When I was invited to attend the launch of a new state-of-the-art cruise ship in the famous port of St Lazaire last week, at first I was not so keen on the idea, as I have to admit that cruise ships are not among my favourite things. However, the experience was surely one of the most enjoyable in recent months, as the sheer magnificence of the region of Pays de la Loire and the lovely city of Nantes truly sank in.
We arrived at Orly Airport at around 11am where confusion reigned supreme, as it took at least an hour to go through passport control. After that, however, it was straight on to the heart of the great eternal city of Paris where, with a few hours on our hands, we could not resist living and breathing those famous and lovely landmarks that make this place such an important centre of culture and life.
A walk through the magnificent Tuileries Gardens, seeing the famous Obelisk, the Arc de Triomphes, the wonderful Les Invalides and finally the majestic and awe-inspiring Eiffel Tower are landmarks that simply cannot be missed. Then, in the late afternoon, it was off on a high speed express from Montparnasse station to the city of Nantes, capital of the Pays de la Loire region and the fifth largest city in France.
After a relaxing dinner and a well-deserved night’s rest, it was on to Nantes and a two-hour visit to the city centre in the morning. The cathedral is imposing but disappointingly bare, although that is the neo Gothic style for you. It took 500 years to build and was then damaged by fire in 1972, but it has retained its beauty and grandeur. We were lucky to observe the preparations for a wedding that was shortly to be held there.
Next, it was on to the impressive land reclamation project that has transformed the canal system that previously passed through the centre of Nantes. Three islands and a large stretch of land have been transformed into a system of roads that you would never guess were once underwater. We also paid a short visit to the home of legendary writer Jules Vernes, a son of Nantes who actually lived on one of these islands.
However, the afternoon was an exhilarating experience as after a one hour drive, we arrived at the port of St Nazaire on the Atlantic coast. The visit to the majestic Aker Shipyards was certainly instructive, with its massive tower cranes and vast ships’ hulls waiting in the docks to take shape. A short steel-cutting ceremony inaugurated the MSC Fantasia, the next generation of cruise ships for our genial hosts, Naples-based MSC Crociere.
The highlight was a short cruise out into the vast seas of the Atlantic to witness the first floating of the MSC Orchestra, a mere 90,000 tonnes ship (the MSC Fantasia is expected to clock in at an awe-inspiring 135,000 tonnes). It was an exhilarating experience watching this great colossus of the seas slowly floating out of the flooded dry-dock, under the watchful eyes of four tugboats that looked like mere minnows compared to her immense bulk, and our ferry made several circuits so that we could appreciate the truly enormous size of her.
After tasting the sea air, we then proceeded to visit one of the massive U-Boat pens built by the Germans in the Second World War that has been turned into a museum to commemorate St Lazaire’s previous importance as one of the major transatlantic crossing ports. It was emotional and nostalgic to walk through the reconstructed decks and cabins of long departed liners such as the SS France, the legendary Normandie and other great vessels that are now only a memory. At one point, I stopped alone on the “deck” of the Normandie and felt a surge of emotion rush through me as I pictured the busy atmosphere that must have prevailed on this vessel. For me, that was definitely the highlight of the whole trip.
A lavish dinner at a restaurant inside the museum then followed, which ended with a magnificent al fresco reception on the pier of St Lazaire – an ideal end to what was definitely a voyage to remember.
Hamilton Travel made this coverage possible