Port of Le Havre in France

We get off the ship and grab a taxi to go see Les Jardins Suspendus (the hanging gardens). They are in an old fortress way up on the hill.

I figure we can walk back down into town easier than climbing up. Forts have a way of being up on hills overlooking harbours. It give the defenders a big advantage in range since they shoot cannons downhill and the attackers face the opposite physics.

The French taxi driver doesn't seem encouraging. He says “If you wish” in a voice that means “why would you go there?”. Later he tells us that tourists don't go there and that we can expect to walk back to town”.

The gardens, old fort and greenhouses are fascinating. We poke around for an hour or two and hike back into town. We have a crap Internet map and get lost until we find a tourist bureau and score a better map with street names and everything.

We have lunch at the Museum of Modern Art which boasts a large collection of early 20th century impressionist paintings. We split 50 CL of Sauvignon Blanc and a salmon sandwich.

There is a strange new church here built in 1948 after the 8th Air Force smashed most of the town to rubble. It has a tall tower with lots of stained glass.

We see some graffiti.

Museum art.

Views from the fort.