Seine River Cruise: Rouen

Next stop was Rouen, France.  Rouen is France's fourth largest port.  It was established in 744 AD by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese.


The city has over 700 of these half-timbered houses in the Old Town area.


The city has been fought over by the French, English, Vikings, and was liberated by the Canadians in 1944 after WWII.




If some of these half-timbered houses look crooked, it's because they are.


Do you think this might have been the village that inspired Beauty and the Beast?  The cobblestoned streets and the timbered houses seemed magical just like a Disney movie.


We visited a couple different churches in Rouen, this was the first and I'm not sure of its name.  Wow!






Then we made our way down the street to Rouen Cathedral.  Construction on this gothic cathedral started in  the twelfth century and lasted for 800 years.


It has been through a lot--fires, wars, French Revolution and Allied bombing in WWII.  In fact, just two weeks before our visit the central spire caught fire during renovation but was quickly brought under control by 70 firefighters.





Don't you think it's amazing that relics from 1000 years ago can still be seen?


The church went through massive renovation after WWII when it was bombed by the allies prior to the Normandy landing.  It reopened in 1956.


One interesting fact about the cathedral are the different types of spires--Romanesque, gothic and the tall central spire made of cast iron (wrapped in white because it's undergoing renovation).


I have a fascination about heavy wooden carved doors.  So beautiful.


The Apostles.


Clock named Gros Horloge, an astronomical clock with only one hand that was built in 1389. One trip around indicates 24 hours.


Do y'all know what else Rouen is famous for?  This is where Joan of Arc was imprisoned, tried and burned at the Stake in 1431 by the English at 19 years of age.  This cross is the location of her execution.


In 1456 her conviction was overthrown and she was cleared of all charges.  A little late for her, don't you think?


We walked around town for a little while and looked for some geocaches and then it was back onboard the ship for some relaxation time.  We loved having a balcony almost as much as we loved laying around on top of the ship.

Rouen was beautiful...stop by if you're ever in the area.  Lots of history!




Comments

Yogi♪♪♪ said…
Nice stop. That church is old!!
August 31, 2024 at 11:19 AM
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