ROUEN Armada Notes Tons

ROUEN Armada Notes Tons of tall ships in the harbour, azure blue skies, mouth-watering street food, uplifting music, joyful sea shanties, a feel-good factor off the charts, in a fabulous, historic city - it can only be the Rouen Armada says Janine Marsh For ten days the party atmosphere along the Seine in the historic city of Rouen lures millions from around the world to join in the fun that takes place during the Rouen Armada. Held every few years – the next one will be in 2027 – this feel-good event is totally free - and totally fabulous. Wander along tall ship lined quays where some 2000 sailors from a dozen countries are in port. Soak up the atmosphere, the smell of sizzling barbecues, buzzing bars and restaurants full of smiling punters, the music of the Beatles and the Bee Gees carried on the slight breeze from the river on a scorching sunny day. If you like to have a good time, then this event will float your boat! This is one of the largest gatherings of tall ships in the world, in one of the greatest ports of France, but it’s also about food, wine music, dancing, street performance, sea shanties and more. This was my first time at the Rouen Armada – but it won’t be my last! The Armada experience Arriving at Rouen Rive Droite station I was handed a paper sailor’s hat with a red pompom – in France they say if you twiddle a sailor’s pompom it’s lucky! I held on to my hat just in case! Walking to the quaysides of the River Seine that runs through the city, I couldn’t help but notice how many streets and shops were decorated in nautical style. Even in the church of Joan of Arc there was an Armada crossword. The port city of Rouen loves a boat, and Rouen loves its Armada. There is something wonderfully romantic about tall ships, maybe it’s all those stories of pirates and world discovery books I read as a child, but as these magnificent ships sailed under the monumental Gustave Flaubert Bridge on the first night of the Armada, it was clear that I’m not the only one who loves them. I climbed aboard the tall ship Joanna Saturna which had arrived from Finland - a 1200km journey of 9 days non-stop from Helsinki to Le Havre. She made an additional stop in Duclair (30 minutes from Rouen by bus) to pick up passengers before joining dozens more tall ships on their journey into the city’s port for the opening night. For the next three hours we sailed serenely along the Seine, past cliffs where we could spot caves that were used in the Middle Ages for the storage of wine and food. A rocky outcrop called “Gargantua’s seat” cleft into the cliffs came into view. Ahead of us a tall ship from Mexico, in fact the tallest ship in town, fired of a round of gun salutes - the Joanna Saturna tooted her very loud horn. On board the Mexican ship a band broke out into 56 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 57