Rouen

We’ve often driven through Rouen, but this time decided to visit as the campsite on the Seine was convenient for both Monet’s garden and Rouen.

It’s an old city dating from pre-Roman times with much history and many old buildings. As we’re unfamiliar with the city we navigated towards the cathedral’s easily visible spire that from 1876 to 1880 was the tallest structure in the world. It’s like a slim Eiffel Tower.

The cathedral front is predictably magnificent, set in a large, open square.

The carvings are unusually intricate as can be seen from close-up detail. These two could almost be weather men; if so then they’re telling us it’s overcast with spots of rain.

There’s been a church on this site since the 4^th century, and the current building was started in the 12^th century. It has been repaired and amended many times for various reasons such as lightning strikes, fires, wars, and improvements. The interior, although fairly bare, retains a pleasant appearance in spite of the many different repairs and upgrades it’s had. This stone staircase looks particularly elegant.

Religious statues are generally carved in solemn, grave style, but occasionally the sculptor sneaks a bit of humanity into his work. Has the guy on his right told St Peter a naughty joke (“Have you heard the one about the actress and the bishop?”), and he’s trying hard not to laugh. Despite what he’s holding, he definitely not keyed up.

Rouen Cathedral is famous for its bells, the heaviest peal in France; one is greeted face-to-face with several of these monsters on entering the nave. They’ve been refurbished, and will be rehung shortly, but in the meantime visitors can see and touch these huge bells that will soon be chiming out hundreds of feet above us. It was a striking encounter, you might say.

We came unexpectedly upon the next building around a quadrangle, called the Atrium of Saint Maclou. 

It is. or rather was, an ossuary, a place to store the bones of the dead. It came about as a result of the plague outbreak in 1348 when a large proportion of Rouen’s population was wiped out. A huge pit was dug, where the central courtyard is, into which all the bodies were placed regardless of status.

The bones remained in the pit until a second outbreak of plague in the 16^th century that also devastated the inhabitants. The original pit was full, and now they needed space for more bodies, so in 1526 the cloisters that now surround this courtyard were built to house the old bones; the pit would then be available for the recent victims. Wouldn’t it have been easier to dig a new pit? Anyway, this is part of the wonderful medieval structure they raised.

There are many different carvings in the woodwork right around the rectangle appropriate to its purpose: skulls, bones, gravediggers tools etc.

This unique set of buildings is showing signs of decay although was occupied by the Fine Arts School until recent years, the bones having been removed and buried several centuries previously, as were the bones in the central pit. However, any modern excavations immediately uncover bones so the removal wasn’t very thorough. It must be a popular spot of dog-walkers. 

Wandering off, we strolled through many medieval streets like the one below.

We stopped to look at the Law Courts. The building dates back to 1499 and has been used as a royal palace, the exchequer and the Normandy Houses of Parliament. It was badly damaged in the last war but has been expertly restored.

We were making for the Joan of Arc memorial church, but first had to pass under the Gros Horloge arch, that’s the Big Clock. It’s one of the oldest in France and has a movement dating from 1389. It’s a beautiful old timepiece, difficult to read the time; but does it matter.

Joan of Arc is associated with Rouen because she was burnt at the stake here. In this square. She is one of the few foreign heroes we know in the UK perhaps because we, the English, captured her and condemned her to that terrible fate.

The Church of St Joan was built in this square in 1979 amid much controversy. It does look unconventional, but seems to work both inside and out. This is the interior with stained glass windows telling the story of the life of Saint Joan.

Rouen had more to see than we could fit in during one day, although it is largely an industrial city and the area of interest is confined to what is left of the old city. Maybe an overcast day didn’t help, but the old town seemed somewhat run-down and, although interesting, could be presented as an historic gem given some investment and tlc.

Tomorrow: the tunnel, and home.

Monet’s Garden

We’re now at a campsite by the Seine, 30 minutes from Giverny where the impressionist painter Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926. Throughout the time he lived there, Monet developed his garden into a showpiece of colour, with features such as a lake and a Japanese bridge, which he used as the subject of many of his paintings.

Monet’s son inherited the property and left it to the French Academy of Fine Arts on his death in 1966. The house and gardens were restored as they were in Monet’s day and were first opened to the public in 1980.

We are visiting in early May, the best time to experience the vibrant spring colours. Many others thought so too, so the entrance queue was a long one but it was well worth the wait. This is a general overview.

The arch running through the centre is particularly attractive.

The beds are themed around groups of colours; in front of the house are red and pink tulips with blue forget-me-nots.

There is a huge number of tulip varieties; here are a few in this collage.

Monet painted in the impressionist style, and it was interesting to see how well my photo shop programme converted a few of my photos into this genre. Instant Monet?

We enter the house now; the rooms are furnished in late 19^th/ early 20^th century style with Monet’s collection of Japanese prints on the walls of many of the rooms. This is Monet’s studio which had copies of his paintings hanging on the walls.

The kitchen’s a cheerful yellow and can be compared with an old photo of Monet himself in the same room. I’m not sure what he would have made of all the tourists.

It’s the garden that really holds our attention, probably because it was the subject of so many of his paintings. We make for lake and the Japanese bridge; it’s beautifully laid out like the rest of the gardens, and the bridge is instantly recognisable especially if given the Monet photo shop treatment.

An overall view of the lake is also worth taking in; he often painted the water lilies here.

Monet’s garden was a stunning experience and so evocative of his paintings. However, he wasn’t the only artist in Giverny in that era: there was a thriving colony of mainly American artists, and these are presented in the Giverny Museum of Impressionism just up the road. Here again there are beautiful gardens, so Monet hasn’t got it all his own way.

