We take you to discover Cité de la Mer

After an hour and a half’s drive from Villedieu-les-Poêles, we arrive in Cherbourg, an industrial and port city almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War. We drive through the town, where the buildings display the sober, functional architecture typical of the Reconstruction period. We park in the large parking lot next to the former Gare Maritime, now the Cité de la Mer.

As we enter, we are greeted by a unique collection of deep-sea exploration machines. Alvin, Cyana, Nautile… These evocatively-named machines, past and present, fascinate us with their size and original shape. The station concourse, with its immense ceiling and skylights flooded with natural light, sets the tone. Welcome to a captivating world where the most mysterious creatures rub shoulders with the genius inventions of men ready to do anything to explore and decipher the underwater depths…

In Cherbourg harbor, the half-submerged silhouette of the Redoutable casts its shadow on the waves. This 128-meter-long monster of metal slumbers in anticipation of visitors. Equipped with an audioguide, we enter the belly of this flagship of French industry. The well-designed layout and detailed audio guide help us to find our way around the maze of pipes, corridors, control panels and steep staircases. Through an armored door, we enter the control room. We go down three steps, this is the ammunition room. Along a narrow corridor, we come to the officers’ lounge… Each room allows us to imagine daily life confined aboard the submarine, between constant surveillance and moments of relaxation in front of the TV in the cafeteria. Loudspeakers recreate the soundscape to perfection: the hum of the engine room, radio transmissions between the top brass, and even untimely snoring in the crew’s bedrooms!

We leave the submarine for the “Ocean on Tap” area. Here, we slip into the shoes of a golden ear, a little-known profession recently highlighted in 2019 in the film “Song of the Wolf”. An indispensable crew member, golden ears listen for and identify noises under the ocean. School of sardines or shrimp chirping? Trawlers scraping the bottom or enemy submarines approaching? With the help of headphones and educational games on tablets, we slip into the shoes of these officers with keen hearing. This area also features a number of hands-on exercises for children, as well as screens simulating listening and piloting situations – perfect for teenagers!

We now move on to the “Ocean of the Future” area, where the 17 aquariums of the Cité de la Mer are set against a dark backdrop. We observe the elegant ballet of translucent jellyfish, the clever camouflage of scorpion fish between rocks, the dance of seahorses clinging to seaweed… Here, you can marvel while learning more about the evolution of the oceans and the species that inhabit them. Numerous information panels and touch screens line the route, as does a motion-sensor fresco. From the infinitely large to the infinitely small, from sperm whales to plankton, this space helps us understand the importance of protecting our oceans.

We end our visit with the permanent exhibition “Titanic, return to Cherbourg”. Under our feet, the waxed parquet floor of the vast baggage room creaks gently. This is where, in 1912, amid the bustle of liveried butlers, station inspectors and dispatch salesmen, the Titanic’s passengers stopped off before the great Atlantic crossing. At the entrance, a giant screen everywhere displays a view from the deck of the Titanic, the sea calm, the view clear. We watch the countdown, with less than an hour to go before the disaster.