of Napoleon in the park just outside the marina
J’avais besoin de renouveler à Cherbourg les merveilles de l’egypte or something that looks like that is written on the base of the statue. “I needed to renew the wonders of Cherbourg Egypt” is how Google translates it but I think it must be not quite right. Maybe Napoleon needs to reproduce the wonders of Egypt in Cherbourg. “The statue of Napoleon has stood in Cherbourg for well over a hundred years causing little or no controversy. During the occupation the statue became a strange focus of early unrest for the Germans. The German General who was in charge of the garrison in the city at the time of the American entry into the war, was reported in the press as saying that Napoleon was pointing the way to the defeat of America. Members of the Resistance painted onto the base of the statue that Napoleon was in fact pointing the way out of Russia for the Germans. The Germans painted out the graffiti, but some days later more slogans appeared. This went on for some weeks and finally the general lost patience and shot Napoleon in the leg with his pistol. Not content with that he also shot the horse in the neck. You can still see both bullet holes to this day. This was not the only early defiance against the Germans. Three sisters used to regularly walk along the sea front on summer days wearing Red, White and blue dresses. On one occasion a local football team turned out against a German team wearing Blue socks, White shorts and Red shirts.” |
|
See the dark hole on the boot: perhaps the bullet hole |
|
Basilica of the Holy Trinity “Among the religious buildings, visit the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, which, according to tradition, was built by St. Ereptiole in 435, destroyed by the Normans in 841; then it was rebuilt and reconstructed in various ways over the centuries. The last large destruction took place during the World War II. The church, rebuilt after the war (very wide, 46 meters long and 28 wide) has three naves, with four large side chapels; the Tower, built in the First half of the 19th century, is over 20 metres high. It owns valuable and antiques paintings, such as "The Visit of the Holy Women at the tomb of Jesus" by Flemish painter Gaspard Crayer (1582-1669), and the “Adoration of the Shepherds” by Philippe de La Hire (1640-1718).” |
|
|
|
Huge organ |
|
Light and dark |
|
20th Century Stained Glass Windows by Jean Gaudin
Reflected light and painted columns were my favorite part. |
|
Garden of the small book shop where I bought the tiniest Larousse French/Anglais dictionary on earth that fits my palm. |
|
The music shop across the street |
|
Pastries and Flowers : how French! |
|
And outdoor cafes The man to the far left enters our story below… |
|
He saw us admiring his 3 wheeled motorcycle
Randal got to sit at the helm |
|
Kids and fountains |
|
Fruit cheese wine |
|
How French… all she need is a bouquet of flowers and a baguette in her straw basket AND A BIKE HELMET !!! |
|
I thought this place was so cute when Randal and I passed by in the morning. Later, about 1:45 when I stopped by I was told one couldn’t order just tea as it was a restaurant, not a tea shop. I found someplace else, but that’s a later story… |
|
A tea shop; which often doesn’t serve lunch, but not where I had my tea |
