A day in Rouen

The day began with a challenge when, on researching where to park, we discovered that to drive into Rouen we would need a sticker on our car showing we had paid an emissions tax. This can only be purchased in advance and is posted to you and our rental car did not have one attached. After some minor panicking we did a bit of research into park and ride options, then had a brainwave and decided to take a train from the village near our hotel and pick up the car at the days end. Feeling proud of our flexibility we packed up and set off. Imagine our dismay when we missed the train by two minutes and found the next one was two hours later! Rising to the challenge we amended our plans again and drove to the park and ride location. This turned out to be easy and convenient, a lot less stressful than driving into the city and trying to navigate narrow one way systems and to find parking - and was also cheaper than parking in the city. Lesson learned. Rouen is a beautiful city and the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. There are lots of very old buildings jutting out over narrow streets and alleys and also many cathedrals and churches. Just wandering through the streets was interesting and spectacular, every corner you turn brings you to some picturesque site. We came across an extemely narrow alleyway you could barely walk down with doors into various properties. What a challenge it would be to get groceries into your home, let alone furniture or deliveries. On that subject we noticed couriers were riding around on bikes with trailers. What a challenge to ride on the cobbled uneven surfaces.

As you would expect we visited the main Cathedral (once we worked out it only opened at 2pm on Monday) and also the modern church dedicated to Joan of Arc which is located next to the spot where she was burned. We were both quite taken by this strangely set out church that incorporated lovely stained glass and a wooden ceiling reminiscent of a boat's hull. While waiting for the Cathedral to open we visited another old church and enjoyed a long lunch in the sun. Richard the Lionheart's tomb is in the Cathedral. The Palais de Justice was also a spectacular building and we enjoyed a visit to the Museum of fine art where we were able to see some paintings from the impressionists, including Monet

After navigating the ticket machine for the park and ride bus with a little more confidence we were pleased to sit for a while after all that walking as we were taken back to our car. An hour and a half later we arrived to stay in a chateau for the very first time. The chateau is in the countryside and the roads off the motorway are very narrow and wind through small villages with narrow streets. Our room is the 'tower room' and has 8 steps down into it and the bathroom is in the circular tower on the corner of the building. The owners offer meals by prearrangement which we had organised for our first night. Carl is a chef and we were not disappointed by the meal we received and enjoyed being served in such old and lovely surroundings

Can't resist including this phto taken in the Joan of Arc square