Further exploration of Paris would have to wait until the end of the trip. Today,
the plan was to pick up our rental car and follow the River Seine to the sea. This
would be the beginning of a driving adventure through the heart of France. For the
next three nights, our base would be the colorful harbor town of Honfleur, a serious
contender for the title of prettiest coastal town in France. Along the way, we would
visit the medieval city of Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.
A rental car was reserved for us at Gare du Nord, the major rail hub in
Paris that serves northern Europe. To avoid the tourist ritual of dragging luggage
through the streets and Métro stations of Paris, we asked the hotel staff to
arrange a taxi.
The 20-minute ride to the station provided a random panorama of a Saturday morning
in Paris. It seemed that everyone in sight had a baguette tucked under their arm or
sticking out of their shopping bag. The baguette rivals the Eiffel Tower as the
symbol of Paris. In this city, bread is also a political symbol. The French
Revolution began as a "bread riot" and even today the French government subsidizes
the price of bread.
Dogs were as ubiquitous as bread and almost as numerous as people. This city
literally has more dogs than young children. Contrary to popular belief, Les
Chiens de Paris are not legally permitted in restaurants and food shops.
Judging from the steaming pile of dog crap I once observed on the floor of
a bakery, however, I suspect that this regulation is not strictly enforced.
The most peculiar sight on our way to the station was a rather unkempt gentleman
on a park bench drinking from a huge bottle of wine and reading a book. American
winos aren't so literary.
At the car rental agency, I handed the representative my passport, drivers license
and credit card, and a few minutes later she returned them along with a set of keys.
The vehicle, parked in a nearby garage, was a Citroën Saxo, the bottom of the
line offered by Alamo Europe.
Citroën is not a well recognized name in the US, but any Frenchman will assure
you that Andre Citroën was every bit the equal of Henry Ford. The name Saxo
supposedly resembles the word saxophone and is intended to invoke the excitement of a
smoke-filled New Orleans jazz club. For some reason, none of this was obvious to me
as I inspected the grey compact manual-transmission hatchback for dents and
scratches.
The Saxo had some minor damage on the front passenger side— a missing hubcap and
a small crack in the windsheild. I walked back to the agency and reported these
findings, but didn't request a replacement because the defects were minor and we
were in a hurry. France was waiting for us.
Every time we have rented a car in Europe we have gotten thoroughly lost at least
once. Apparently my subconscious mind decided that it would be best to get that
mandatory and unpleasant experience out of the way as soon as possible because we
became hopelessly confused within minutes of leaving the parking garage. Our map was
useful only for confirming that we were lost. The majority of street signs were so
artfully obscured that one can only conclude it was by design.
Eventually, we passed the Pompidou Centre and had a point of reference. We soon found
the Périphérique, the ring road that circumscribes the city. Exiting
at the A13 Autoroute, we were on our way.
As we headed toward Normandy, Carolyn watched the map and highway signs while I
focused on keeping the Saxo out of the way of the grownup cars. Under no
circumstances should this car be driven by anyone obsessed with cool. Those lacking
self-esteem may suffer irreparable psychological damage if they are seen driving a
Saxo by someone they know.
Rouen, about 90 minutes driving from Paris, is situated at the tip of a huge meander
in the River Seine. The oldest quarter of the town is located on the north side of
the river, or as the French say the "right bank." We headed toward a church steeple
that Carolyn spotted, and were soon at the Place du Vieux Marché (Old
Market Place) where there was a large parking garage.
Rouen
The history of this former frontier outpost of the Roman Empire and present-day
capital of Normandy encompasses more than 2000 years. During the Middle Ages,
Rouen was the second largest city in France. The old city is compact and
pedestrianized, which makes Rouen an ideal place to explore on foot. Don't be
misled by the burning at the stake incident, either — the people of Rouen
are friendly.
The Place du Vieux Marché is appropriately named. Markets have been held
here continuously for more than 1000 years. During the Middle Ages this was the site
of public executions, and a 65-foot bronze cross identifies the spot at which Joan of
Arc died at the stake in 1431. The ashes of France's greatest heroine were thrown
into the nearby Seine. Today, the centerpiece of the Place du Vieux Marché
is the Église Ste-Jeanne-d'Arc.
From the Old Market Place, we walked down the Rue du Gros-Horloge, a
pedestrian mall lined with colorful 15th to 17th century
half-timbered houses. This narrow medieval lane, which literally means "Street of the
Great Clock," was crowded with shoppers on this Saturday afternoon, as it has been
for five centuries. The "Great Clock," which is the unofficial symbol of Rouen, has
been there all those years. The brightly painted one-handed timepiece is the size of
a small house and is set into an arch spanning the street that bears its name.
