Flowers and half-timbered houses

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On Friday, we left Paris for Rouen. We picked up our hire care (a BRAND new Golf) and on the way we stopped at Giverny to see Monet’s garden and house. The gardens were in full bloom, which was a bonus. We both felt that the best parts were the waterlilies pond and the famous bridge with the wisteria. We then went to the local village church to see where he was buried. When then proceeded to Rouen to our B & B, located in a 14^thcentury half-timbered building in the heart of the historic centre of Rouen.

Today, we explored all the sights of Rouen. These included Notre Dame Cathedral (nearly every cathedral in France is called Notre Dame), the Abbey of St Ouen, the Church of Saint Maclou, the Great Clock and its tower, the Palais de Justice, the site of St Joan of Arc’s martyrdom and the many medieval streets with their 14^th century half-timbered houses. Rouen is a special city because of its medieval charm and character, and we both loved it very much.

Tomorrow, we make our way to Mont Saint Michel.

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