With Alexandria located only a few metro stops from the U.S. capital, the majority of the gabiers took the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for a visit. "T n American style (so everything is huge), Washington is an interesting mix of neighborhoods with very different personalities. The heart of the city itself is of course the National Mall, that great strip of grass connecting the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and including the Washington Monument (the obelisk, the largest masonry structure in the world!), with the White House on one side. Along the Mall are many of the capital's museums. The visit of Washington is the occasion to notice the mark of France in the United States: the city was thought by a Frenchman, Lenfant, who was inspired by Paris to draw it. The square located on the north side of the White House is called Lafayette Square and there is a statue in honor of the Marquis 15 meters from the stoop of the American presidents!" can be read on the Hermione's blog.
After the warm welcome given to the frigate in Alexandria, the Hermione continued her American voyage. She left Alexandria at midnight (to wait for the bridge to open), but despite the late hour, the departure committee was present. After 2 days of sailing, the crew was able to enjoy a bit of calm after this busy stopover. However, the overwhelming heat and the humidity have tired the sailors. From now on, the frigate has been moored in Annapolis since Sunday night, 11 pm (in a first anchorage to wait for the high tide and to be able to reach the docks). After a precise navigation in a narrow channel, she arrived at the Annapolis docks at dawn, one day ahead of schedule. She will be there until June 17.
It had been many, many years since a ship the size of the Hermione had been welcomed in the capital of Maryland. Annapolis is located in the interior of the Chesapeake Bay and is also the home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
A welcoming ceremony will be held on Tuesday, June 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to celebrate the arrival of the Hermione at the City Dock. A great tribute will be paid, throughout the stopover, to the past of the capital of Maryland. It was also the capital of the United States in 1783, after the Treaty of Paris, which led to the resignation of General Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and marked the recognition by the British of the independence of the United States. Two years earlier, in 1781, the Marquis de La Fayette himself had visited Annapolis.
For the occasion, downtown Annapolis was decked out in the colors of France and the United States. After the official ceremony on Tuesday morning, a grand march through the city will serve as a tribute. Everyone will march to the only monument in the United States dedicated to all French servicemen who died for the cause of American independence. A monument commemorating the camp set up by La Fayette and his volunteers in Annapolis is located in front of the old town, in memory of the Marquis Eastport.
The Hermione will leave Annapolis for Baltimore, her next stop, on the night of June 17.
Annapolis Space Program
june 16
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Welcome ceremony
- 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: March in honor of fallen French soldiers
june 17 departure for Baltimore in the night
Travelling exhibition on the original Hermione, her reconstruction, and La Fayette's role in the American Revolution, at the U.S. Naval Academy Museum (before the Hermione's arrival) and then on the pontoon once the Hermione is docked.
Festivities around heritage demonstrations of artisanal construction of ships, concert by the Rochefort group Les Vents Marines, French and American sailors' songs.
