L’Hermione

At 148 feet long, with a crew of 78 and more than 50 volunteers, the French Frigate L’Hermione made a triumphant entry into Philadelphia recently. L’Hermione was just one of the many ships there that day, for Philadelphia’s Tall Ship Festival.

This ship may look old but it’s actually brand new! It is a replica of the original L’Hermione that brought Lafayette over with help from the French government during the American Revolution. The fact is, if it had not been for France, there probably would be no USA. I think we often forget to thank France for their help – so thank you France!

If you have a chance to see the ship, it is well worth the effort. They are on a tour of the East Coast and I believe they are in Boston right now. They do, from time to time, fire some of their 32 cannon (like in picture above). Once they docked in Philadelphia, the crew sang to the crowd in French.

One nice thing about this festival is that it had a very international flavor. One of the largest ships was from Portugal, others were from Nova Scotia, and Spain. The opening ceremony had the national anthems of four nations sung, they included France, Canada, Portugal, and the US.

Even though we can romanticize history too much, and make it seem glorious, these ships are magnificent. They can inspire both young and old, to dream of adventure, and maybe even write, a story or two.

Peace.

 

 

Commentary and Images © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree

Blessings to everyone!

“If you love nature, you will love people.”