After leaving England on May 25th, our ship (the MS Zuiderdam) sailed for France on the continuation of our 16 day long transatlantic cruise. We disembarked at the port of Le Havre on May 26th. Originally, Ron and I planned to tour the Normandy D-Day beaches and American cemetery but we decided that the 9 hour bus trip and tour would be too much for Ron who needed a wheelchair for mobility. We sold our tickets to fellow cruisers Sally and Charlie who didn't have tickets and wanted to see the D-Day Landing site. They later told us that the trip was unsuitable for a wheelchair with a lot of walking over uneven ground and beach.
Ron and I took the shuttle bus into Le Havre for lunch and sightseeing. Le Havre is the second largest French port (after Marseille) and is where the River Seine empties into the ocean.
It is a city of beautiful city planning and architecture by Auguste Perret and was the birthplace of Impressionism.
We were a little early for lunch but after walking a bit, we stumbled onto a gem, La Taverne Paillette
They only spoke French here which we do not speak. They assisted Ron up the steps into the restaurant and seated us at a very nice table. We understood that the kitchen would not open until 12 noon and it was only 11:30AM. They provided us only menus in French which we looked over and used Google on my cell phone to translate what we didn't understand. After a half hour we ordered wine, Steak Tartare for Ron and a Plateaux of Fruits de Mer which included Oysters, Prawns, Norway Lobsters (langoustine), Whelks, and Periwinkle Snails. Absolutely delicious!
We went on to see St. Joseph Church. With it's tower and beautiful stained glass windows, this was a beautiful sanctuary for all who enter.
We found a French Bakery where I purchased a Chocolate Creme Eclair and a Baba au Rhum to take back to the ship with us for a very sweet morning breakfast.
Ron and I went back to the port shuttle bus to go back on the ship, looking forward to our next port of call, Dover, England. See Part 5 for more of The Last Voyage.
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