No, this isn't the Pacific. This is the Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris - a grand temple to 19th Century railways - commemorating Napoleon's famous 1805 victory over the Austrians and Russians.
Meanwhile, in Nouméa, capital of New Caledonia, the distinctly unprepossessing Alimentation Austerlitz offers sandwiches and takeaway meals.
Coca-Cola arrived here in 1942 with the first of more than a million American service personnel. New Caledonia - a French possession - was an Allied staging post for war against Japan.
The American presence is recalled by neighbourhoods such as Motor Pool, where vehicles were stored and repaired, and Receiving, a wartime communications base.
Much of the modern architecture is uninspiring, however ...
... the colonial buildings - this is the district of Faubourg Blanchot - are quite wonderful.
I pause in in La Place des Cocotiers (Coconut Square) to people watch. Perhaps the old dears are thinking about a sandwich at the Alimentation Austerlitz. As for me, I buy a Côtes du Rhône for a lot less than in Toronto.
Two more sea days on a three week crossing of the Pacific and we arrive in Australia.
