Sunday in Rouen

My comfy (if messy) room

I don't think Cats and Carmelites had anything to do with each other....

I was woken this morning with a massive thunderclap – no sign of actual rain, but the skies are clouded. Perhaps a little cooler today?   I had meant to go out and do an early wander, but ended up finishing off yesterday’s blog, dealing with overflowing email boxes, and wrestling with not being able to back up my photos!  Not sure whether it’s a problem with my phone or my computer, but I worked around it by sharing yesterday’s pick to myself in Messenger, and saving from there.

Doesn't much look like a hotel!

And this bare little stairway leads to ma chambre

I’m feeling particularly old-lady-ish this morning – whether it’s the heat or the walking or standing last night in the Cathedral Square – I’ve pulled something in my hip, and all the walking today has been cautious.  All signs of last nights street parties were gone, and there were few people around – though a surprising number of homeless folks. I noticed them in London, but they’re very apparent here. However, I have literally NO cash – I should probably get some coinage, but everything I’ve needed to pay for has been contactless. Europe achieved that with COVID much better than we did! It must make it much harder for the homeless, though.

The Palais de Justice

The Gros Horloge - it only has one hand. Apparently within the hour is enough to be on time.

La Rue Massacre (don't know who or when, but it all looks very pretty now)

I explored a bit to the west of the Cathedral – around the Palais de Justice and then up the Gros Horlorge – I think I’m not going to try the climb up that tower! - and finally made my way back to the Cathedral for the morning service. It turned out to be Corpus Christi (transferred from Thursday, I guess) and there were veterans carrying banners from various branches of service, and a hunting horn ensemble!  It was not a stranger-friendly service – very little congregational singing and what there was was poor, musically. There was a plainsong men’s choir which got most of the notes and a cantor who led the psalm and the congregation parts, and I think was a boy treble (it was, inevitably, a very male-dominated service!).

All the Rouen churches have these chairs - SO uncomfortable!

I could follow most of the Latin content, but probably got one word in five of the sermon. The organ was very French-reedy, but the organist really got little chance to play, because all his improv had to lead into interludes for the hunting horns!  The final procession led out into the west end square where the banners displayed and the horns blasted us one more time from the cathedral doorway.

Banners presented outside

Horn blasts at the end!

Since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed – essentials like mini-groceries, pharmacies and of course cafes were open.  My Greenwich hayfever has turned into a full-blown cold (yes, I did check for COVID), and I was struggling with the snuffles and coughing. So I popped into a pharmacy and (thank goodness he spoke English) he made me sit down and do another COVID test, which was negative again, and said that yes, it really was just a cold, and to rest and hydrate. So I grabbed some lunch from a mini-mart next door, and went back to rest up for a couple of hours.  Nobody is wearing masks – I suppose it was inevitable I would catch something new....

Empty streets - such a contrast from last night

A few hours of rest was all I wanted to give it – I couldn’t be in Rouen and lie around in my “Chambre”. So I put my walking stick together – it helps slow me down – and explored to the east – lovely little streets, and churches round every corner.  

Outside St Maclou

The biggest one to the east is St Maclou (same root as St Malo), which I suspect is the more reformed-Catholic variety; there was obviously-singable music available to visitors, and it looked to be youth-aware.  I should probably have gone there this morning – but then I’d have missed the hunting horns! 

St Maclou organ, and the organ stairway

 From there I walked down to the Seine and from the bridge I could see other churches as large as St Maclou! The river does not proceed in a straight line, but goes in enormous loops, so each not-quite-island tends to have its own abbey foundations – Jumièges, St-Georges-de-Boscherville and many others.  The Seine is also navigable by ocean-going ships as far up as Rouen, which was one of the reasons for the city’s economic success. This was saying goodbye to it for me – I’d travelled along it to Vernon, but tomorrow I strike west for Caen, and the Seine goes north east to Le Havre.

Looking east up the Seine

St Ouen

Any time I’d checked Rouen Tourism, the Sunday concert at the Abbey Church of St Ouen was mentioned – they’re renewing the west end rose window, and that means renovations needed for the church’s Cavaillé-Coll instrument. And they’re doing a weekly concert for those funds – so I thought, sure, I’ll trot along for a nice Sunday organ recital. Well, it wasn’t organ – it was choral! - a group called L’ensemble Les Melange, singing music by Hildegarde and from the Llibre Vermeill de Montserrat.  The women’s group was pretty average – a competent core, and a few passengers. But their leader Thomas van Essen, was good, and there was an excellent instrumental team of veille/archet, lute and percussion. And they used the space well – sang from different positions and did some processional stuff.  What a nice way to end the day!

