July 15
We set sail - at warp speed I might add - at 5pm last night in an effort to make it to Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region. And the reason for the accelerated pace was so we could hopefully make there and dock before 11 pm. And why's that you may ask.....because it was July 14th. Still doesn't ring a bell? Well for most Americans it wouldn't, but that date is the day the French celebrate "Bastille Day" - the independence day for the French people. And IF we could make by 11 pm we would have two options to view festivities: first, we could walk a short distance to the Notre Dame de Rouen and watch an amazing light show on the ancient cathedral; or second, we could walk a short distance and watch the fireworks from the bridge. For nearly everyone, the thought of staying up until 11pm was the issue - all three excursions yesterday departed at 8 am or there abouts, meaning everyone was up around 6:30 am. Then the excursions all involved being on the bus for five hours or more while from start to finish we were gone for ten hours and change. To THEN stay up was the question. Kim and I made it until around 9:30pm and then went back to the room. But by the time I'd finished processing and posting the photos and journal from yesterday it was a little after 11pm so I went up on the top deck....found Pam & Bob who'd made it to the magic hour (along with new pals Peter & Cathy) and I saw a part of the fireworks from the top deck.
This morning we did not have an excursion until 9:30 am and EVERYONE was thankful to have a late morning. AND the schedule only called for one excursion which was less than two hours in length. Again, we are all ready for a slower day. After a leisurely breakfast and TWO cups of coffee - what a treat - we met Pam & Bob in the lounge and headed out with our local guide to explore medieval Rouen. At breakfast our favorite staff member, Lucien, told us Rouen was his favorite city and the Notre Dame Cathedral de Rouen was his favorite spot. He told us we'd have a great day. We made the short walk to the city center and began the tour. As we walked through the medieval streets our guide pointed out several buildings which were originals, having been constructed in the 1400's. She showed us that you can tell from the architectural design if they pre-dated 1520. If so the upper floors stack over the floor just below - why? Taxes were based on the size of the ground floor, so residents would build a small ground floor and then increasingly bigger floors as they went up. Clever. There are seven original medieval streets and we saw one which illustrated how very narrow and dark they were.
Our next stop was the massive cathedral. Hang on to your hats because you're NOT going to believe this, but it is true! There was a cathedral here in ancient Roman times. Was torn down to build another, which stood for a couple of centuries. Then that was torn down to build the current Notre Dame Cathedral de Rouen. Construction started in the 1200's and was not completed until the 1600's. OH MY. We spent a good 40 minutes walking around inside seeing many things which were original, dating back more than 1,000 years. Right after entering we saw a staircase which leads to the upper level and it is said to be the "most beautiful staircase in Normandy." Our guide pointed out one particular set of stained glass windows which were largely a blue shade - these are THE OLDEST stained glass windows in France dating back to 1200. We took seats in one section of the cathedral and it was explained that only this particular section was damaged by the bombings in World War II. Our guide pointed out the gothic structure of the vaulted ceiling HIGH above us and emphasized how important and ingenious this was because the weight of the ceiling is balanced on the huge interior columns and walls. This was particularly significant here because she led us to one small chapel. And this chapel withstood the bombings and the structure here was such a key part of the entire monument that had THIS chapel ceiling been destroyed the entire cathedral would have collapsed. WOW. We walked to the other side of the massive cathedral, passing by many tombs. When we arrived on the far side we discovered here was the tomb of the Viking king Rollo who after attacking and pillaging Normandy made a deal with the king of France to stay here. The king allowed it on two conditions - (1) that he convert to the Catholic faith and (2) that he protect the area from any further Viking raids. Rollo agreed and the territory he was given was named for the Nor (north) - Men: Normandy! Kim and I had watched the TV series "Vikings" which had portrayed this medieval king. Pretty cool to see where he now lies. Next we saw Richard the Lionhearted - King of England & Duke of Normandy's tomb. Apparently in his time it was common to be buried in MULTIPLE places, so before his death Richard had determined where his various body parts would lie - and here he had his heart entombed. Finally we saw the son of Rollo, William's tomb. This was significant because the statute on the top of the tomb was over 1000 years old, the original and if you look closely you could still see remnants of the various colors of paint that once adorned the statue.
Look closely to see the paint remnants!
We exited the main door and headed down "Clock Street" towards the medieval astronomical clock. It sits on top of an archway which once was one of the city gates within the medieval city walls that surrounded the city of Rouen. Just down the street we found the Palace of Justice. Originally built by Rollo it was simply a "house" like any other house. But then King Louis XII decided to add a palace where he could stay. Interestingly he NEVER came and stayed and neither did any other king! But what was significant here was a white outline on the grounds which are often used as a parking lot. When doing some construction here it was discovered the most ancient and largest archeological site in France of a medieval Jewish community. You can visit this underground area - with an appointment made well in advance. But no parking is allowed on top of that area because of the potential for it to cave in.
We then moved on the the Church of St. Joan of Arc. After leading the French successfully in battle at the "ripe old age" of 14 until she was 17 she was captured and held for ransom. The French would not pay the ransom but the English did and put her on trial. It was not questioned that she WAS hearing voices in her head telling her what to do and how to win the battles. The question of the trial was were these voices of the saints and angels or from the devil. When the English trial determined the latter she was burned at the stake in what was then the central market square. This site is commemorated AND is right across the street from the oldest house in France. Built in 1341 it was standing here and would have been seen by Saint Joan of Arc while she burned at the stake!
The tour ended and we had free time to explore before heading back to the ship for lunch. Because we were still leery of being either (a) burned at the stake or (b) beheaded for violating traditional French law we asked the guide where we could find éclairs. :) Right around the corner as it turned out and THESE éclairs were not simple but were simply decadent. Well, WELL worthy of a photo op. Obviously very much enjoyed - Kim & I split one and Pam & Bob split one. We concluded our morning with a short walk back to the ship, and unlike our "walking adventure" in Amsterdam - "you can't miss it" - we were able to follow a direct path with very few turns right back to the ship without an issue :) Tomorrow's big adventure is a multi-hour tour of the Palace of Versailles.
Before leaving on this morning's excursion I thought I'd have very few photos to share so I thought today would be a good day to give all our readers & virtual travel companions a "look" at our ship, the Avalon Tapestry II. Turns out I had A LOT of pics, but I'd already taken the shots from around the ship, so here you go....enjoy!
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