Old town, new town, harbour, shopping mall. Everything in Cherbourg, France had one thing in common: charm. We walked right off the ship and found it everywhere.
Sometimes visits just work out. There are so many things that can work against a short stop along the way: weather can be unpredictable, moods can swing, travel ills can cause discomfort. But this day in Cherbourg, all the magic worked.
True to my travel style, I had done little research. I was asked by my history-buff friends: would we be visiting the sites of the Battle of Normandy? set foot on Omaha Beach? tour the medieval compounds? But, in a short morning and afternoon visit, I would have to spend 3 hours on a bus to get to those historical places. These are the compromises of travel, right? In this port, I had the opportunity to just step off the ship and walk. I took it.
We wound right around the harbour area, heading toward the darkened roofline of the medieval section of town. Buildings defined the different areas: sparkling white stone and clean windows lined the harbour. Sharp-angled rooflines, so greyed that I was certain the soot from last century still lay upon the tiles, called to us to walk farther into the town and further back into this area’s past. History lay all around me. I listened for and heard the beautiful whirr of the French language.
The charm of the old town, with its twisting streets – narrow and lined with tall buildings – pulled us into the maze and immediately lost us. The only thing to do was to pick a direction and continue, relishing in the adventure of being lost in a safe place. Along the way, we strolled through a beautiful garden, the product of centuries of careful planning and tending. We strayed up a dead-end alleyway, then retraced our steps to find ourselves suddenly un-lost and at the door of the ancient sea-side church Basilique Sainte-Trinite. From this vantage, I looked back to the harbour, and once again found my bearings. We headed back into the old town, searching for the fountain, wandering along and enjoying the flow of other tourists and many residents.
The charm of the alleyways called my attention. Such a variety of narrow spits of passageways. Alleys were everywhere, laid out to connect walkers to different areas of town. Even in the residential sections, the narrow but open-topped tunnels cut a route from here to there. I couldn’t follow them all, but wanted to.
Through the neighborhoods we walked, and there we found residential charm. Attached to the apartment complexes were small plots of garden land, with pint-sized potting sheds sitting on each section. What would these city farmers plant in their gardens? As I walked, I saw rowcrops of vegetables, and many, many flowers. But mostly, I saw green. Green everything: grass, budding trees, leafing flowers and bushes. We walked up the hills to the larger houses and back down into town, wanting to stretch our legs and our time.
Our return trip took us again through the old town. A cafe owner was attending to patrons sitting at his sidewalk tables. He answered a remark by one of the customers. I didn’t hear the question, but the answer charmed me as much as the town itself had. “Stay as long as you want, we love your company.”
And that’s how I left our short visit to Cherbourg: relishing the welcome and feeling like I wanted to come back, explore the small inviting pathways, listen longer to the language, and enjoy the hospitality.
Stop by Restless Jo’s Monday Walks for more…
One Small Walk... 
Lovely tour. The place looks enchanting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s exactly the right word – enchanting 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, how I wish I could have gone along that walk with you! It must have been hard to make the decision to bypass the traditional destinations, but it’s obvious that you made the right decision for you. “…relishing in the adventure of being lost in a safe place” I love that!
LikeLike
Janis – We would have had such fun. My first choice is always to walk whenever I can, not take a bus or tour. It doesn’t always work, but it did this time! Hope the healing is coming along 😉
LikeLike
I love being able to peep over fences and hedges into people’s gardens. Just nosy! 🙂 🙂 It sounds a charming town, with that ‘je ne sais quoi’. 🙂 Brugges next- I’ve been there, but I didn’t see much for freezing fog! I shall look forward to it. Thanks for the link, Susan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
RJo – I had a similar visit to Brugges but for very different reasons. I was wishing for more ‘je ne sais quoi’ 😉 -Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
As I recall, every small village in France has a church! I hope you get to Chartres. It is beyond description!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve known nothing of Cherbourg – except for the movie years ago. (“Umbrellas of Cherbourg” – it was a delight.) Susan – you’re adding places to my wish list.