Ready to perform

Taking a well-earned bow

Giverny day

The lane up to the Monet estate

Oofff!  33° today!  SO exhausting....  I left Rouen early enough that it was still cool, and took the Paris train that stopped at all the local stations on the line.  By the time we were in Vernon you could taste the heat, and I decided that I was going to abandon my original plan, which called for a morning in Giverny, and then a bus ride to Evreux for a couple of hours there.  Vernon’s a bustling little town, but it’s quit obvious that it’s bloomed on its association with Monet and the Impressionists.  From the station there are a series of shuttle buses which do the tun along the Seine to Monet’s home in Giverny. One of the difficulties of train/bus travel is that you can’t stop to take pictures, and when you look across the valley at those perfect little mini-chateaus, all that comes out of the photo is a blur!

map of the Giverny estate

There are things I loved about Giverny – and things I didn’t, chief among which was TOO MANY PEOPLE! Even starting as early as I could get there, there were already crowds from Paris, and many tour buses.  I think it probably started right, but it’s turned into a sort of Impressionists Disneyland, and there’s no way you can really get the feeling for the serenity that was part of Monet’s inspiration.   We walked though a little woodland stretch, under the road, and then continued along the road to where the lane led up to the Giverny estate. More lining up for tickets, and we entered through (of course) a mega-souvenir shop, and through into the gardens.

Looking up the allee

Giverny lilies

The upper gardens were a little disappointing; they didn’t strike me as particularly well maintained, and there was a lot of weedy growth. There were some wonderful splashes of colour, but they didn’t strike me as particularly planned. The lilies were at their peak, no big roses yet, though many of the small climbers.  The gardens are laid out in a series of long allees, most of which were closed, and the open ones carried two-way lines of visitors, many of them wearing earphones, and being led by flag bearers talking into their mics. There are seats around the gardens, and I found the trick was to find somewhere to sit when it got too busy, and wait till the current lines vanished. 

climbing roses everywhere

At the bottom corner of the gardens the path leads under the road, and to the water-gardens (think Nympheas) closer to the river. Here the paths diverged more, and it was possible to find pockets of space, and to listen to the song-thrushes and a lot of smaller birds. Wood-pigeons were calling to each other (Dad used to tell us they were saying “Doooon’t scoooold me so, Susie!”) and then I could hear the clap of their wings and watch their climb-and-dip flight. There weren’t much in the way of waterlilies yet, but the early ones were starting to open, and by the end of summer, the still water will be covered.  All the activity now is in the dragonflies – little transparent ones, dark blue ones, a few big ones - and they’re probably doing the job of getting the mosquitoes under control. 

Still water & reflections

Finally, I headed back under the road and to the top gardens.  I thought about visiting Monet’s house, but you could see it was bursting with visitors, and that’s not my idea of fun!  I went back though the commercial temptations of the garden shop and back out onto the lane.  There’s a restaurant called Les Nympheas there, and I thought “Why not?” and decided to treat myself. My table was quite close to the waiter’s station, and he kept missing me. Then he came to take my order, which was the house entree, and must have missed entering it, because he had to come back later to check, very apologetically. It was very simple, a courgette, stuffed with minced mushroom and parmesan, and on a bed of pommes (very) frites – tasty, and more than enough, especially with enough water to stay hydrated.  And for the second time this holiday, my meal was on the house, which was kind of him, and appropriate, given the service!

Waterlilies just starting

I headed back to the shuttle, to Vernon, aiming for one that was meeting the train for Rouen. At first I thought we’d missed it, but one of the station staff came with water to explain that it had been held up, and was running late.  There was minimal shelter on our side of the station, but I hated to think of going through the tunnel under the line again, and then having to rush, and I was glad when it finally appeared.  Back in Rouen station, I finally found where I could buy bus tickets; they’re free on Saturday, but the clerk was surprised that I only wanted one for Monday (needing to avoid pushing my suitcase uphill) and didn’t want a set of ten! 

I had a few quiet hours for writing and reading (and struggling with my pictures which aren't backing up the way they should!) and then became aware of a lot of noise beyond the walls of my courtyard (it's called Chambres des Carmes - there was a Carmelite nunnery around here, and though I think this building is no more than a couple of centuries old, it does have a feeling of shutting the world out.  So at 10:30pm, I got myself together and headed out towards the Cathedral, where there is a Son et Lumiere show on the facade at the west end. The city was just heaving with activity, mostly in a Gen Z range of 15-30 years, and very noisy!  This was quite a street party!  I managed to avoid the worst of it and get to the Cathedral square.

The serpent encircling the world

Norsemen become Norman

The show was called Viking, and basically themed the Norsemen mythologies (the great snake that circles the world, the ravens of wisdom & memory) and the gradual evolvement from Norsemen to Norman.  There was a lot of colour and light, a lot of shields and fighting.  It was followed by a second show called Optic Gothic, which I ended up backing away from - moving lines converging and crossing left me feeling off-balance, and once they started the techo-pop music, I decided that bedtime was in order, back in my little Carmelite haven!

