We arrived safely in France and stayed in Rouen - City of a Hundred Spires. We stayed near the Cathedrale Notre-Dame which has the tallest spire in France at 490 ft. It was a massive, yet beautiful church and unfortunately my pictures will not do it justice. Perhaps even more unfortunate is the fact that it's closed on Monday mornings so we didn't get to go inside.
In Rouen we had our first experience with a hotel that had "parking nearby". They don't say where it is, just that it's nearby. This was coupled with the GPS announcing the approach of our hotel with the statement " caution, restricted access street", which meant the street in front of our hotel did not allow cars. After several laps around the old town, we found a garage that wasn't too much of a hike from the hotel.
Rouen is better known as the town where Joan of Arc was imprisoned, tried and burned at the stake in 1431. In the 1970's a modern church, Eglise Jeanne d'Arc, was built near the site. Again, my photo is lacking but the church design is supposed to represent the flames at her feet. I can't say much for the exterior architecture but the interior was very well done. One piece of Joan of Arc trivia: despite repeated attempts, her heart would not burn so finally the English just threw it and her ashes into the Seine to prevent any idolatry.
Rouen also has a beautiful walking street, Re du Gros-Horloge, with half-timbered houses and a single-handed clock from the 1500's. But best of all, it had stands on the street making delicious crepes with Nutella.
The next day we drove to Entretat, a small village on the coast with beautiful white cliffs. Finally, we ended up in Honfleur. This small fishing village has transformed into an upscale shopping, B&B and restaurant town. Honfleur's historical time in the sun was the 15th century when the first voyages to Canada were launched from here. Grant & I had a great meal that night. I had the most delicate oysters ever. Grant learned that medium rare in France is really rare. FYI, tonight's inn was also equipped with "parking nearby".
One final note: the fuel crisis in France is getting worse. Lady Gaga cancelled her two concerts in Paris this weekend on fears that her trucks wouldn't be able to get there. Our drive today was short, so no worries for us.
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| Another set of spires, Abbey St-Ouen |
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| The cliffs of Etretat |
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| The view from on top at Etretat |
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| Honfleur Harbor |
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| Notre Dame with its 490 ft spire |
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| Another side of the Cathedral |
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| Half-timbered houses |
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| Stained Glass in Eglise Jeanne d'Arc was removed from 16th century church that was bombed during WWII |
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| Crepe Stand on the Street |
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| The spot where Joan of Arc was burned. Still looks a little charred doesn't it? |
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| Eglise Jeanne d'Arc designed to look like flames |
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| Gros Horloge walking street with clock in the background |
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| Some humor around the abbey |
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