Read This Blog! Because everyone is entitled to my opinion.

We woke up in Rouen this morning after an overnight sailing from Le Havre. Our first excursion was a walking tour of Medieval Rouen; we returned in the afternoon instead of taking the “Legends of Château Bonnemare” tour that we’d originally planned (the idea of spending 90 minutes on a bus did not appeal as much as we thought it would when we originally chose our excursions).

Our guide pointed out a couple of interesting items on the way to our first stop, L’église Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc.

Only a few 19th Century buildings along the main boulevard survived WWII

Pierre Corneille Birthplace (Author of El Cid)

The church is on the Place du Vieux-Marché, which is where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake after she was found guilty of heresy. According to our guide, the French actually bought Joan from the English and then tried and condemned her (she was exonerated 25 years later, but she was, of course, still dead).

Outside L’église Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc on Place du Vieux Marché

The cross marks the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The roofline of the church is supposed to resemble both flames and an overturned longship.

We returned to the church later in the afternoon so we could see the inside.

Inside L’église Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc (the stained glass comes from a 16th Century church which did not survive WWII)

There are many restaurants around the square; one (La Couronne started Julia Child’s career as “The French Chef”). You could have lunch there today for under 100 Euros; dinner…well, you don’t want to know.

This is the restaurant where Julia Child had her first French meal, which changed her life. It claimes to be the oldest inn in France, dating back to 1345.

Half-timbered houses (now restaurants) on the Place du Vieux Marché

The houses lean towards each other because of lack of support on the alley side, but our guide assured us that they are completely safe because oak is so strong.

We continued towards Rouen Cathedral, stopping by the Great Clock and the former [Parliament of Provence] on our way.

Parliament of Normandy until 1789., now a courthouse. It is on Rue aux Juifs (Jewry Street). Heavily damaged by Allied bombings and restored over a 50-year period. They left one side unrestored as a reminder of the horrors of war.

Unrrestored side of Parlement du Normandy

We couldn’t go into the Cathedral until the afternoon, but the outside was quite imrpressive.

Rouen Cathedral – begun in the 12th Century, finished in the 17th…and the architecture shows how much time passed during the construction!

Monet painted several of his Rouen Cathedral paintings from this building, right across the street from the Cathedral.

The stones in the foreground are local limestone with fliint inclusions (from the 12th century). You can also see new cut stones in the center which were installed after WWII as part of the reconstruction of the Cathedral.

Bell Tower (damaged in a fire in July 2024 – the spire was mostly unharmed, and the white cylinder below the spire is there for protection).

When we did go inside the Cathedral later in the afternoon, it was overwhelming.

Rollon, first Duke of Normandy (died 933)

Richard the Lionheart (his heart is in the Church treasury)

Our last stop with the guide was yet another church (Église Saint-Maclou); its cemetery had been used to bury victims of the Black Plague, but now it’s a peaceful garden.

Saint-Maclou cemetery (from the days of the Black Plague)

We headed back to the ship for lunch, paying our respects to the site where Joan of Arc’s ashes had been scattered on the Seine and to the French Resistance.

Never has France owed so much to so few men

After lunch, we walked back into town. We had delicious macarons at Auzou and explored the Museum Quarter (unfortunately, the Fine Arts Museum was closed for the holiday).

The Tears of Joan of Arc (at Auzou Chocolatier)

We returned to the ship for the evening. We’d been invited to the Captain’s Table for dinner, along with two other couples – it was fun, but there may have been more alcohol than I planned on! Good thing I don’t have to drive anywhere for a few days!

Most of the passengers took one of the tours to the D-Day beaches, but we’d been there a few years ago and wanted to do something different, so we took a day trip into the Pays d’Auge (one of the agricultural hotspots of Normandy).

Our first stop was the town of Pont l’Évêque.

One of the highlights of Pont l’Évêque is Saint Michael’s Church, which was originally built in the 14th and 15th Centuries. It was damaged during the Hundred Years’ War, the French Wars of Religion in the 16th Century, and very heavily damaged during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. It has been restored, but you can still see damage from shelling on its façade. We arrived just before Sunday Mass but they allowed our group to come inside anyway.

Église Saint-Michel – heavily damaged in 1944 and restored. You can see damage from shelling on the façade.

Memorial to WWII dead, including combatants, deportees, and civilians

We left before Mass began and our guide Anne took us through a bit more of Pont l’Évêque.

Fountain outside the former Court of First Instance

Our next stop was Busnel Distillery, a leading producer of Calvados (and whiskey and gin and…). They gave us a tour of the Calvados production process from apple to cider to distillation to aging to bottling to drinking; I took careful notes but their explanation is far better than anything I could write!

The apple does not fall far from the tree. (Actually named REINETTE by Yvon Barbieri

Apples from Calvados waiting to become Calvados

This cask holds 10000 liters of Calvados-to-be for its first aging

One of 13 aging rooms, each with a few hundred barrels (all French oak)

Enjoying Busnel Pommeau (⅓ Calvados, ⅔ apple juice)

We left with a half-liter of Calvados which had been aged in Sautérne wine barrels.

Our final stop was the resort town of Deauville, where we had a couple of hours to explore on our own (and have lunch) before meeting Anne for a quick tour of the famous boardwalk. It’s a three-day weekend in France and the town was filled with Parisians (and probably other tourists, too).