La Harve is the port for Paris. Its a three hour bus drive to the city of Paris and we have become tired of long bus drives so we decided to take a chance on staying in port. We are starting to pack our bags and get ready for departure from the ship in three days time. During WWII, La Harve was heavily bombed and a huge portion of the old city near the port was destroyed. During reconstruction in the post war years,cement was used to replace and rebuild. These buildings were designated a world heritage site. I was curious how cement buildings could be considered anything of redeeming value… I’m glad I managed to get into town! First though,we needed a ride to town..
Our driver beside his taxi: an electric Porsche!
A beautiful ride!
I mean, come on… a Porsche as a Taxi…..!!!!!It was a smooth smooth ride!
Most of these apartment buildings were mid century modernWhat was interesting was the way the concrete was often shaped into curves and columns with curves.
In the middle of the town we found a garden that reminded us of a Monet painting!
My pictures don’t do justice to how absolutely stunning these cement buildings are
Saint Joseph English Church. A cement beacon in the town. A big surprise inside.
From the moment we entered the cement box, my eyes and ears were assaulted with the beauty inside. There was coral music playing quietly and the impact of such astounding color and serene holiness brought tears to my eyes! The imaginative use of simple color blocks in the walls from the bottom all the way up into the spire was simple genius! I would never ever have thought that cement could provoke such a peaceful loving building. It was simple awe inspiring. I truly can see why this area is a UNESCO site. I wish many of our US architects could visit here and take clues on how to use the medium to a better effect! 
We continued to walk around looking at the buildings. This is the Oscar Niemeyer Library. Nicknamed the Volcan because it look like a volcano.
The library from afar
New building , of course cement! 
The Norte-Dame Cathedral. Only the front facade was left after bombing in WWII
Inside it was rebuilt as the medieval cathedral it was
A Pieta as a memorial to those killed in the wars.
We continued to walk around looking at the buildings. This is the Oscar Niemeyer Library. Nicknamed the Volcan because it look like a volcano.
The library from afar
New building , of course cement! 
The Norte-Dame Cathedral. Only the front facade was left after bombing in WWII
Inside it was rebuilt as the medieval cathedral it was
A Pieta as a memorial to those killed in the wars.
Outside there were gargoyle rain spouts
A bit of whimsy outside the Natural History Museum
We started just walking through little streets and came upon this little park with a unique art feature:
The Narrow House which was featured in an art exhibit previously’ The artist made an exact replica of his parent’s home. They wanted him to grow up and be a doctor or lawyer… Never an artist.. So he built the “Narrow House” as a humorous statement about his parents ,who he said were narrow-minded.
The contents were exact replicas of his family home to scale.
Notice the couch? Narrow to fit the house. 
These books are cut in half..every single one!
Kitchen 
hallway
A look down the hall to the bath and toilet. Even the phone is narrow
The bedroom! We were chuckling and laughing by the time ( all six minutes ) we finished the tour. It was a brilliant work of art!After such a fun and successful day, we headed to the ship and tried to finish more of our packing before dinner . Tomorrow we are in Dover, UK and then Greenwich on Monday.. The end of the cruise is near!
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