Giverny and Les Andelys

Last night we planned for our trip to Giverny and Monet’s Gardens.  Rick Steve’s guide says if you are driving in France you should double the time you think it will take you.  We added 15 minutes to our plan but decided that doubling the time was silly.  We were up and walking the two blocks to the underground parking spot before 8 a.m.  We programmed the navigation system on the car and used the remote to open the metal door that keeps this lot protected.  That is when things started to go wrong.  The navigation system seemed to lead us into every construction zone and detour.  We crossed the Seine three times before we finally got out of Rouen.  One construction worker told us to cross a sidewalk to get back on track.  We were pretty shaken by the time we hit the A13.  Then the fog rolled in.  I had told Gayle last night that if we lived through so many cold and cloudy days just so we could have a beautiful, sunny day in Giverny then I was okay.  We had planned to arrive at the parking lot of Monet’s Gardens by 9:15 for the long hike to the entrance.  We had purchased timed tickets for 9:30 a.m., the opening time for the Gardens, so we could be among the first people in.  We didn’t make it.  Plus, we walked past the entrance.  By the time we back tracked and got into the gardens we were already tired.  We veered to the right and headed to the Water Garden first, hoping we would beat the hordes of people.  The sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

It was a lovely walk around the ponds.  I took so many photos.  I can see why this place inspired Monet.

The longer we were there the more and more crowded it became.  

We took the walkway back under the road to the other garden and Monet’s home.  By then Gayle was spent so she waited on a bench and I walked the garden.

I went into the house and toured it.

From the upstairs window you get a sense of the scope of the garden.  It takes a lot of workers to keep the place beautiful.  

I wound my way back to Gayle and by now the amount of people made it very difficult to get to the exit.  We stopped in a little cafe on the way to the parking lot to get something to drink.

We decided to return to Rouen by a different route.  When Bryan and I came to France and rented a car the woman at the car rental desk set up our GPS, not for the fastest routes but for the most direct.  It ended up taking us forever to get places but we saw beautiful countryside.  When we were planning this trips several months ago I had looked up a route that would take us past Chateau Gaillard and through Les Andelys.  The route took us through woods…

…and fields.

Over and over again we exclaimed at how beautiful it is in France.

The road to Chateau Gaillard promised us a 15% grade.  We made it without damaging the car.  It was worth it just for the view of the Chateau Gaillard.  It was built under the direction of Richard Lionheart as a defense against the French.  Many years later Henry IV had it demolished and the stones used to build a convent.  This is what remains.

But it wasn’t just the Chateau that was worth the drive.  The view of the Seine River and the town of Les Andelys was incredible.

We headed further down the 15% grade road to Les Andelys in search of some lunch.  Gayle found the perfect parking spot for our Peugeot rental, right next to the church we saw from the cliff top.  

Of course, the gravitational pull wouldn’t let me find lunch until I had gone into the church.  It is called Saint Sauveur (Holy Savior).  There are so many beautiful churches here that it is almost becoming common place.

I wish I understood who the figures represented that were holding up the pillars of the church.  

The stained glass windows were a striking red color depicting the stations of the cross.

This quiet, little town is beautiful with views of the Chateau above it.

I noticed a restaurant across the street from the church called La Chaine d’Or.  They were not busy and we had a relaxing lunch right next to the Seine.  The food was amazing and I told the Maitre’d that our meal at his restaurant would be one of the highlights of my trip to France.

Back on the road we headed to Rouen taking the less traveled way.  It was lovely.  We arrived back at our apartment before 5.  I headed out to find a baguette, butter and cheese for “dinner” at home.  I walked past the cathedral one more time.  Monet painted several pictures of this cathedral and there is information about it on the plaza. 

On the way to the grocery store I took a detour into Chocolaterie Auzou.  I had read that they make a chocolate that they call “The Tears of Joan of Arc.”  You can taste one for free.  I did and decided one was good.  I did buy a praline chocolate and a carmel chocolate for Gayle and I to have for dessert.

