It is now Sunday night after a three day weekend. Friday was some religious holiday and the French NEVER miss the opportunity to have a holiday if there is some sort of reason.
We did lots since this is our last weekend in Rouen. Friday we took a guided [in French] tour of the Cathedrale de Rouen. The guide was 82 years old and did a nice job. Dee understood a significant amount and I even understood some. He was pleased to have some Americans and the other two people spoke some English and were happy to help with explanations. The Cathedrale was severely damaged during the D-Day Invasion and was completely rebuild after the war. It was started in the 9th or 10th century. It is beautiful--particularly the outside. Monet painted many pictures of the outside in different light and at different times of the year. After our tour there was a concert of two trumpets and organ and we stayed for a part of that.
Saturday we went by train to Bayeux. First some background for the non-history majors.
England was LAST invaded in 1066 by William the Conqueror Duc of Normandy,France) and he won the battle [and the crown of England] at the battle of Hastings. This is a very famous event in English history since no invasion has occured since. In the near years after the battle [currently assumed to be within the next 50 or so years] someone [not known who today] commissioned a tapestry depicting the story of why the battle and of the battle. The tapestry still exists today and is over 1,000 years old! It is about 18 inches high and over 70 yards long.
It is called the Bayeux Tapestry [or Tapisserie de Bayeux] and that, dear friends, is why we went to Bayeux. If you have any interest in history, it is a very good visit. Afterwards we visited their Cathedrale which is quite pretty and worth a visit. As we were leaving, a wedding party arrived so we waited and watched the bride [who was quite pretty] and her entourage get organized and enter the church. Since the Cathedrale is a big tourist attraction, the church was not closed for the wedding but we decided not to actually attend their wedding.
It was a two hour train trip each way but it was a fun day.
Today we made our last 2008 trip to the Sunday open market [called a marche] in one of the city squares. We have gone every Sunday. One of the ladies even remembered us from last year on our first visit this year!
This is our last week of school. Next Saturday we are off to Tours, France by train for three full days of visiting the chateaux of the Loire Valley. Then back to Rouen for a couple days and then back to Georgia the end of the month.
15 minute salmon recipie
14 years ago
