A Few Days in Normandy

LuLu had a request to see the beaches of Normandy where the brave young men of America landed in 1944.  Rather than doing a day trip from Paris, I thought it would be fun to visit another small town in Normandy for a few days and do a day trip to Bayeux to see the beaches.  I honestly can't even remember how I decided on Rouen except it was a place I had not been and it seemed interesting with it's link to Joan of Arc. Rouen is just a little over 90 minutes by train from Paris Saint-Lazare train station (could be a day trip from Paris).  Upon arrival, you instantly feel more calm and relaxed in comparison to the hustle and bustle of Paris.

Our hotel, Hotel de Bourgtheroulde, was just a 10 minute ride from the train station and is in the heart of the historic area. The building is over 500 years old (work started in 1501) and has been a private residence and several banks before becoming a hotel in 2010.  The building definitely has it's quirks which makes it even more interesting.  For instance, our room is on the 3rd floor but to access it, we have to walk up the front stairs to enter the hotel's lobby on level 1 (would be the 2nd floor in the US), then we take an elevator to the 2nd floor and from there we walked up 4 steps and down a hall (following the blue sign), down about 15 steps and then took the elevator to the 3rd floor.  Fortunately, Pierre (who became our personal assistant) escorted us to our room but must admit it was worth the journey as we overlooked the square and it is huge (our room in Paris was only 183 sq ft...and that is large by Paris standards).

Rouen is the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. A rather modern church (Church of Saint Joan of Arc) was built in 1979 to honor her.  From above, the unusual design gives the feeling of the flames that consumed her.  There is Le Bucher (The Pyre) with a large cross that marks the exact spot of her death.  About a 10 minute walk away is Historial Jeanne d'Arc where you can learn all about Joan, her bravery, trial, death and how her story has evolved in the years since her death.  The digital tour takes about 75 minutes and spans 5 floors.

Like many towns in Europe, Rouen has an astronomical clock, Le Gros-Horloge.  The clock is one of the oldest in France as the mechanism that operates it was built in 1389.  One of the things you immediately notice is there is only one hand.  In the 14th century, knowing the hour was enough for folks.  At the end of the hour hand, there is a sheep which represents the importance of the wool trade in Rouen at the time.

Towering over the town is the Notre Dame Cathedral Rouen with its 315 foot tall spire (the highest in France). Work began on the cathedral in 1030 and was completed in 1506.  The church is the final resting place of several historians including Richard the Lionhearted - King of England, William I, Duke of Normandy and Rollo the Viking leader that founded Normandy.

The historic area of Rouen is a charming little town.  We met a woman from Houston (we can't seem to go anywhere without running into to someone from Texas!) and she said the town felt like Beauty and the Beast had come alive.  Back in the medieval days when the town was being developed the buildings were framed with timber and then between the wood it was filled with clay, mud, straw and animal hair. The town doesn't have a Hop-On/Hop-Off bus but they do have Le Petit Train de Rouen that is about a 45 minute ride around town.  It looked cute so we gave it a try...in hind sight, not the best idea...think cobble stone streets in a train with no padding on the seats.  Here's a few pics from the ride as well as our walking around town over a couple of days.

Rouen is part of the French Way
on the Camino de Santiago

Rouen is home to La Couronne (The Crown) which opened in 1345 making it France's oldest inn. We enjoyed a two hour lunch that was absolutely delicious...I do love the long leisurely lunches in Europe.  Our lunch consisted of duck foie gras, pan fried duck (LuLu), seared pollock with shrimp (me), a selection of Normandy cheeses, apple tartine with vanilla ice cream and espresso.  We also enjoyed a bottle of cider (not for kids)...while many other regions of France are known for their wines, in Normandy cider is regularly consumed in place of wine.

Bayeux is where many of the D-Day tours depart so we hopped on the train and in just over 2 hours (about the same if you want to do a day trip from Paris) we arrived.  Before the tour, we had time to visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral Bayeux.  The cathedral was dedicated in 1077 and originally housed the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

We stumbled upon a food truck that was very popular with the local workers...if the construction guys are lining up, you know it has to be good.  We split a hot dog and fries and it was pretty good.

When I was last in Bayeux in 2012, I took a tour with Overlord Tours so LuLu and I booked with them again.  Among the places we visited were Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery.    Pointe du Hoc is where a memorial stands that depicts the US Army Ranger dagger breaking Hitler's Atlantic Wall.  The Ranger motto, Rangers Lead the Way, was first said on D-Day when Army LTC James Rudder unexpectedly ran into the Rangers and said "Rangers, lead the way".

During our visit, it was high tide but on my previous visit it was low tide so I could really get the sense of the distance the brave men had to cover that day.  On the day of invasion, our soldiers had to first navigate choppy seas for two hours before hitting the shore and then fend off the bullets while crossing the beach and then climbing the 95 foot cliff over the next 4 hours with 70 pounds of gear on their backs.

There are approximately 9,000 soldiers buried here...including 7 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and 4 women.  While far more than 9,000 gave their lives in Europe during WWII, most were repatriated to the US after the war.  Every fallen soldiers' family was giving the option to have their loved one returned to the US to be buried in their hometown or national cemetery if they did not want them to stay in Europe.  Even to this day, if a missing soldier's remains are discovered, the family has the same options...all expenses covered by the government. Every  headstone is identical with the exception of two things.  For the fallen Jewish soldiers, they have a Star of David rather than a cross.  For the seven Medal of Honor recipients, their name is in gold and they have a Medal of Honor on their cross.  All headstones face West towards the United States and are in perfect military formation.  Because we were there a few weeks prior to the anniversary of D-Day and in preparation for the annual ceremony, they had roping so we could not walk through the rows.  The only exception made during this period is if a family member of a buried serviceman visits, they are able to go to the grave.

The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves

We enjoyed our short trip to Normandy and have decided we need to come back to explore more of the area.  The people here are so friendly, we had some amazing meals and things move at a slower pace than Paris.  Au revoir Normandy merci pour tous ces bons moments!