Sunday, February 14, 2016

behind barred doors in Le Havre

I'm sure Le Havre is a very nice city.

It's by the sea in Normandy, France. It has a nice strand promenade. That's about all I saw of it. My friend and I arrived late one July evening in our rented car. Looking for a place to stay, we found a cheap hotel in a back alley. The hotel "lobby" - more like a cramped corridor with peeling wallpaper - should have scared us off but we were desperate for a place to stay the night and bravely approached the receptionist, an aging rock chick. She gave us a room but made it clear that the breakfast should be avoided at all cost.

We barred the door to our worn-down room with some spare furniture before daring to go to sleep - that was the vibe we got from our surroundings. And we were relieved to find our car not stolen or destroyed in the morning. We left Le Havre very quickly, and without breakfast.

The rest of France is very nice.

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