Bonjour, la belle France!

St Pancras station - a lot of people to move!

It was a seriously early start, with a 4am alarm so I could get yesterday’s blog finished and done. Then some rapid packing (who do I have so much “stuff”? – most of which is not clothes) and out to catch a 5:30am bus to the station. London was quiet in Grays Inn Road, but once the traffic hit the Kings Cross area, it was crazy.  As it was in the Eurostar area – snaking lines of hurry-up-and-wait to get to ticket scanning, and then passport control (both English and French) and then trying to find somewhere to sit in the pre-boarding concourse. I have to say that quality of coffee is a vast improvement over British Rail offerings.

Grays Inn Road was quiet

Most of the craziness of boarding was caused by the fact that two trains were leaving within minutes of each other – the 7.01am for Paris, and the 7.04 for Brussels.  I was on the latter, and it looked as if both trains were pretty full.  The actual journey was blah – half an hour of it was in the darkness of the Chunnel, and there’s nothing to see.  And even in open air on both sides, the railways are cut into the land, with high banks on both sides.  Announcements were in French, Belgian and English – I got most of the French, but Belgian is a very weird mix of language sounds.  What we could see of the land is very arable – there is some serious farming going on and the crop growth looks good.

Walking from one station to the other in Lille

Arriving in Lille Europ, many of us debarked and made the 10 minute walk over to the local railway station, Lille Flandres – easy to find. Again, it was hurry-up-and-wait;  50 minutes until the Rouen train was called.  Basically, it was a local train, and stopped at a dozen stations on the way – a nicer way to get a taste of the countryside.  In Rouen, the Gare Rive Droit is at the top end of Avenue Jeanne D’Arc – easy enough to wheel downhill, but I may have to rethink getting back to the station on Monday!  The place I’m staying is just on the edge of old Rouen, and it’s less a hotel than a sort of AirBnB – luckily I’d contacted them about arriving early before the stated check-in time. There is no reception; Hervé met me at the next door Turkish restaurant, and whisked me through a very solid blank door and up a bare set of stairs – luckily only one floor. I suspect it was an apartment building which has now been split up into smaller units; my very charming room opens onto an old courtyard, and Hervé tells me that I should be insulated from most of the music making that goes on in the evening on the front side.   I have to confess that I dropped on the bed and slept for three hours, before coming to, and getting myself a bit more organized.

Walking in Rouen

I’d actually not planned to do much with this first evening – more, orientation and getting the feel of it. It is VERY hot here – 30°C+ and very humid – I may need to revise my plans for tomorrow.  For now, I got out and wandered – up to the tourist office to find some printed stuff in English, and then through the streets till I got to the Cathedral.

Looking up the nave

Outside cloister

West facade

I had some lovely quiet time there – it was the last half-hour before they close, and not too many people around. Once we were expelled, I managed to wiggle my way back to the Chambres des Carmes and spent what was left of the evening blogging, and re-planning tomorrow’s outings. No fancy French dinners for me, just yet...    But more Cathedral pics to come, I'm sure!

One more day in Engish

Looking down from Greenwich Hill

 Slept really well, and woke at 6am! (Can’t do that tomorrow...)  Hotel breakfast was basic, to say the least, but at least it was there.  I’d had alternate plans for the day, depending on the weather;  galleries, if it was rainy, Kew Gardens if the sun shone.  In the event, the sun REALLY shone, and I changed plans again and headed for Greenwich, hoping to get some breeze.  Long queues in bus lineups (buses queueing, not the people...) is one of my hates – London traffic is awful.  I’m not sure regular folks drive – it seems to be mostly buses and cabs – and lots of kamikaze bikers. Very scary!  But the flip side is you get to see little remnants of old London – with delightful names like Ave Maria Lane, Distaff Lane and Turnagain Lane.  

Warehouse development

The journey downriver is fascinating in the opportunity to see how development has adapted the commercial side of river life into residential living.  Warehouses have been adapted into apartments, and the hoists that would lift goods from waterlevel into storage are now defined by outside stairs or balconies.  Even the new buildings are being built on the same lines.

Walking past the Cutty Sark

Arriving at Greenwich, I bypassed the Cutty Sark, and headed uphill to Greenwich Park, taking the border path.  By the time I got to the top, I was realising that there was some pollen around that I was reacting to, and I had no antihistamine!  I’d planned to take some time in the Rose-Garden, but discovered that it had been adapted from the very rosy original into a pollinators garden – nice for the bees, but not so much for me.  I took the path past what were labelled as Saxon burial mounds and headed for the main area, where I could find tea and some napkins to mop my streaming nose.

The original Observatory

I decided not to visit the Observatory – £20 was a little steep to do the formal visit – but went past it, and the Meridian line, and along to the General Wolfe statue, given by the Canadian people, which stands at the top of the long slope down to the College, with the London skyline behind it.  I was very glad I’d not come up that way – it was a very steep slope!

