Rouen - Historic Norman Metropolis. . . . . .

I'm picking up here where I left off in our trip through France with

 Avalon Waterways last September/October. 

This post is on Rouen. I have hundreds of photos, but don't worry 

I won't show them all! The city was so interesting and the weather was

 perfect for our short visit.

I think you will enjoy it - especially if you're a Francophile, and many of us are.

Rouen, capital of Upper Normandy, sits on the River Seine north of Paris.

 It's an important commercial city perhaps best known for its connection to

 Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), who lived, was imprisoned, and burned at the stake

 in the marketplace in 1431.

Called by Victor Hugo the 'city of the hundred spires', Rouen still has the 

Old City containing 800 classified buildings and countless lovely half-timbered

 houses from the 15th to 18th centuries.

Rouen's beautiful Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady was once the tallest building

 in the world!  It was the subject of a series of amazing paintings by Claude Monet.

The three large windows above are very special. They are the room from

 where Claude Monet painted thirty one canvases between 1892 and 1894

 showing the west facade of the glorious Gothic Rouen cathedral.

 These beautiful paintings showed the cathedral in different weather and light

 conditions, see them HERE.

 Stunning stained glass windows in the cathedral.

Statue of Jeanne d'Arc in Rouen cathedral.

Marker in Rouen's old marketplace where Jeanne d'Arc, aged 19, was burned at the stake.

There is no grave as her cremated remains were thrown into the River Seine.

Cobblestones and old half-timbered houses give the Rue du Gros Horloge

 its medieval character. A Renaissance arch spans the street of one of Rouen's

 best-known sights, The Great Clock Tower. 

The clock only displays hours but its mechanism (1389) is one of the oldest in the world.

Some very beautiful half-timbered houses with typical overhanging construction.

In many of these houses each floor was built to project a foot over the one below, 

thus land was saved and so was money. Nowadays the shops on the ground floors 

house restaurants and antiques dealers.

Before saying au revoir to the city of Rouen, we have to have a quick discussion

 about FOOD and Julia Child.  After all, this is France!

LA COURONNE, said to be the oldest auberge (1345) in France, and is where Julia
 dined with her husband, for her very first meal, on her first visit to France in 1948.

Thanks to France, that funny American woman learned how to cook! 
She kept us all chuckling as we enjoyed hours of television whilst sharing her
 kitchen in the '60's through the '80's - that was probably the first real cooking show!

Beautiful LA COURONNE has been reviewed by all and sundry in the 

restaurant/travel business - I enjoyed this article HERE 

which tells the story better than I can because, sadly we didn't have time to

 enjoy the famous Menu Julia Child. 

Apparently it's still the place to eat in Rouen and is still quite affordable.

Has anyone eaten there? Do let me know if you have please!