June 18, 2026
I have had the boat in Cherbourg for a few days now and doing some work, preparing to go home.
I also have spent a lot of time cycling and a little bit of time exploring the town.
There are two attractions here, La Cite de la Mer which is some sort of aquarium and an art gallery, the Henry Thomas Museum. I have not visited the aquarium. The Henry Thomas gallery was a complete surprise. It had a lot of very interesting works from the 15th-19th century all of them in great shape and the gallery was practically empty (maybe 20 visitors during my 90 minutes in the gallery). There was a lot of work by Jean-Francois Millet who was born nearby. By sheer luck, I visited on a Wednesday when there was free admission.
The cycling around Cherbourg can be tough with some pretty significant hills, not mountains, but still tough. The scenery is nice enough but not too much that was unusual. the hill behind the town (South) hits 14% and is a very tough climb with a lot of spider web roads that I found a bit confusing. That may be an age issue too as I was trying for a short ride but the area was bisected by a highway that I couldn’t find a quick way around (and you can’t ride a bike on A series highways in France).
Hi Don, where do you store your bike and how do you protect it from salt water corrosion? I am looking have a bike on my N47 but previously had a folding bike which could be stored in the laz. Thanks, Colin.
Having a great trip I see.