France -- Days 1 & 2, July, 2016

Days 1 and 2 – France – July 18 & 19, 2016

After leaving on a 7 ½-hour flight in which there was virtually no sleep, we landed safely in Paris at 8:30 a.m. It took over an hour of standing in line to get through customs, only to have the agent stamp our passports without one single question.  The next hour was spent going through the process of renting a car, which had already been rented, confirmed and paid for!  The next hour’s challenge was to drive out of the airport and through heavy traffic across northern Paris to finally head for the region of Normandy!!

The countryside is beautiful … a patchwork of small fields, a few small towns off the tollway, many trees, hedges and forested areas.  Along the roadsides, whenever there is a site to see, it is depicted by a large beautiful sign with a picture of that particular site … be it a castle, a cathedral, a harbor, etc.  Very tastefully done.  We made a stop at Rouen.  The old town area is set aside for pedestrians only and you enter into the Middle Ages with history at every turn. Many of the buildings, including the churches consist of Gothic architecture, but there’s also an area with half-timbered houses that have a Swiss look about them.

Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Rouen

Rouen ... Rouen, sometimes called the City of a Hundred Spires, has many churches with spires.  The highest, erected in 1876 on the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, is 490 feet high. The Cathedral has three other towers as well containing 56 bells, and looking at the ornate architecture all around the outside is amazing.  But it is even better inside with its dozens of beautiful stained glass windows representing all major art periods from the Middle Ages to early Renaissance, its 14 massive pillars over the choir each with depictions of everyday life and various beasts, the main door 

decorated with sculptures of the Family Tree of Jesus and another door dedicated to the first martyr, St. Stephen, while yet another door depicts the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The famous Escalier de la Librairie (Booksellers’ Stairway) is adorned with a stained-glass rose window which dates from the 1500s.  Along with the impressive number of statues of Popes, saints and others who are important in Catholic history that line the walls, there is also the famous royal relic of the heart of Richard the Lion-Hearted entombed on the right side of the choir.





As we strolled down the cobblestone streets … soaking in the narrow streets, quaint shops, sidewalk

Gros-Horlodge clock

cafes … there was another massive, ornate Gothic masterpiece, that of the Palais de Justice which houses the Rouen Law Courts and is the meeting place of the Parliament of Normandy. A short walk from there is the Gros-Horlodge, where a Gothic belfry tower houses a very detailed clock that straddles  the street.  Among its symbols is a Passover lamb in the middle of the clock which represents the arms of the city.

One last church not to be missed is the Englise Jeanne d’Arc.  It is a bold, modern church opened in 1979 with the shape of the roof representing the flames of her martyrdom. It was constructed for visitors to appreciate the invincible spirit of Joan of Arc.  She was burned at the stake in the center of this very square. Inside the church are many spectacular Renaissance stained-glass windows that were taken from the former church. There is also a very moving statue of Joan of Arc enveloped in flames, and the belief is that her message to us today is that God still inspires the most noble and courageous feelings in mankind.

Englise Jeanne d'Arc

Stained-glass windows inside Englise Jeanne d'Arc

Statue of the enflamed Joan of Arc

Okay … it’s 100 degrees outside (very unusual for this area) and we haven’t had much/any sleep for36 hours, so with the little help of a five-hour shot, we drive another hour and a half to our hotel in Bayeux. By 6 p.m. I’m showered and in bed … for tomorrow is an early rise morning!  It’s been exhausting, but extremely fascinating as well.  It’s very nice to be back in France!