Gayle and I enjoyed our baguette while we blogged and planned for tomorrow.  We need to pack tonight.  We will meet Brett at Mont St-Michel tomorrow night.  We were planning to go to Bayeux to see the tapestry; to the Normandy American Cemetery and to Omaha Beach.  Brett is in Caen and he says the traffic is filled with military vehicles preparing for the 80th anniversary of DDay on June 6th.  We knew that was coming up and that everything will close down to tourists on June 5 and 6 but we were hoping that since we are driving there on June 4 we would be okay.  We are now questioning whether we will get anywhere close to the cemetery or the beach.  We will find out tomorrow.

Damn! Rouen is Beautiful!

Gayle and I woke up late today.  We were both surprised by how late it was when we got out of bed.  I guess the block-out shades in this AirBnB are effective.  We took our time getting ready.  An Uber delivered us to Place du Vieux Marche at 11:30 a.m.  We were looking for coffee and some breakfast.  It turns out that breakfast ends at 11 a.m. and restaurants don’t start serving until noon.  So we wandered around the plaza.  This is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.  There is a church here in honor of her — Eglise Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc.  It is a modern church of incredible architecture.  It is meant to evoke both the flames that consumed Joan of Arc and an overturned longship.  It is impossible to get a full photo of the church. It is long and thin and goes for several blocks.  Part of the roof of the church houses a Sunday farmer’s market.

This garden outside the church is the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

The roof of the church juts way out to the side, a full block from the main church building and houses a staircase and walkway down the church.  

All around the church is a plethora of restaurants in half-timbered buildings.  It is stunning.

We waited until noon and then ate at a brassiere looking out on the church.  Gayle had avocado toast with a poached egg and pomegranate seeds.  I felt like I should try Cordon Bleu while in France. I wish I would have had the avocado toast.  

We were hoping to get inside the church, which wasn’t open for tourists until 2 p.m.  Gayle was ready to return to the rental.  She is saving her energy for tomorrow’s trip to Monet’s Garden in Giverny.  I promised her I would take photos.  I was waiting at the door at 2 p.m. and was able to experience the church without a ton of other people.  The stained glass windows were removed from a nearby church during WWII and then later that church was destroyed.  The architect salvaged them for this church.

This area of prayer candles is watched over by Joan of Arc.

Depictions of her are found throughout the church.

When I got back outside, I started walking towards the Cathredral of Notre Dame because I haven’t yet been able to go inside it yet.  Any building or side street that interested me I went down.  It is a warren of narrow streets with half-timbered buildings that are storefronts for record stores or weed shops or McDonalds.  There are approximately 2,000 half-timbered houses in Rouen.  Notice the one that leans out.  It must have been built before 1520 when that kind of construction was no longer allowed.  There was concern that buildings that leaned out over the street blocked breezes and allowed disease to spread more easily.

I wandered into the courtyard of this hotel.  I am mesmerized by this city.

I headed down Rue du Gros Horloge towards the clock tower, which was once the City Hall of Rouen.  Notice the building that leans out on this street. 

The clock has only an hour hand.  Once upon a time knowing the hour seemed sufficient.  The orb at the top rotates once every 29 days.  Knowing the cycle of the moon and therefore the tides was a helpful thing for this port town. 

As I was walking down this street I found a grocery store.  I have been needing to pick up some supplies and was tickled to find it open on Sunday.  So much of Rouen shuts down on Sundays and Mondays (the two days we are here).  I usually enjoy going to a grocery store in a foreign country.  It was interesting but the hard part was checking out to leave.  Self-check out is the only option.  It took me a while to find a button that would allow me to check out in English.  But then I couldn’t find an option to pay for the fruit I had purchased. There was one man standing there watching all of us.  I thought he was there to help but learned he was there to make sure we didn’t steal anything.  I asked if he could help me.  He just shook his head.  After five minutes of being completely flummoxed he told me I needed to go back to the produce station and set my bananas on the scale and it would spew out a bar code that I could then scan.  When I finally finished a woman near me asked me if I spoke English and if I could help her.  I tried but I couldn’t figure out her machine either.  Another customer came up and tried to help so I quietly bowed out.  

By the time I got to the plaza in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame the sun was out and the day was gorgeous.  I have rarely seen the sun on this trip.

The cathedral is vast.

There is construction going on outside the building.  You can see cracks in the ceiling with only this thin sheet to save us from falling debris.

All around the interior are statues of the gloomiest looking saints.

The stained glass is stunning.

