Rouen

Warm greetings from Rouen! Also known as the city of Joan of Arc.

My first real stop in France. I traveled directly to Rouen by train from Paris.

Upon arriving in beautiful weather, I headed to my accommodation first to drop off my large backpack. I was able to stay at a friend's place and had my own very comfortable bed there. It's always great to have friends everywhere.

In the evening we went out again to find something for dinner and discovered a delicious crêperie. The food was so good!

The next day (Sunday) we had a relaxed breakfast in the morning and later went into the city to explore it properly.

The cathedral 'Notre Dame de Rouen' took over five decades to build and is known for its detailed exterior facade where various architectural styles can be recognized.

It is the second largest cathedral in Europe, only surpassed by Cologne Cathedral, which is 6m taller. Globally, it ranks fourth.

Claude Monet was inspired by the cathedral in Rouen, which led him to paint an entire series of images in the style of the church.

After walking around the city for about 8 km, we were able to discover quite a bit and then spontaneously decided to visit the art museum. There are various things exhibited there, but it is especially popular for the works from Impressionism. Several works by Claude Monet are on display, as well as those by artists like Alfred Sisley.

In the evening we ended the day with cooking together. Adrian needed something German for his work lunch, so we ended up making a portion of spaetzle ourselves. And what can I say, they are really easy to make and delicious too!

The next day I used my day for a free walking tour. Basically, you sign up and get a tour, and at the end you can decide how much to pay the guide. I do this every now and then, and it's a great way to get to know the place from a different perspective.

Rouen has various styles of architecture, but especially the style of half-timbered houses is very strongly represented in the old town. Up to 1000 houses in the old town are part of the UNESCO World Heritage and are examined for their stability every year.

They are often more crooked than straight since only the footprint was calculated in the past. Consequently, it was built wider at the top on a narrow base.

Rouen is also very famous for Joan of Arc. She was burned here. On the square where she was burned, a church stands today to commemorate her.

From this angle, the peaks on the left are meant to represent the flames of the fire, and the peak in the center represents Joan of Arc standing on the pyre.

The stained glass windows date back to the 16th century and were rescued from the St. Vincent church, which was destroyed in World War II.

Another famous landmark is this astronomical clock. It is the oldest clock mechanism in France. It was built in the 14th century and is reminiscent of the astronomical clock in Prague.

And what can't be missed? Trying the delicious pastries of France. This little cake consisted of two meringue halves filled with a super light coffee cream in the middle. It was so delicious; I wish I could have taken some with me.

Now I'm on my way to the next city. See you soon, your Almut