A trip to Rouen with Fred and Joan

Who? You may enquire?

Its a bit of a play on words I must admit, but I’m referring to my recent trip on Fred Olsen’s Braemar (see previous blog ) and my visit to Rouen to see the fantastic Medieval Town and the resting place of history’s Heroine, Joan of Arc..

Now, I’ve been to a few Olde Worlde places in my time, London &  Bruges for a start, but nothing prepared me for the wonder that is Rouen!  I loved the tiny cobbled streets, the quaint buildings practically touching one another – you could feel the history within their walls!

So to backtrack just a bit.  Fred Olsen had arranged a walking tour of Rouen, thankfully starting in the afternoon, as the day before we had spent an exhilarating day at Le Mans and were feeling a little precious and tired.   We were met by our very pleasant hostess and made our way to the town.

Now, although its called a Walking Tour, we did actually board a coach to take us from the ship to the centre of town.  You can walk it – I did in fact – but it’s a bit of a trot and took me a good half hour at a steady pace, and after you leave the historical centre, its a bit, shall we say…..unscenic….

Once in town we were taken around the streets and told about the history of Rouen and of course the part Joan of Arc played.  We visited Rouen Cathedral, which is vast, and beautifully decorated, then on to a very peaceful Courtyard which turned out to be a Medieval Graveyard!

We walked along the Rue De Gros Horloge, a pedestrianised street, full of shops and cafes, through the arch where the beautiful astronomical Gros Horloge clock is situated,

then finally to the main square where a church and museum to commemorate Joan of Arc was built, alongside the place where she was burned at the stake  on 14th May 1431 and subsequently posthumously exonerated.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to spend any time in the Church itself as a concert was being held, but I did manage to slip in unseen and took a sneaky picture of the beautiful stained glass window. Fantastic!

I think the 2 hour walking tour was enough, as the cobbled streets can play havoc with your feet if you’re not wearing the correct footwear, and by that time, you had achieved a real sense of the history of this beautiful town.  There was also more than enough time, to rest up and have a coffee in the main square, and explore on your own before heading back to the ship.

We were told that there was to be a Light Show at the cathedral, starting at around 11:30pm, but as it had been quite a long couple of days, I decided not to go.  Which I have since regretted, as a colleague attended and here’s the video he took.  Had I known what a spectacular show it was going to be, I would definitely have made the effort.

So if you ever find yourself in Rouen and the Light Show is advertised, take my advice and go.  You’ve never  seen anything quite like it!

See what you think.

Gina  x