Globe-Trotting Husk

D-Day Beaches - Normandy

The D-Day Museum at Arromanches where we viewed the video from the Ministry of War.

There are still portions of the artificial harbor built by the allies to supply troops after the invasion of Normandy.

Pieces of the harbor foundation that are still sunken into the coastline.

A German gun bunker located 300 yards from the coastline miles from the site of the Allied invasion.

The German gun bunker was not destroyed during the war, but somehow remained in tact after the invasion. It was unearth many years after the war. Had it been found during the rebuilding of France after the war, it would likely have been melted down for its metal just as many others had been.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen

Construction of the cathedral began in 1150, but was not finished until the 16th century. The earliest portions on the left and the final portions on the right.

The cathedral was heavily bombed in 1944, but the central area, the nave, survived and other areas on the Seine facing portion had to be repaired after the war.

We happened to be visiting the cathedral at the same time as a wedding was taking place.

The exterior of the cathedral are being renovated and cleaned so portions of the exterior were covered with scaffolding. Some portions have been cleaned of the city pollution and appear bright.

Most of the cathedral's façade is in the gothic style.

Rue du Gros-Horloge (Clock Street), Rouen

One of the oldest streets in Rouen, Rue du Gros-Horloge has half-timbered buildings that date from prior to the 14th century.

The street is mostly filled with shops and is strictly for pedestrians - no cars allowed!

The clock, constructed in the 14th century, is located over an arch near one of the towers which once marked the outer walls of the city. The clock provides a great deal of information. At the top center, there is a sphere that tells the phases of the moon. There is only one arm of the center clock which tells the hour along with the bells in the belfry that ring every hour. At the time of it construction, knowing the minutes and seconds was not crucial to the residents of the city so there was no need for the minutes to be marked on the clock. The last piece of information on the clock was the days of the week marked beneath hours with images of Roman gods traveling by chariot for each day of the week. Each of the days was decorated with a different color.

Church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, Rouen

The Church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc (Joan of Arc) was built in 1978 at the location of her execution.

The stain glass windows were taken from the 16th century Saint-Vincent Church which was destroyed during World War II after the windows had been removed for safe keeping.

The ceiling of the church was designed so the timber symbolized the Viking ships of the city founders.

Vernon

After our watercolor class, Laura and I decided to take walk through the town of Vernon. The town of Vernon was founded by Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy in the 9th century.

Near the center of town, we came across the a 12th century church, Notre Dame de Collegiate. Many churches in France are named "Notre Dame" because it mean "Our Lady" and many churches were named for Mary.

I thought that this window was interesting as it appears to be a flame. There was no one else at the church when we visited, so we were not able to ask questions.

One of the chapels in the church.

The half-timbered houses surround the town square and are now filled with shops.

Monet's Gardens at Giverny

Claude Monet planted bamboo himself for his gardens.

The water lilies were an inspiration to Monet who painted many of his famous works in this garden.

Bright colors filled the area. It is a good thing that we remembered to take our allergy medicine before we left the ship!

Monet's home was originally just the center portion as a farmhouse, but once he purchased the land he added additional rooms to either side to make the house long and narrow.