FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008

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The ship set sail this morning about 4 am, leaving Rouen and arriving in the much smaller town of Caudebec-en-Caux about 8 am. We are docked right at the city center, but first we were off to the nearby village of Pont Audemer to visit the Friday morning market.



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This little town has only about 9000 inhabitants – there’s a picture waiting around every corner. Lots of interesting houses and streets.




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But – our target was the market, which was quite a production. Fresh meats, fish, breads, pastries, fruits and vegetables.





















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And of course, there was an opportunity to try a crepe made right on the spot – and spread with nutella (chocolate hazelnut butter). It was to die for.








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After wandering around the market for a while, we headed over to the St. Wandrille Abbey. The abbey is said to have been founded in the 7th century.








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Our guide was Father Lucien, who certainly looked the part. He spoke only French, so one of our guides handled the translation. (No, he wasn't a midget - it was a VERY tall door.)








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The abbey’s buildings are a curious architectural collection of medieval and 17th century buildings. It is part ruin,

part restoration,








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and part transplant. The main chapel (behind the ruins) is a 15th century barn brought here from another Norman village and re-assembled at the abbey.





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St. Wandrille remains an active monastery, home to 36 Benedictine monks who, in addition to their spiritual duties, turn their hands to money-making tasks ranging from candle-making to microfilming.



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Back to the ship in time for lunch.










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Then we went into the town of Caudebec-en-Caux to walk the history trail. The town’s history dates back to the 11th century, when a charter was granted to the monks of Saint Wandrille Abbey.




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First stop was the old prison, dating to the 14th century. Its walls were three feet thick.






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Next stop was the Maison des Templier, which is the oldest building in town: 13th century. The origin of its name is shrouded in mystery, in spite of efforts to prove that it belonged to the Knights Templar.








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We then visited the church, Eglise Notre Dame, or the Church of Our Lady. This church, which was built between 1425 and 1539, was described by Henri IV as “the most beautiful chapel in the kingdom.”








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This late or “flamboyant” gothic building has a huge doorway decorated with 333 carved figures.








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The stained glass windows are among the most beautiful we have seen. They date from the 16th century.








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Some old statues have been cleaned and now appear (in the side chapels) in their original coloring. Numerous local organizations and businesses were responsible for their own private chapels, and some of the artwork is quite remarkable.







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In this chapel, known as the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, there is a Pieta dating from the 15th Century.






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Along one side of the church is La Grande Rue, or Main Street. These buildings give an idea of what Caudebec must have looked like. Inside the town walls, as space got more cramped, the half-timbered houses were squeezed tightly against each other.







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Here is part of the watch tower and wall that once surrounded the town. In the Middle Ages, Caudebec was a fortified town surrounded by walls 10-12 feet thick.








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There are two rivers running through Caudebec, the St. Gertrude and the Ambion. We were never sure which was which, but the bridges and walkways were always filled with flowers.








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Along the way back to the ship, more flowers and clean laundry, too.










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At the end of the history walk, we headed up a trail to a hill overlooking the town – some nice views of the church, rooftops and the River Seine.











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At the wharf where our ship docked, there is a park where we watched a group of men playing boules. The players’ ages and their techniques varied greatly, but they all seemed to be having a fine time.











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For the uninitiated, boules is a form of bowling that originated in southern France. Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce , the French version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of wine at hand. The object of the game is to throw your balls so that they land closer to the small red target ball than those of your opponent. It’s also legal to strike and drive the target ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's.
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Dinner was a special occasion since today was the birthday of one our new friends, Ann Ashworth from Punta Gorda, FL. We sat with her and some other new friends to help her celebrate.

The crew baked her a special birthday cake – delivered it to the table with a grand parade of the Executive Chef, Chef, wait staff, and program directors. (This routine was performed for anyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary during the cruise – there was at least one every night.)












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After dinner, we had a mini-lesson on absinthe and a chance to taste the stuff. It smelled too much like licorice for Fran to get close to it, but Margaret seemed to enjoy it?












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Later, it was time for the crew talent show. Not really too much talent, but lots of fun as sailors and waiters and housekeeping and hotel staff sang and danced and did silly skits.

















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The evening ended with everybody dancing!