A day trip to Rouen

Travel is work and work is travel. As a tour leader I get to see a lot of places. But I also get to see the same places a lot. So when I had two days off in Paris, I went to Rouen. I literally looked on the map to see what was close, googled some images of Rouen and my choice was made. Two days later I’m at gare St. Lazare waiting for my train. My phone beeps. It’s a colleague whose tour I’m taking over the next day. There are issues. So I do my best to problem-solve until my train goes, but then I put it out of my head and enjoy my day.

 

 

Just over an hour later we roll into the city of Rouen in Normandy. The tourist information here offers an audio guide that covers the city center, so I make my way there and pick one up. I press play and stare at Notre dame de Rouen cathedral. Big groups pass by, following the flags of their leaders. The sun shines brightly from behind the cathedral, but it is still a bit chilly and I feel underdressed for the weather. The grey cathedral is extremely ornate, with spires, gargoyles and statues everywhere. Inside is a contrast, with rows of columns leading to a high ceiling.

The exit of the church is surprising. I end up in a small courtyard that is decorated with a lot of small sculptures on the walls. Then I come onto a small street with gorgeous buildings. The whole inner city is still full of these old houses, wooden, with beams and different colours, often leaning forward slightly. There are still about 2000 of these houses and they give the city such a warmth, a charming and welcoming feel.

The audio tour took me through the street where they used to make sheets, past two more gigantic churches and past the place where Jeanne d’Arc was burned at the stake. The history of Jeanne d’Arc is important to Rouen and there is even a museum to educate people about what happened to her. Jeanne claimed god had given her a prophesy and a message and convinced people to fight against the English occupation. With another audio guide you make your way through several rooms where projected characters pretend there is trial to decide whether or not Jeanne was guilty of heresy.

 

 

I bought a ticket to the museum in combination with the Panorama XXL. I didn’t know what to expect of this, but I ended up in what looked like a massive silo. Inside the big round building was a gigantic panorama, done by a Berlin artist. It was all painted to be a scene in the daily life of Rouen in the middle ages. With sound and light effects the days were passing. In the middle of the circle stood a staircase with viewing platforms. What impressed me was the detail in the painting, that changed with every level I climbed up and with the change of day and night. It was very well done and unlike anything I’d seen before.

My walk brought me past several churches, like the church of Saint Maclou. The building was just as impressive as the cathedral I’d seen earlier and there was a cute square with some cafés around it. More special is the Aître St. Maclou, an old cemetery. But here the bodies were put in a rectangular building. There is a big courtyard you can walk around in. The building itself looks pretty old and in need of some renovations. The beams are decorated with sculptures representing the dance of the dead and all kind of bones from the human skeleton. Just right of the entrance is the only dead body on display. It’s a cat they found wedged in between two walls.

Rouen surprised me and the audio guide was actually a great way to get around the city. What an amazing place and what an amazing day. Today I truly felt like I had a day off. I was away from my laptop and in a city I won’t cover for work. Everything I did was for me only and I can’t remember the last day like this. Rouen was perfect for a day away from Paris and away from work. There is still so much to explore and I’m glad I started here!