Today we visited the rather large historic city built on
the banks of the Seine, Rouen. Rouen is famous for many things including being
the place where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in the 1400s. Right in the
centre of town is the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral. Its construction
started in the 12th century and has various repairs and rebuilds
over the years, the last one being in 1944 after allied bombardments. It has
the highest spire in France but unfortunately the smaller spires below it were
being restored and were covered with scaffolding during our visit. From here we
went on a very interesting walk to take in the many historical sites before our
lunch. Just by chance we came upon, a large very old courtyard style building
(Aitre St-Maclou) which in the middle, had a designated cemetery from the
middle ages. The buildings were under restoration and covered in scaffolding but
the centre courtyard area (the cemetery dating back to 1300’s) was under
excavation. Archaeologists and students were digging the site and it was
extremely interesting watching them work. It was believed that this cemetery
was full of people who had died in the Great Plague of 1348. This plague killed
¾ of the neighbourhood’s inhabitants. We then walked to the restaurant that Robin
and Kevin had booked for lunch, La Couronne, the oldest (1395) in Rouen. Many
famous people had eaten here as the photos on the walls demonstrated. We had a
delicious 3 course meal and then headed out again to explore the square and
garden area where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Our day in Rouen finished
with a mini train/bus ride around the city.
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