General Montcalm

I headed back to Greenwich, and explored the market a bit before finding myself a bite of lunch and a quiet corner in my favourite bookstore, Waterstones. All the Greenwich walking had taken more time than I’d planned, and I decided that it was time to aim for the Uber boat, and head upstream.  I’d hoped to get one of the sightseeing boats and some outdoor space, but no luck without a lot of waiting; our very crowded boat headed towards Bankside and I got off next to the Globe theatre (play was in intermission) and walked around the outside of the Tate Modern, but there really wasn’t time to go in.

walking the Millenium bridge

The walk over to St Paul’s was via the Millenium bridge – pedestrians only – and a great view of the Cathedral as you reach the top of the curve.

The roof of the Chancel

At St Paul’s, the evening service was not Evensong but a Eucharist for the Feast of Corpus Christi, and  sung by the Cathedral Consort, the associated adult choir. Lennox Berkeley Mass for Double Choir – wow, they were good!  They didn’t do it all – just the Gloria and the Agnus, and the rest of the mass setting was accompanied plainsong, but the Offertory anthem was Messiaen’s “O Sacrum Convivium”, which I love!  No sermon, but the service ended with a procession around the outside of the Cathedral. I didn’t stay to walk – I had enough walking planned, and headed over to Trafalgar Square and for St Martin-in-the-Fields, where I had a ticket for the Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki – the grand old man of period Bach.  

Instrumentalists getting ready

It was a wonderful performance, only blemished by my tiredness, and tendency to nod off.  I hated myself, but decided to vanish at the intermission, and head back to my hotel, with a VERY early start in the offing.

Dealing with jet-lag in London

Fog Woman at YVR

There’s something about a journey beginning at YVR that puts me in a place to open up to what’s around me.  Inevitably, there are the no-fun areas – TSA always has too many people standing around in lines. I got put in a line for a new piece of technology that allowed them to scan the bags without our having to extract all the electronics first – and then of course it quit, about four people before me, and we all had to go join another regular line. But once through the gate we back to the lovely light spaces, and the indigenous art like the Raven and FogWoman, the glass waterfall and the Atrium.

I had a very nice conversation with an elderly lady from Maple Ridge, off to visit her family – my mom would have been proud of me: she always had the ability to get the entire life story of her travelling companion on a long journey. I also bumped into one-time RAPS volunteer Rese Tee (she now has cat allergies and is dog-focused instead), heading for a wedding. The journey itself was OK – a few bumps – but the food was not wonderful and melatonin didn’t work for me at all.  Oh, for the joys of stretching out as I did on KLM two years ago....  But I just couldn’t justify the expense!

Raven

I flew into Gatwick – not my favourite airport, but it had the double advantage of being a cheaper fare, and I found a Thameslink train that took me directly to St Pancras, not far from my hotel.  And though I was way before check-in time, they let me in early, so I could put my feet up for a bit.  I was SO stiff and uncomfortable, and even the walk over to Russell Square made me question how much I wanted to do for the rest of the day. My mood got a real boost when I popped into a Pret for a sandwich and a coffee, and the barista said “It’s on the house!”.

The BM - there were SO many kids!

Lion-headed Sekhmet

On round Russell Square to the British Museum.  This was a BAD idea! - not the museum itself; there’s lots of interesting things to see, but it was absolutely swarming with kids, and between the humidity and the noise level, I decided not to stay long. I enjoyed the Egyptian statues, especially lion-headed Sekhmet, and a very interesting combination display of her, Vishnu and Dionysus that was suppposed to provoke discussion.

Tomb entrance

Detail of above

I knew I would leave something at home – I decided that since much of the French walking will be on cobble stones, I should take a stick – and then I forgot it!  So I spent the next hour walking from one Boots-the-chemists to another -finally finding one of those folding ones that can live in my bag after walking all the way from the BM to New Bond Street. I took the Tube along to St Paul’s Cathedral, and found a nice place to treat myself to a good British cuppa before heading indoors for Evensong.

Front of St Paul's

The Cathedral, of course, was also full of tourists, and it takes the vergers a little while to get them to sort themselves out – they’d much rather wander round and talk than sit and listen to music.  Luckily, the staff decided to open the chancel, and most of us that went up there beyond the choir were there for musical/spiritual reasons.  Gorgeous music – though their introit was sung from under the dome, and there was so much reverb it was hard to make it out (Wood “Oculi omnium” – Watson in E – Finzi “Welcome sweet and sacred”, and a really over-the-top Bairstow postlude). Wonderful as it was, I have to confess I nearly fell asleep a couple of times!

Evensong is over!

Service over, and I headed  back to my micro-room – early bed, sleep mask and more melatonin.  Let’s see what time I wake....