Stepping Through Time in Rouen by Judi

My family recently sailed on AmaWaterway’s AmaLyra along the Seine River from Paris to Normandy and back to Paris. One of the many things that I loved about our cruise was the included excursions. In every port, you can choose between one of several tours. For example, in Rouen, we had a choice between the Rouen Medieval Walking Tour, the Rouen Bike Tour, or a Taste of Normandy Tour. To make it even better, you could choose your activity levels for the walking tours. They offered a regular or gentle level.

The excursions on our cruise were such an interesting mix of history, art, architecture, culture, beautiful scenery, and entertainment. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite, but one of mine was, in fact, the Medieval Walking Tour of Rouen.

Our tour started at the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Rouen. Construction of the church began in 1030. It was built and rebuilt over a span of 800 years. The church has three distinct towers, each constructed in a different style. Joan of Arc’s trial was held within the complex of the cathedral. Claude Monet featured the cathedral in a series of impressionist paintings.

As our tour continued, we walked along ancient cobblestone streets and alleys past medieval timber-framed buildings, many of which date back to the Middle Ages. Some of the alleys were so narrow that two people couldn’t walk side by side. The cobblestone streets have the drainage ditch in the middle. Back in the days before indoor plumbing, people would empty their chamber pots in the streets. If you heard someone yell, “garde l’eau,” three times, you knew to get out of the way.

We walked along the Rue du Gros-Horloge, which is the main pedestrian thoroughfare of Rouen, central shopping area, and nightlife street. The Gros-Horloge, which translates to Great Clock, is an astronomical clock dating back to the 14th century. The beautiful clock is built into a Renaissance Arch that spans the Rue du Gros-Horloge. The clock face has just one hand that shows you the hour since they didn’t count minutes when the clock was made. There is a sphere above the clock face that indicates the current phase of the moon. Under the face, there is a dial that shows the day of the week in the form of the corresponding God or Goddess.

As we continued along the Rue, we came to the Palais de Justice. The ornate Gothic building was built in 1499 to house the Exchequer of Normandy (Court of Justice) and then became the headquarters of the Parliament of Normandy in 1515. The building was heavily damaged during World War II. In the 1979’s it was restored to its original architecture. To this day, the building continues to function as a courthouse.

Our last stop on the tour was the Place du Vieux-Marche, the old market place. The market is best known as the spot where 19 year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. An 80-foot cross now marks the location, and stands just outside the Eglise Ste-Jeanne-d’Arc, a church built in her honor. The beautiful stained glass windows inside the church were originally in the Church of Saint Vincent and were removed from there during World War II and hidden away so they wouldn’t be destroyed. The Church of Saint Vincent was destroyed during the war. When the Eglise Ste-Jeanne-d’Arc was built in 1979, the windows were brought out of storage and incorporated into the church design.

Once our tour was over, we had time to enjoy some of the shops in the historic half-timbered buildings that surround the market. We stopped at Yvonne, a bakery with outdoor seating, to try one of the French pastries. I, of course, had to get a white chocolate mocha at a Starbucks located in one of the oldest buildings in Rouen.

We then returned to our ship, the AmaLyra, to continue sailing on to our next port of call. I am still pinching myself that I was in Paris, got to enjoy an amazing cruise, and visit historical locations that I only read about or saw on TV. I ate macaroons from a boulangerie in Montmartre and another located in Honfleur. I ate creme brulee outside of a café on Montmartre while watching local artists paint and market their wares. I walked in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh’s last 70 days in Avers-sur-Oise.

Whether you take your family on a river cruise, an ocean cruise, or a beach vacation. I hope you take the trip and make the memories.

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