This one tells the story of Julian.  When he was just a boy a deer predicted that Julian would kill his parents.  He ran away to escape this fate.  His life takes some twists and turns until we find that he is now a Lord and married.  One day he goes out to hunt.  His parents, who have been searching for him for years, show up at his home.  His wife gives them the master bedroom as a sign of hospitality.  Julian comes home and thinks his wife is cheating on him and kills them both with his sword.  When his wife tells him that he has killed his parents, he decides to leave everything behind.  He and his wife set up a hospital and Julian serves as the ferryman to transport people to the hospital.  One day Jesus comes, disguised as a leper.  Julian treats him with hospitality and Julian is redeemed.

After I left the cathedral I walked down a couple streets and arrived at St. Maclou Catholic Church.  There was a man standing on the steps of the church with people in chairs all around the base of the steps.  It looked like a concert was about to begin.

I headed into the church and was once again in awe of the architecture.

The stained glass windows are interesting to me.  They feel very different than those in the other old churches here.

Modern art graced the same space as the stained glass in several of the alcoves.

The organist at this church you have to be a person of small stature.  The door is tiny that leads up to the organ console.

Back outside the concert had begun with a singer/dancer.

My next stop was Aitre Saint Maclou or otherwise referred to as the plague cemetery.  In 1348 the Black Death killed around 3/4 quarters of the St. Maclou parish.  The church needed a new cemetery and so this place was dug and filled with victims of the plague.  When space was needed for new burials, the bones of the previously buried were dug up and transferred to the roof space in the galleries.  

The wood was carved with depictions of skulls, shovels, bones and coffins.

In the 17th century schools for the poor were needed and so this area housed two schools, one for boys and one for girls. Funerals and the school coexisted for 121 years until it was decided that for reasons of hygiene the cemetery would be transferred out of the city.  Today it houses art workshops.  As I entered the area I saw a sign for a “Hula Hoop” installation.  I decided I would look that up when I got back to the apartment.  No need.  It was obvious what it was.  This man was doing a sound check for a concert that was scheduled for later in the evening.  The hula hoops were moving in all kinds of fascinating configurations.  I stood and watched for quite a while.

I was pretty tired by then and I walked back to our rental, stopping only to purchase a couple croissant pastries for tomorrow.   On the way back I mused on how many times I saw modern art and music connected to ancient spaces.  Rouen intrigues me.

I tried to research where Gayle and I could find dinner in a town that rolls up its sidewalks on Sunday and Monday.  Madame Restaurant was one of the few places open.  Our dinners were good and we ended the meal by ordering carrot cake.  It was nothing like carrot cake in the US.  It had no icing and was very dry.  One of the ingredients was tonka beans, which we read have a slight bitter taste. I can verify that is true.  Back in our apartment we planned for our trip tomorrow to Giverny and headed to bed.

The White Cliffs of Dover to Rouen

Gayle and I were up getting ready at 5:30 this morning.  Everything we read about the ferry to Calais warned that if you are not through the check in procedure and ready to board their bus 90 minutes ahead of time you will forfeit your ticket. There are only two ferries a day for foot passengers and we wanted to be sure and get across the English Channel today. We were at the terminal ready and waiting by the time other passengers arrive.  I understand now why you have to be there 90 minutes in advance.  At 8:30 we were all jammed onto a bus (without a luggage rack).  Gayle and I stood and assumed that it would be a short bus ride to the ferry.  It wasn’t.  First we waited in a long line with all the cars, tour busses and lorries taking their vehicles across.  Then we were all told to file off to go through passport control.  We got back on the bus only to make a second stop.  Once again we filed off the bus but this time with all our luggage so we could go through security.  We got back on the bus and were driven to the ferry.  Gayle and I agreed that we are glad we are taking the Chunnel on the return trip.  Hopefully it will be a shorter process.

Foot passengers are the first ones to arrive at the ferry and we all hurried to nab the best viewing seats.  Gayle and I chose to take the ferry across the English Channel specifically because we wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover.  We had wished for a beautiful day but it is cold, windy and cloudy.  We asked the staff person at the ferry terminal if it is always this cold in England.  She gave us an emphatic, “No!  I don’t think we get a summer in England this year.”

Gayle and I must have scored the most excellent seats on the boat because what you can’t see in this photo are all the people standing around us snapping photos over our heads.