Inside was an exhibition of works by Gustave Caillebotte. We’d never heard of him, either. He was apparently a close friend of Monet’s, and a few of his paintings seemed familiar, for example this one. I reckon he’s just dumped the girlfriend over the side and is rowing off for dear life.

Giverny village is pretty but obviously touristy given the numbers of visitors, but it avoids being too tacky and commercialised. This is one of the many cafes and looks very much in keeping with the village setting.

We were lucky, of course, with the time of year and warm sunny weather, but what a delightful day out. It certainly left a lasting impression!

Oradour-sur-Glane

Oradour lies 15 miles from Limoges and has a sad tale to tell. We start at the visitor centre that describes the background and the incident that changed the village for ever. 

The time is June 1944, and it’s just after D Day; Resistance activity has increased dramatically all over the country. The 2^nd SS Panzer Division has been rushed to the area to repel the threat of the Allied advance, and is also facing local Resistance operations, in particular the kidnapping of an SS officer near Limoges. The commander of the Das Fuhrer Regiment, part of the 2^nd SS Panzer Division, decides on a reprisal against the locals because of the Resistance nuisance.

On the afternoon of 10^th June, a squad of about 180 SS soldiers began searching isolated farms to the south of Oradour, working their way towards the village which they sealed off on arrival. The inhabitants were told to assemble at the Fairground so that papers could be checked and an arms search carried out. This is the Fairground today.

The villagers were largely unalarmed by this, having been under the authoritarian rule for four years; in any event, the village was not a Resistance stronghold nor were there any arms caches to be discovered.

The women and children, 452 in total, were taken to the church, so they were told, while the arms search was in progress. 

The 190 men left were split into 6 groups and held in different places ostensibly while this arms search was being conducted. However, at a given signal, they were all simultaneously shot dead. A plaque commemorates each of these 6 locations.

The church containing the women and children was then set on fire and locked after being sprayed inside with gunfire. All perished, apart from one adult. The heat was so great it melted the bell that still lies today where it fell.

The simple, dignified interior of the now roofless church still shows signs of the fire and numerous bullet holes.

It doesn’t stop there, even: the SS now burned the whole village. The horror of it all was revealed in the days following. Photos from that time in the visitor centre recorded the destruction; in fact, one’s own photos seem to capture the mood of desolation better in black and white as in by my next two snaps. 

After the war, the French Government decided that the village should be left exactly as it was to serve as a monument to the war crime committed on that day. Even the doctor’s car is left to rust in the crumbling ruins.

Much of the contents of the houses, shops and workshops, too, were left. This is what remains of the smithy.

You may ask, why preserve this chilling time capsule?  Do visitors come simply from morbid curiosity? What real purpose does it serve? We remembered asking these same questions after visiting Auschwitz.

The answer has to be that it keeps the awfulness of these events alive and real when standing in the very place where they happened. If it influences some visitors into adopting a less ruthless approach and that is also passed on to their children, monuments such as this can be a positive force. Atrocities have taken place throughout history, some on a much greater scale, so humanity’s not going to change dramatically, but just maybe places like Oradour can alter the future a little for the better.

Limoges

Limoges is a pleasant if unspectacular city that produced enamelware in the Middle Ages and fine china from the 18^th century.

After parking the car in a multi-storey clearly designed for bubble cars, we start our walk-about in the cathedral grounds. The cathedral itself dates from 1273 but has been subject to much piecemeal amendment, so isn’t an outstanding end result, although it takes a nice enough photo.

 The gardens are laid out in a formal manner divided by paths which is ideal for people strolling. Beyond the hedge on the right is a parapet overlooking the river Vienne. It’s a relaxing space in a busy city.

Another part of the grounds is planted with herbs and shrubs, all neatly labelled, and then small trees and bushes. It’s been well thought out and adds variety and interest.

Up next to the cathedral is the Bishop’s Palace that houses the fine arts museum. It’s a handsome building with an external sculpture exhibition one item of which can be seen in the right foreground.

It’s difficult to make out what the sculpture is and there are 74 of them all in the same gloomy vein. They all depict skeletal figures in various poses of anguish. They’re all by a much acclaimed sculptor called Marc Petit.

A close-up, this is entitled “Quarantine”. So if you’re feeling low, definitely don’t go for a stroll near the bishop’s palace in Limoges.

It’s a happier story in the old town where they’ve got the flags out for a festival. These medieval buildings look like they're part of a fairy story.

 More up to date is the Hotel de Ville, or Town Hall, about 150 years old. It looks more like a chateau than a municipal building, and is set in lovely gardens as the photo shows.

The fountain on the left bears closer examination, as it is made with enamelling in honour of Limoges heritage of enamelware. It really is beautifully turned out.

We are in France, so it’s appropriate to insert a photo of what takes place daily in every village, town and city: the game of boules. Here they’ve just finished their shots and are determining (or disputing) who’s won.

The Limoges area, the Limousin, was once a byword for easy living and prosperity, hence the name limousine for a luxury car. Today it’s a workaday city with an interesting old town and is no doubt an agreeable place to live.

Short Stop: Short Blog

Benicarlo was our first stop on the way home, roughly halfway between Valencia and Barcelona. We stayed for two nights. The site led directly onto a shingle beach, golden grit rather than golden sand, but very pleasant.

The town has a large fishing fleet and we observed the extraordinary sight of the fishing boats all racing in for the start of the fish auction. There were well over a dozen coming from all directions so I couldn’t get more than a few in one photo.

It looks more dramatic on telephoto, like Formula One, neck and neck for the finishing line.

This one’s so low in the water it might sink- it’s caught that many fish. Come on, you’ll make it!

Enough excitement for one day. A day’s travel from Benicarlo and we reached Carcassonne in the south of France and then, another day on the road, we’re in Limoges. Here we stayed for a few days.