Le Havre

Why Visit Le Havre? # The sharp scent of diesel and sea salt hits the back of your throat the moment you step off the train near the Bassin du Commerce. Le Havre is not the chocolate-box Normandy village of half-timbered houses and thatched roofs that Americans often picture. Instead, this French port city demands a different kind of appreciation. Heavily bombed during the Second World War, the center was entirely reimagined by the visionary architect Auguste Perret. Walking through the grid-like streets feels like stepping inside a massive, open-air gallery of mid-century modernist design, constructed entirely from tinted reinforced concrete that glows in shades of amber and rose when the sun hits the Seine estuary.