Honfleur

After leaving Rouen, we stopped in Honfleur on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. Honfleur is a port town in the Lower Normandy region of France. 

On the water, the picturesque town boasts cute shops and restaurants along the pier. The city was originally on a significant trade route between Rouen, France and England. Although the city is no longer booming as it once was, the port still functions today.

Greg managed to park a few blocks away from the old town. Greg was still trying to get used to the manual transmission of the vehicle. The city was surprisingly busy with tourist traffic, so we didn't even try to park to closer. We strolled through old down and down the pier. 

We didn't stay long; we had only put about an hour and a half into the parking meter.  Additionally, we still had to drive to Mont Saint-Michel, and we knew the trip would be harder in the dark. Although we didn't have much time, I'm glad we stopped. 

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. 

Moulin Rouge!

Last night, we went to the Moulin Rouge to see the show. I had heard from a friend who went several years ago that it was a great experience not to be missed.

Having been warned that the dress code was formal, G and I dressed in the best clothes we brought with us, jeans and a button-up shirt for G and green khakis with a button up for me. I was worried we would have trouble getting in; we weren't very formal looking.

We walked from our hotel to the École Militaire metro stop. We rode the metro to the Blanche stop. We could easily see the Moulin Rouge as we exited the underground. We crossed the street and handed the man at the entrance our tickets.

Although we weren't the worst dressed people there, we would have won no awards. The man who took our tickets handed them to another man in a well-pressed suit. He took us to a desk where we were checked in. Then, the gentleman led us through the seated audience and up the stairs at the back of the venue to a balcony. We were seated at a very small table. From our vantage point, we could see the audience below us. Many of them had arrived a couple of hours earlier for the dinner. Because the dinner was rather expensive, we chose to attend the show only (which was also rather expensive). We also had a pretty good view of the stage.

At 9 PM, the show began. G and I both really enjoyed watching Féerie, a revue-style show. The show was a bit cheesy and over the top, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. We listened to the music, watched the dancing, marveled at the costumes, and wondered what the Moulin Rouge would have looked like a hundred years ago.

The show let out around 11 PM, and we walked back to the metro station to take the train back to our hotel. The day was quite long, but I know that G and I are both glad we had the opportunity to see Féerie at the famous Moulin Rouge.