Jeanne d'Arc and Rouen

We stopped in Rouen for a couple of reasons. First, I had been there and enjoyed the city. Second, we needed a city some distance from the traffic and crowds of Paris from which we could more easily pick up a rental car.

Rouen, in the Normandy region, is famous for its association with Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc in French). Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 when she was just 19 years old. The city is about an hour and fifteen minute train ride from Gare St. Lazare in Paris.

With all of our bags, we left the train station in Rouen and started walking towards the sights. Unfortunately, France seems to have a serious shortage of luggage lockers. None existed at the station in Rouen. The car rental agency was on the other side of town. I suppose we could have picked up the car first, but then we would have had the issue of trying to park. Although not impossible, parking would have been incredibly difficult, especially since G was new at driving a manual.

We first walked by the Big Clock (le gros horloge in French). The view from the top is supposed to be impressive, but with our heavy bags, we weren't able to go in.

We stopped by Rouen Cathedral (la cathédrale de Rouen in French). Unfortunately, we both weren't able to go in since we had our bags with us. Since I had been inside before, I stayed with the bags outside the doors while G went inside.

Hungry, we set about to look for a place to eat. We settled on Pizzeria le Florian. I had a pizza with particularly strong goat cheese. G had a pasta dish. The food was decent, and we were able to wait there a little bit. The car rental agency closes during the lunch hour, so we had to figure out something to do to pass the time until the agency opened again. A long lunch worked out perfectly.

After lunch, we walked back to the square where we were supposed to be able to find the Joan of Arc statue. We found it next to the modern Eglise de Jeanne d'Arc. We walked back toward Rue Jeanne d'Arc where the nearest metro station was located. Avis was a bit over a mile away, and my bags were heavy. I appreciated the break from walking with heavy bags as we rode toward the agency.

I wish we had been unencumbered as we explored Rouen. I think we would have had a different experience. We would have climbed the clock tower, and I would have gone inside the cathedral. However, for the circumstances, I think we did all right.