Le Havre

One weekend, I decided to take the train to Le Havre, as I particularly wanted to visit Musée Malraux, an art gallery with many impressionist paintings.

The gallery is right by the ocean and has glass walls so you can see the sea, which makes it a really nice setting. Another advantage is that it's not too busy, unlike other galleries I've visited over the last year, such as Musée d'Orsay and the Uffizi gallery. I enjoyed looking at the impressionist paintings in the permanent collection, and also the exhibition that was taking place at the time (Né(e)s de l'écume et des rêves), an art collection inspired by the sea.

Afterwards, I explored the city, which was mostly destroyed during World War Two and rebuilt in the years that followed.

Buildings I saw included St. Joseph's Church...

...the cathedral...                                 

...and the city hall.

Before going back, I went for a ride on the funicular railway. There are very good views from the top. It made me think of Valparaíso!

I found Le Havre to be a really interesting place for a day out, especially for people who like art.

One of the good things about being based in Rouen is that it's easy to get to other nearby cities on the train. Le Havre is 50 minutes away, and Paris St. Lazare is about an hour and a half away. The closest city is Dieppe, which takes 45 minutes to get to. And that's where I went next!