Victor Hugo described Rouen as the "city of a hundred spires." As we walked down the
Rue du Gros-Horloge, at least a half dozen of those spires peered down upon us
from the end of the street. The "Street of the Great Clock" ends at the
Cathédrale Notre-Dame, an enormous and complicated example of French Gothic
architecture.
Monet was obsessed with this cathedral and painted the pinnacle-laden western portal
more than twenty times. In sharp contrast to the subtle asymmetry of the Cathedral of
Notre-Dame in Paris, the Rouen Cathedral is harshly asymmetric. The towers flanking
the entrance do not even remotely resemble one another. The degree of asymmetry is
probably more due to the fact that the towers were built centuries apart than any
ecclesiastical symbolism. The severity of the asymmetry may account for the fact
that the Rouen Cathedral has never been as popular as Chartres or Reims, which
display the much more subtle symbolic asymmetries.
In late December of 1999, a tremendous winter gale, one of the worst in modern
European history, caused the collapse of one of the minor spires of the cathedral.
It was an ominous heralding of the millenium for the citizens of Rouen when the
interior of their great cathedral was destroyed as the spire crashed through the
ceiling.
The area around the cathedral offers the finest historic buildings in the city. The
Rue St-Romain, Rue Martainville, and Rue Damiette represent
nearly four centuries of architectural evolution. Even the youngest structures in
this neighborhood are more than 300 years old. The mixture of styles and colors is
quite striking. Gothic mixed with Renaissance. Stone houses next to wooden houses. In
many of these dwellings, the upper floors are cantilevered and project out over the
street. Today, the ground floors of these buildings serve as shops and restaurants.
At the end of Rue St Romain, is the Église St-Maclou, uniformly
constructed and decorated in the Flamboyant Gothic style, despite the fact that the
church was built during the French Renaissance period. The most interesting feature
of this church is the adjacent cemetery, where the bones of more than 100,000 victims
of the Black Death are interred. During the mid-14th century, two-thirds
of the citizens of Rouen died from the plague. Bodies were placed in mass graves and
covered with lime-soaked soil to accelerate decomposition.
One of the most picturesque views in Rouen is that of the lantern tower of the former
abbey church of St Ouen from the Rue Damiette. The colorful wooden houses of
this narrow street frame the tower, which dominates the north end of the street. At
St Ouen, we began to walk back to the Place du Vieux Marché and our car.
Along the way was a bakery where we bought a couple of Cokes and split a baguette.
Then we got back into the Saxo and were soon on our way to Honfleur. The only
disappointment about Rouen was the short amount of time we were able to spend there.
If we ever return to Normandy, and this is very likely, we will give Rouen the time
it deserves.
Honfleur
The intensity of the rain increased with proximity to Honfleur. We arrived in a
soaking downpour and I left Carolyn and the car in a large parking lot on the eastern
end of the old town, while I looked for the hotel. By the time I went back for her,
the rain had lessened to a steady drizzle.
The four-story Hotel du Dauphin, built in
the 16th century, blends unassumingly with the surrounding historic
buildings. Every window has a geranium-filled flower box and the brown and white
upper stories are constructed in the half-timbered style. Unlike timber-framed
dwellings in Alsace and Bavaria, however, the alternating components of wood and
masonry in this building are precisely arranged. The dark slate-covered roof is
punctured by several tall red brick chimneys.
Our room was on the second floor, directly above an art gallery owned by the hotel
proprietors. Although the room was thoroughly modern in appearance, the massive dark
beams, cracked with age, that subdivided the ceiling revealed the ancientness of the
room. Multi-paned windows nearly as large as myself provided impressive views of the
street below, which, except for contemporary lighting and the occasional passing
car, retains its medieval character.
The location of the Hotel du Dauphin is virtually ideal— less than a block from
the Vieux Bassin (old harbor), which is the focal point of the historic town.
A hotel directly along the harbor would likely have been too noisy, whereas our room
overlooked the quiet Place Berthelot and faced the Church of Sainte Catherine,
the most prominent structural landmark in Honfleur.
The town was unusually busy and crowded for a typical October weekend because we
arrived in the midst of the Fête de la Crevette et de la Pêche (Shrimp
and Fishing Festival). The woman at the hotel desk, who deduced that we were not
there for the festival, apologized for the inconvenience (noise, parking, etc.), but
we didn't mind— we were happy to be in Normandy, and the festival was an
interesting backdrop for our visit. I watched a few boat races and saw a drunk nearly
fall into the harbor.
The history of Honfleur can be summarized as nine centuries of fishing and ship
building. Proximity to England has had a profound impact on Honfleur. In addition to
extensive cross-channel commerce, the town was an English possession on several
occasions, including a period during the Hundred Years War. Today, British tourists
flock to the Normandy coast, simultaneously continuing lengthy traditions of commerce
and invasion. During the 18th century, Honfleur served as a slave port.
