Day Eight: First Half -- Rouen

I've just returned from our side trip to Rouen.  The great cathedral there is going through an extensive repair program, nonetheless it communicated its beauty.  The church was bombed during the run-up to the Allied invasion in 1944.  Some stained glass is now missing.  Other windows are clearly relatively modern additions.

Among the burials is Empress Matilda or Maud of England who ruled for a short time in the 12th century.  The Brother Cadfael murder mysteries are based on this period in English history.


St. Joan of Arc's principal antagonist is buried here also, the English Duke of Bedford, John Plantaganet (Lancaster, for those interested in the Wars of the Roses).  Joan was exonerated by the pope within 25 years of her death and has, of course, now been canonized is one of the great patrons of France.

We stopped for lunch: baked Camembert with salad and then veal in a local sauce containing Calvados, washed down with local cider.  Both in the countryside and in the town we passed many older buildings with thatched roofs or timber construction which would be quite recognizable to inhabitants of England or Ireland.

Tonight, some more delicacies.  Stay tuned.