THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008

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We got up a little extra early this morning to get breakfast so we could join a walking tour of Rouen. For this effort, we were rewarded by the bus being late. We finally got underway and the bus dropped us off in the city center.

Rouen is the capital of Upper Normandy and has all sorts of interesting history. It was founded by the Romans in 56 BC. The Vikings arrived from the north in 840 AD; they destroyed the town before turning it into the Norman capital. During the English occupation, the town developed as an important trade center.

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The town was a bone of contention between the English and French kings, whose long-running struggles during the Hundred Years’ War reached a climax here in 1431 with the Execution of Joan of Arc.

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The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Rouen, located in the heart of the city, was built over the course of several centuries. Rouen’s Cathedral is a living record of how Gothic architecture changed over the years.

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Claude Monet immortalized the façade in numerous works, painted in many different types of weather and varying lights.

At 151 meters, the cast-iron spire is the tallest in France.

Inside are several statues that were removed from the west façade to prevent further deterioration.

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This cathedral also is the resting place of the heart of Richard the Lion Heart. It was his wish that his heart be buried in Rouen, while the rest of his body is buried with his parents in England.

Across the square, the tourist bureau is located in a building that dates back to Renaissance times. The building is the oldest Renaissance structure still standing in Rouen – it was built in the early 16th century.

We walked around the streets near the Cathedral – many very old buildings – some have been reliably dated to the early 1500’s. It’s amazing that they are still in use today – many have shops on the ground floor and residences on the upper floors.

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This style of house was banned in 1520 because people thought the overhanging floors prevented rapid drying of water in the streets – and they thought that the water in the streets was causing the plague.

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The beams and doors are solid oak – apparently indestructible.












This ornate building is thought to be the largest gothic style civic building in all of France. It houses some government financial offices.

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Here is the famous big clock of Rouen, the Gros Horloge Clocktower. It is the earliest known example of a non-religious entity (the city government) being allowed to announce the time of day. Generally that is the role of the church, which rings bells to tell the populace when to get up, when to eat, etc.

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The Gothic belfry was built to house the town’s bells and clock face. There has been a clock tower here since 1170 AD, when the first one was constructed to commemorate the Duke of Normandy’s first charter to the town of Rouen. The second tower was built in 1175 is the one still standing today.

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Here's a look at the mail truck and the mail man. The yellow color is hard to miss, but the mail carrier has a lot of freedom with what he wears.

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As we walked around the town, we saw all sorts of interesting buildings and narrow cobblestone streets.

Plenty of good things to eat.

And occasional street entertainers to bring a smile.

This building, with all the flags, is said to be the oldest inn in France.

As noted earlier, Rouen is probably most famous for being the place where Joan of Arc was tried, found guilty of heresy, and burned at the stake. In the 15th century, when the English occupied the city during the Hundred Years War, the maid Joan gave hope to the oppressed Norman people. Unfortunately, she was captured and delivered to the English by the French bishop in return for a sum of gold.

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Her trial began in 1431 and Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on this very spot on May 30, 1431.

In her memory, the St. Joan of Arc Church was built right next to the site where she was martyred. It is very modern, but it has some beautiful old stained glass windows that date from the Middle Ages. The church has a dual function – first as a church honoring St. Joan and second as a civil memorial to France’s national heroine.

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And near the church is an open air market – it is located in the old market square. We enjoyed checking out the products: flowers, fresh vegetables and fruit, bread, pastries, meat, cheese, and wine.

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We walked over to Martin Luther King Square to see the Protestant Church, Eglise St. Eloi. Evidently it is the only protestant church in town – or at least the only one in this old part of the city. It is housed in an old (somewhat ugly) Catholic Church building. The protestant church here is referred to as the reformed church, and their buildings are called temples. According to our guides, all protestant church buildings are called temples in France. (Family history note: cemeteries in this part of the old city have been moved, and old church records are now housed in a government archives building.)

We walked back to the ship for lunch, rested a bit, and then walked back into the old city to wander about some more. The place is loaded with churches. This is the St. Maclou Church, which is considered one of the finest examples of the Gothic period. The five-paneled porch features carved doors dating from the Renaissance.


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We were tempted to rent a bike, but there was too much fine print in the rental agreement – all in French!











And there are an endless supply of narrow streets and interesting old buildings to explore. We were told that Rouen was one of the first French towns to introduce pedestrian-only streets.

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We wandered around til 5 o’clock and then went back to the big cathedral for an organ concert. What an amazing place to hear music from a huge organ played by a very skilled musician. He gave us a good idea of what he and his instrument could do, and – knowing that a bunch of Americans were in the audience, he ended with an ear-shattering rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It was quite a show.





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Back to the ship to eat again – seems like we do a lot of that. During dinner we had some entertainment from Alexis, a lively accordion player. After dinner, he accompanied Valerie in the lounge for an evening of French folk songs.