Rouen, France

 

Rouen, population 120,000, lies 75 miles from Paris and 100 miles from the D-Day beaches of Normandy. Of course the first place I head to is Rouen's medieval old town area.  

Lots of half-timbered buildings.

Tourist office.

This building houses a hotel.

This is Gros Horloge, an astronomical clock dating back to the 14th century. 

This half-timbered building caught my attention because the ground floor houses a patisserie. 

I thought this was a patisserie shop but, turns out it's a school to learn how to make patisseries (pastries). It's break time from class.

Have this impressive monument but no plaque giving some background information.

This is the keep of Rouen Castle. The castle was built in the 1200's but was dismantled in 1591 except for keep. Built within the walls of a castle, the keep is a fortified tower and used as a last refuge if the castle was attacked. 

Front of Rouen Cathedral. It's famous for its three towers--each with a different style (early Gothic, Flamboyant and, Renaissance)

Side view of Rouen Cathedral.

This church inner courtyard dates back to the Middle Ages. If you look closely at the woodwork you see carvings of bones and skulls. This was a cemetery. During plagues in the Middle Ages bodies were buried here and when space ran out-- the bones would be dug up and stacked in the attics atop the second floor. 

The Seine River runs through Rouen. Though it's 100 miles to the English Channel, it's the fifth busiest port in France. There's a massive crowd past the bridge and I don't even attempt to get through with my bike. What's going on?

Every half-dozen years Rouen host an armada of tall sailing ships. You can see a few of them lined up on the other side.