Giverny and Rouen Day 2.

Sure enough, when I awoke on Monday morning it was raining. I felt very pleased that I had done the garden visit the previous day! After a lovely breakfast and some discussion with Danielle, I decided to get the train to Rouen for the day. Lots of history in Rouen. William the Conqueror died here in 1087 and Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake here in 1431. Monet lived here for a time and endlessly painted the cathedral! Rouen was heavily bombed in WWII and much of the city was destroyed, but it has been reconstructed and is now a hub of commerce and a city of half a million people.

When I arrived at the station I set off down the Rue Jeanne d'Arc to see what I could see. I spotted a sign for the Ceramics Museum so decided to go there first. There was a couple in front of me having a few problems with the man taking the money. Then the woman said in a very strong accent, "We don't understand! We're AUSTRALIAN!!" As if the two things were synonomous! Anyway, I tried to help them and showed them what coins they needed, but they weren't very interested and didn't even thank me. There are some people who truly think that everyone should speak English and have no concept that possibly in a foreign country they might come across some people who don't!
The museum was quite interesting. Possibly not for everyone, but I like ceramics - porcelain, china, whatever. There is a great collection here of 17th and 18th century Rouen faïence - sort of the local pottery I guess. There was an awful lot there to see and once again I marvelled at how so much stuff had survived to this day. Who looked after it so carefully?
I then went to the Musee des Beaux-Arts which was just great. Except for the fact that I was busy minding my own business when a man came and told me I would have to move out of this particular area as it was closing at 1.00. Honestly! I innocently asked him why it was closing. "So we can eat!" he replied, surprised. Honestly, I can understand it in the days when the family all went home and the farmers came in from the fields and all that sort of stuff, but in fact that hardly happens now. Certainly not during the working week. Can they not roster lunch breaks? This museum has a repuation as one of France's finest, and it closes for lunch! OK, OK I know I can't change thousands of years of tradition, but ... sigh.... But obviously only Wing One people eat, as the rest of the museum stayed open. So I changed course and continued my viewing.

There were some beautiful paintings, and I got another fix of Impressionism as well. I love looking at art - it generally makes me very happy. Although there were a few large and gory paintings of people with heads chopped off etc, which didn't grip me, you could say.
So I did the two storeys, then at 5 to 2 saw someone open Wing One again. "Can I come in now?" I asked. "Oh no. I must meet with my colleagues first and then we will see." No skin off their nose I'm sure, but I decided not to bother, and left.
Lunch time and I found a little place to eat just under the Big Clock.
I had a Croque Monsieur - a sort of Toasted Sandwich. Ordinary. I then wandered up to the made-famous-by-Monet-painting-so-many-pictures-of-it cathedral. And what should just pull up? Perfect timing! I went for a tour in a petit train!
Do you think I am now the World Expert in Petit Trains? It was quite good, although I was distracted by two American couples in front of me. One woman spent the Whole Tour saying things like, (and you have to do a good American accent here) "Oh, is that the little creperie where we had breakfast this morning? No? Oh! ... Oh, is that the church we visited last night? No? Oh, it looks like it!... Oh look, isn't that the such and such store we visited? It was close by the creperie. I think that MUST have been the same creperie!... Oh, is that the museum we visted yesterday?...." I wanted to say... 'WHAT DOES IT MATTER? JUST ENJOY THE TOUR!!" But of course I didn't. :-) One of the sights we saw was the Place du Vieux-Marche which is where Joan was burnt at the stake, and after which her ashes were throw into the Seine. There is a large bronze cross there marking the spot.

After the tour I had a good look through the cathedral then poked round in a few shops. And then walked back to the station. There were lots of other sights I could have seen, but of course there wasn't time, and anyway I was happy just to have gone there and seen a few things, especially the cathedral.

I got the train back to Vernon where Danielle, who had previously dropped me off, picked me up. Away beyond the requirements of a B&B host I would have thought!
By the way, the petit train was full of school kids, and in fact there were school groups EVERYWHERE over the few days!!! It must be the season for it.
And just a comment on the weather - it was a pretty grey day, but it stopped raining when I got to Rouen, so I was lucky.