LikeLike
Beth -Oh my goodness. I remember that movie now that you’ve reminded me. It also was charming, right? You would love the town. Honestly, though, I heard someone walking back to the ship say “Why would they bring us to such a nothing spot?” I was horrified – it was my perfect kind of destination. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a sweet encounter with Cherbourg you had. I felt like I was there with you, and I too would have wanted to explore down all the narrow alleys.
Alison
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alison -I wish you had been there with me! One alley that I didn’t photograph wound for as far as I could see, sort of a secret cobbled pathway from a hillside neighborhood to the center of town. So much fun! Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the cafe owner’s welcome of, “Stay as long as you want…” which might have summed up your magical visit to Cherbourg. Some places are perfect and it sounds like this charming city was one of them! Anita
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anita – I’m sure you find them, too – that travel moment that caps the visit. I always look for a personal happening that says something about a place. With the speed of our travels so far, it helps me remember something personal about the places and people we see. Are you back from Amsterdam?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, Copenhagen but it sounds like both cities have a love affair with bicycles! We’re back in Portugal for a bit but will be heading to the US at the end of August for a few weeks to visit family and friends. This might have been a good year to watch all of the events from afar! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The country’s events have surely muddled my mind! It’s probably easier to laugh at it all from a distance. Happy and safe travels.
LikeLike
That’s the best sort of walk – set off and see what you find.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anabel – so true. I’ve tried the ritual walks, and the researched walks, and I do love those really great ‘free walking tours’ in a lot of cities, but the very best moments are the ones that you find by just exploring. Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Popped over from Jo’s to join you in your walk. How lovely! I too enjoy just wandering around and seeing what I find, old towns are generally enchanting and I always love to see what is growing in other people’s gardens 🙂
Jude xx
PS: So this was part of a cruise? Enjoyable? I’m considering a cruise – not those enormous ocean going liners, but something less intimidating and thinking a short one around Europe might be the way to start. Any hints?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Jude. This was a cruise, but it was one of those monster ships. It’s a fairly reasonable way to travel from USA to Europe, and this itinerary was great. I don’t like crowds, and this ship was full, but I always found my private spots and quiet. I like the idea of the river cruises, but when I look at their schedules, they seem really ambitious. After a couple days of port-hopping, it’s nice to rest for a day 😉 Everything has its advantages. Good luck deciding. I’ll keep an eye out for a cruise post from you in the future! Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for this lovely blog entree. I’m really glad you enjoyed my city so much. I’ve always loved living here and I’ve always came back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sophie – Your city is beautiful and the people we encountered were wonderful. Thank you very much for the compliment, but Cherbourg deserves the credit for such a pleasant day! Susan
LikeLike
It does look delightful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect place for a nice walk 🙂
LikeLike
What a lovely walk, LOTS of charm here! I love to walk on such narrow streets and enjoy the winds of the past.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is one walk that stays with me as time goes by. Wonderful stop on the road. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
nice. I know a woman who lives close by Cherbourg but I haven’t have the chance to visit her yet. I like all your photos. I have been writing on my blog about all the places I visited in France last year…maybe you want to check it out !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear France55 – of course I will! I truly enjoyed Cherbourg, and am sure the rest of France is as fascinating. Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cherbourg? Now that is the “France profonde”. Never been there actualy. So many places to see in France…
Thanks for the walk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Equi – thanks so much for visiting. I loved this stop on our trip – a charming small city where I could walk forever, friendly people, Perfect! Cheers – Susan
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just read in the French press that Cherbourg had been looking for a Police Commissioner for a few months. The job was deemed not interesting because of the city’s very low crime rate! 🙂 Unbelievable. 🙂
Cheers.
Brian 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not interesting! I would think that a low crime rate would be the best thing for a police commissioner!
LikeLiked by 1 person