Escale à Sète - L'Hermione

My big Escale plans for the day included a visit *on* L'Hermione, and watching the reenactment of a sea battle!

I got to the quais just as the villages opened, and wandered around until it was time to get in line to visit L'Hermione.

I was standing in line at noon, when Sète's homage to Arnaud Beltrame, the gendarme who was killed after trading himself for a hostage earlier this week, began. It started with the town siren, then foghorns - gradually the crowd quieted, and became completely silent. We listened to the profound silence for many minutes. Then clapping, and a lot of sniffling.

Cannons announced the beginning of the sea battle - we could see the masts of the Shtandart and La Grâce dancing past each other, as they fired again and again! It fortunately continued until well after my visit to L'Hermione ended. The bow of that ship provided a fantastic view of the action!

What a beautiful, lovely day! Besides seeing a *lot* of boats, I ran into a good half-dozen people I knew from Sète associations and clubs - we caught up! I also had very nice conversations with people in line - see, it's not all bad!

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Tips:

• The Mutin is a boat docked directly behind L'Hermione - a deck visit is free, with a short line; besides being interesting itself, it provides the best view of L'Hermione's aft.
• If you have tickets for L'Hermione, don't waste time getting into line too early - I had 12 o'clock tickets, and was in line at 11:15. I was on board by 12:30. Once the people in line for that half-hour block are let in, the gatekeeper hollers for more people in that time-block. If you're standing nearby, you'll get in then; certainly you'll get in before people from the next time-block. Also, if you are mobility-impaired, once at the gate, they move you past the rest of the line. Had I been at the gate at noon, I would have been on board only a few minutes later than I was.
• Need a place to sit and rest your tootsies? At the South end of the main quai, there is a geodesic dome, with live presentations. And. Chairs. Sit and listen to something interesting while you recover!
• Lines to visit the other tallships are long! Be prepared, and remember your ticket.
• There are plenty of toilets, but bring your favorite hand-cleanser. And TP, just in case.

See more Escale photos in my album here.

Read more about the Hermione project here: https://hermione.com/en/home/