The sky was low and dark, gloomy clouds were still looming over the horizon.

Storm Patricia was that annoying lingering guest who just won’t leave.

But it didn’t matter because the destination of the day was Saint-Nazaire, and Saint-Nazaire isn’t your usual beach resort—it’s a gritty city where blue collar workers dedicate their nights and days to buildings future dream vacations and glamorous travels they will never get to enjoy.

Saint-Nazaire is the birthplace of giant ocean liners. The city is home to the Chantiers de l’Alantique, and whether you signed up for it or not, the cultural adventure starts at the train station.

The atmosphere is rather unique, for a start.

Case in point, the city was completely empty on a Friday afternoon—workers were working, and few tourists come to hang out in Saint-Nazaire. La Baule, Saint-Brévin or Le Croisic are much more popular getaways just a few kilometres away because they actually epitomize the classic summer beach town experience.

Saint-Nazaire is a reminder of real-world, real-life struggles, exactly the kind of things you want to forget on vacation—the main street is lined up with staffing agencies, bankrupt stores and cheap apartments built right after WWII. Most people wear steel-toe boots and hard hats, not sandals and caps. The city also has its own schedule to meet the needs of shift workers.

I find it fascinating.

We walked around the harbour and the docks for a few hours, exploring as much of the shipbuilding industry as we could as outsiders who are not on the payroll. The “reward” was huge—literally, we walked around Celebrity Cruises’ new ship, Celebrity Ascent, which is launching this winter. It’s still in a dry dock and it’s crazy to think these monsters are built from scratch like LEGO toys.

A shift was ending and workers were leaving the boat for the day.

They can be proud of their work.