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A good trip Rouen
  • Bill Sherman
  • CJ Sherman
  • Bill Sherman
  • CJ Sherman

A good trip Rouen

We drove through Rouen in the beginning of our trip. Thought it looked fun enough to come back, so we did! Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 11, 2024
    A good trip Rouen
    Can you find sleepy Daisy?RouenFall colors

    The drive Nantes to Rouen

    November 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Going from farthest south in France at Hendaye to Rouen was just a drive too far. Stopping at Nantes made the first leg just under 3 hours. Getting to Rouen, which is 2 hours west of Paris, took almost 4 more hours. Overall France is about 2/3 the size of Texas so it’s a lot of ground to cover!
    On the drive north, we saw more fall colors and the temp stayed cool. Rolling hills gave way to deep valleys on occasion with the autobahn bridges reducing to a single lane each direction on several of them. It would be ridiculously expensive to build the 2nd side as many were hundreds of feet (or meters) high.
    From our Airbnb in Rouen we can see the cathedral, which is the largest in France. We took a walk around to get some night pictures of the cathedral, palace of justice (courthouse sounds too drab for the beautiful building), clock tower and a few other sights. Can’t wait to explore more by daylight tomorrow!

    Au revoir!    Read more

  • A good trip Rouen
    Rouen cathedral
    Chapel of the Virgin MaryCenter of Rouen Cathedral with Chapel of the Virgin Mary in the distanceTomb of the heart of Richard the LionHeartThe grand organ or at the the pipesThe Booksellers door on the north side portrays the Last Judgment12 apostles statuesNaveNaveStaircase to the archivesSaint MaclouView from Jeanne d'Arc MuseumSaint Maclou and wooded sided homes beside itThe nave in Saint MaclouCrucifix in Saint Maclou

    All churches great and small

    November 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Apologies to James Herriot and hymnist Cecil Alexander for plagiarizing….
    Rouen cathedral is the largest in France. It’s an amazing site both outside and inside. At 144m (472 feet) long with ceilings soaring to 23m (70 feet) it’s a huge space with significant impact on French culture. Here is the place where the heart of Richard the LionHeart is buried (his remains are spread all over France!), the black marble tomb of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, one of the English commanders who oversaw Joan of Arc's trial, and for the years from 1876 to 1880, the spire made Rouen Cathedral the world's tallest building. The cathedral almost survived WW2 unscathed but was hit with several bombs during the days before D-Day.

    Down the road is the Church of Saint Maclou which was built towards the end of the Gothic period. The decoration of the church is macabre, beckoning back to the church's grim past rooted in the Black Death pandemic.    Read more

  • A good trip Rouen
    Half-timbered building behind the flowers
    Joan of Arc memorial cross, on the site where she burned at the stakeAnother view of the crossSaint Joan Catholic ChurchObligatory city sign photoDaisy hearts RouenMoon by the cathedralPockmarked Palais of Justice, some filled with LEGO bricksClose up of the LEGO bricksDamage to the facade from WW2Entry to Le Halles aux Toiles built in the second half of the 12th century.

    Jeanne d’Arc and Palais de Justice

    November 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Rouen is where Joan of Arc was brought to be jailed, tried, and burnt at the stake. Her story is told at the Histoire d’Jeanne next to the cathedral. It’s very well done with a mix of reenactment and movie scenes providing the story of the 1456 inquisitorial court (25 years after her death) which reinvestigated Joan's trial and overturned the verdict, declaring that it was tainted by deceit and procedural errors.
    Essentially she was railroaded to a guilty verdict by the English who ran Normandy and Brittany at the time. With her heroism, she provided a boost to the French morale which ultimately helped them win the Hundred Years’ War.
    In addition to the museum, there is a Catholic Church to Saint Joan, a large cross in the Vieux-Marché, and several memorials.

    Outside the Rouen Cathedral is the Rouen city sign where we had to take the obligatory photo. More interesting than the city sign is the LEGO bricks pressed into the Palais de Justise. A local artist had school children bring in extra or orphaned bricks, the they were pressed into the divots created by shooting and bombings from WW2. While the entire facade is pockmarked, the LEGO bricks really highlight the impacts in their area.