The town was spared significant damage during the Second World War.
Honfleur is best known for sailors and artists, and bears an historic connection to
North America. It was from here that the 17th century navigator Samuel de
Champlain sailed to the New World and founded a colony in Quebec.
The town is often referred to as the "Birthplace of Impressionism." During the late
19th century, Honfleur became a haven for artists obsessed with capturing
the distilled essence of an subject, such as the impression obtained during a quick
glimpse. These "impressionist" painters, which included Monet and Seurat, were
fascinated by the unique relationship between weather and light that existed along
this stretch of the English Channel. Judging by the number of art galleries, artists
are still in love with Honfleur.
The centerpiece of old Honfleur is the Vieux Bassin, a small and nearly
rectangular harbor, which is connected to the sea by a single narrow outlet, and is
otherwise almost entirely enclosed by buildings. The most photogenic portion of
the Vieux Bassin is the Ste-Catherine Quai, which borders the west side
of the harbor. The tallest buildings here tower seven stories above the water. Most
of the structures are three to four times as high as they are wide, and there is no
space between neighboring buildings, which are also of uneven height, creating the
impression of a jumbled skyline. Each building facade is constructed from either
light-colored stone, dark-colored brick, or wood covered with black slate.
Most of establishments along the Ste-Catherine Quai are restaurants.
Umbrella-covered tables line the edge of the harbor, which is densely moored with
boats. The colorful buildings that surround the harbor are reflected in the water and
these reflections are disrupted by the ropes, sails and masts of the yachts and
fishing boats.
At the northern edge of the harbor, near its outlet to the sea, is the
16th home of the governor of Honfleur, La Lieutenance, so named
because the royally appointed commissioner responsible for this critical port was
referred to as the "King's Lieutenant." There is nothing pretentious about this
building. At first glance, it seems unimportant, even dilapidated. In its day,
however, La Lieutenance was a manor house built directly into the ramparts
that surrounded the city. With the exception of one of the main gates that remains
attached to the governor's home, the fortifications are long gone, but it is possible
to infer their location in some parts of the old city. Neighborhoods once contained
within these walls are still referred to as l'Enclos.
Also along the harbor, not far from La Lieutenance, is the pastel-yellow
Hotel de Ville, which is the town hall of Honfleur. The architectural style
of this stone building, particularly the dormer windows that line the roof, suggests
that it dates from the mid-18th century, but I was not able to confirm
this estimate. A nearby old-fashioned carousel adds even more color to the harbor.
There is more to Honfleur than the old harbor. A town full of narrow and winding
cobblestone lanes, each lined with slate-roofed houses that have stood for centuries,
can invoke interest and excitement in even the most disinterested tourist. Shops and
restaurants are plentiful, and there is no need to worry about getting lost because
all roads lead downhill to the old harbor.
The Église Ste-Catherine, opposite our hotel, is the largest wooden church
in France. Historians disagree on the reason that such a large church was built
entirely of wood. Perhaps it was because Honfleur was a city of shipbuilders. Some
believe it was because the church was built immediately after the end of the Hundred
Years War, when stone masons were scarce because of reconstruction efforts in the
larger cities. Another curious feature of the Église Ste-Catherine is that
the solid oak bell tower stands apart from the church itself.
The only straight street of any significance in Honfleur is the Rue de la
République, which connects new and old parts of the city. This modern
thoroughfare is where the locals do their grocery shopping and fill their cars
with gas. It was in this newer part of Honfleur that we found a Champion grocery
store about a mile from our hotel.
Our first day in Normandy concluded with dinner at a restaurant called Le Carpano,
which is located near the east end of old Honfleur. The plain and simple fromage
pizza was easily one of the best cheese pizzas that I have ever had. France has a
well-deserved reputation for great food, which reflects the cultural significance of
dining. For centuries, food has been a conspicuous symbol of social status. Since the
revolution, food has also (somewhat paradoxically) become a symbol of equality. For
example, French table etiquette specifies a set of rules for cutting different types
of cheese. These rules emphasize the equal distribution of the "good and bad parts,"
such as the center and the rind.
The traveler in France will quickly discover that, with a few notable exceptions, an
expectation of high quality food extends downward to even the simplest restaurants.
Anyone willing to spend $100 per person for dinner will have no trouble finding great
food virtually anywhere in the world. What is unique about France, however, is that
even relatively basic items, such as pizza, bread and ice cream, are prepared to the
highest standards. Our Cokes, ice cream, and pizza were certainly worth the 18 Euro
price.
|
Previous Day
|
Next Day
|
More Images of Rouen, Honfleur and Normandy
|
|
<br>And%20Quai%20Sainte-Catherine<br>Honfleur,%20France)