The ferry is huge.  It has large seating areas, a food court, a store, a bar, a kids’ zone, currency exchange booth, an information desk, and a woman dressed as a fairy tale character reading books to children.  The deck above us is specifically for truck drivers.  It has food, a lounge, showers, recliners and first aid.  

I went to the information desk to ask how it works for foot passengers to disembark because we were given no instructions.  I said to the man at the desk, “I am a foot passenger.  What do I do when I get to the other side?”  He looked at me straight faced and said, “The other side of what?”  I replied, “The other side of life.”  Then we talked for the rest of journey about heaven and hell.  It was delightful.  Of course, that isn’t what happened!  The other side of what?!  Really?  The British have been so kind and welcoming to us.  I now need to prepare myself for the French!

Foot passengers may be the first people on the boat but they are the last to get off the boat.  We waited 45 minutes at the information desk to be escorted down to a waiting bus and driven to the ferry terminal.  Gayle had reserved a car with Enterprise and, in the time it took us to cross the channel, Gayle had received two phone calls from the car rental agency asking where we were.  When we got to the kiosk for Enterprise the man ran out, locked the door and ushered us to our waiting car.  He practically pushed us into the car so he could leave.  I think he had a hot date.  Gayle wanted to add me as a driver but he said, “Just call the branch office number and set it up.”  We called the number but, of course, he was already gone for the day.  

Driving a “largish” car in France is an experience.  They drive on the right as we do in the US but they have so many traffic signs that were confusing to us.  I looked up an article on their traffic signs and couldn’t believe how many there are.  My favorite was their “car share” sign.  We arrived in Rouen before 5 pm.  We are staying in an AirBnB for the next three nights. We chose this particular rental because of its location (it is 400 feet from the Cathedrale Norte Dame de Rouen), it has a an elevator, and it has a designated parking spot. The host said she would meet us at the apartment, show us around and then take us to our parking spot.  But just to meet her we needed to park somewhere.  We went around in circles trying to find a place to park a car too large for France.  Gayle expertly pulled us into a spot but we couldn’t open our car doors to get out.  We finally found a spot.

Pauline, our host, showed us around and explained the apartment with her limited English and our non-existent French.  It is a lovely place with two bedrooms and a washing machine…..the all important washing machine.  I have been waiting to wash my clothes since I got off the narrow boat in Wales.  After the tour Pauline walked with us to our parking spot and then walked in front of Gayle, directing her through a steel door and to spot #10.  We will leave our car safely parked until we take an excursion to Giverny on Monday.

We headed out pretty quickly in search of food.  The half of a tuna sandwich on the ferry was hours before.  We realized quickly that Pauline’s expert tour did not help us understand which elevator button to push to return us to the ground floor. Did we want floor 1 or ES or RC?  We tried them all before we were back at street level.

The French don’t eat dinner until quite late.  We finally found a brassiere that catered to people who like to eat at 6:30 p.m.  We had a good but unremarkable dinner and walked over to admire the Cathedrale Norte Dame de Rouen.  I had read that they have a light show on the outside of the building on Saturday nights in June.  The theme for this year’s show is “Impressionism.”  Bryan and I had seen a similar light show in Chartres years ago and I have always wanted to experience it again.  The cathedral is so, so beautiful.  I would describe it as frilly.

We headed back to our apartment then.  I took this photo of Gayle taking a photo.  Along with impressive cathedrals she also snaps photos of trees, flowers and cranes (she is a licensed contractor).  

Back in our apartment we rested in anticipation of heading out at 11 p.m. for the Cathedrale de Lumiere.  We found a spot where I could lean up agains the wall and Gayle could sit on her cane seat and not be jostled.  

The light show was called “Star and Stone…a kind of love, some say.”  Sound and light was projected from the window above our heads.  The sound included music, poetry in English and French and a bit of it was Maya Angelou speaking about rainbows in clouds.  But it was the light on the cathedral that astounded.  

I wish I could post videos on this blog but the photos are still amazing.

In a half hour the show as over and Gayle and I were headed back home when this woman came out of the door behind us.  I have no idea why or what it signified.  It was just kind of weird.

When I crawled in bed, with images of a cheetah running across a cathedral wall, the bed was rocking like I was on a ferry crossing the English Channel.