    Until the morrow dear readers, until the morrow….    Read more

  • A good trip Rouen
    Chateau of Robert Diablo (Robert the Devil who is father of Wiiliam the Conqueror)
    This chateau was built and destroyed several times.Not open anymore to the publicTook a little walkIt had three towers41 degrees and fall in FranceWalk to the châteauChâteau d'Hautot-sur-SeineFall colors every whereFront of the Château faces the SeineForest roadChâteau des Dux LionsLion on the gateGate to the estateWalkway on the SeineTour on the SeinePont Gustave FlaubertElevated bridge

    Château’s near Rouen

    November 13, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    Our first château that we visited was Robert Diablo. Since construction started in the 12th century, it’s been razed and rebuilt several times. In the 1500s it was finally abandoned until the early 1900s when a local industrialist tried to restore it. After World War II it was restored as a tourist attraction with mini golf course, walking trails, a restaurant and visits to the castle. In 2009 it was closed permanently. Now it is open during summer months and the locals enjoy walking the grounds.

    Daisy enjoyed “the zoomies” up here running up and down the path in the 41 degree weather.

    Our next château is Château d’Hautot-sur-Seine. We took a river ferry over the Seine to get to this château. The ferry runs on demand making frequent trips back and forth the 150-200 meters. Also IT WAS FREE!! And it now makes the 14th different type of transport we’ve taken this trip (but who’s counting?)

    The chateau is a gorgeous large home / estate owned by the local village primarily used for receptions and meetings. It was closed so we just walked around.

    And our last is Château des Deux Lions. 🦁 was not open so we took a few pics and headed to get lunch. It’s also a seminar and reception locale.

    Stopped at a river walk area to have lunch in a cool old warehouse that has a food court.

    Crossing the Seine is Pont Gustave-Flaubert the world’s largest vertical lift bridge. It only goes up about 30 times a year. It opened in 2008 after four years of construction and €137 million to build the entire project. 670m (2200 ft) in length and when it lifts a center segment about 100m long, weighing 1,300 metric tonnes (or 2.8 million pounds), goes up 55m or 180 feet. Local politicians are still arguing the need for the lift as it primarily goes up to support the Rouen Flotilla boat parade each year.

    Now back for naps, then to meander around a bit once the lights start coming on.    Read more

  • A good trip Rouen
    Èglise de St Godard en Rouen
    L'èglise de la Madeleine in front of the PrefectureSquare Verdrel, park in front of Musee de Beaux ArtesMuseè des Beaux-ArtesLa tour Jeanne d'Arc or La donjon Jeanne d'ArcThe lady herself! Looking all fancyMemorial to the citizens lost to Nazi and Vichy supportersNice building on the Rue de DonjonAlso part of Saint Godard there are 2 different church looking buildings in the same squareSide view of Saint GodardCity hall with no separation of church and stateNapoleons statueWW2 memorial for the Normandie departmentTwisty side streetSkinny alley

    Don’t Rouen your day shopping

    November 14, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Lazy, sleep in then do some web surfing (or “work” if you’re CJ). A few last sights to be seen so saddle up the Dood and let’s go!

    Headed for “a dome I saw from the highway” which sounds awesome as the Prefecture of Seine-Maritime. Then we find out it’s the state division of driver and boating licenses with a church (and dome) in front. But the building started as a hospital for highly infectious people located outside the city. Then it became a traditional hospital, with a chapel for the patients. Now the church serves as a front gate area and the bureaucracy has taken over.

    Leaving the dome behind we meandered to the donjon or prison where Joan of Arc waited for her trial. Talk tower which is now mostly an escape room. Seems fitting.

    Wandered through a few parks, back streets and found the center for CJ. She needed to check out the EU versions of H&M, Monoprix and anything else.

    Bill, not so much. Drop him off at our fav coffee shop, Columbus Cafe. He sat down with a coffee, muffin and Daisy at his feet and CJ went off to check out a few places to ensure she was caught up on the latest fashion trends. She is now current.

    Off to Calais in the morning.

    T -14 and counting    Read more

    Trip end
    November 15, 2024
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