Europe, 2019, Cont.: The French Coast

Brest and Environs, Brittany, May 26

We reached Brest on a Sunday, when the shops were closed but voting was supposedly in full swing for the European Parliament.   The ship’s tour took us to Morlaix, a picturesque town with a 15th century church, but there we found little evidence of electoral fever.  There were a few defaced posters and a sign on the mairie confirming its location as a polling station.  Standing in front for five minutes that afternoon, we saw only two citizens enter the building.

15th Century Church of Mėlaine

Morlaix Square

The tour then bussed us to the Château de Kerjean, built just in time for the 16th century Wars of Religion by a Protestant marquis.  The Edict of Nantes saved his fortune, but a descendant was not so lucky during the French Revolution.  She was evicted in 1794, sent to Paris, and summarily guillotined.

Château de Kerjean

Cherbourg, Normandy, May 27

An overnight sail brought the Navigator to Cherbourg, which served as the Allies' main supply port once it was captured following the June 6 landings.  The city suffered considerable damage during the war, and the 15th Century Basilica of the Holy Trinity, one of Cherbourg's oldest buildings, is still under refurbishment.

Basilica of the Holy Trinity

A ship's tour took us out to Cap de la Hague on the tip of Cherbourg's Cotentin Peninsula.  The wild scenery and sheer cliffs, reportedly among the steepest in Europe, reminded us of Ireland's Atlantic coast.

On the Cap de la Hague

The same tour took us to the Port of St. Racine, supposedly the smallest officially designated port in France, as the photo below strongly suggests.  The port is named for a French corsair who anchored here in between raids on English shipping during the Napoleonic Wars.

St. Racine