Fire and Sole Food in Rouen

Friday, May 7th 2010

Before coming to Rouen, I knew three exactly things about the city:

1. Joan of Arc was flambeed here,
2. Monet was so fascinated by the changing light on the cathedral he painted it many (i.e. 30) times, and
3. Julia Child fell in love with French cuisine at a restaurant here, thanks to the film Julie and Julia (very charming if you haven't seen it)

Fire. Light. Love. Not a bad start! Well, minus that whole excruciatingly painful burning part. And so, we picked La Couronne, the oldest restaurant in France (1345), and where Julia Child had "the most exciting meal" of her life for our wedding anniversary dinner.

Note: In addition to our dinner, the Crown has witnessed the burning of Joan of Arc (1431), the Black Death (1348), countless wars and celebrations, all the while serving the famous, the infamous, and the rest of us for nearly 700 years. Ironically, one of the outbreaks of the Black Death in Rouen may have started around May 7 (our anniversary), 1348 (NOT our date!) according to this book.

The interior is suprisingly unstuffy. The ceiling is low, with heavy dark beams, as you might expect.

A silver coffee urn shaped torture device, for making the famous Canard à la Rouennaise*, is prominently featured. There was trap door under my chair. What's under there? ...

This is old school fine dining; ladies get a menu without prices.

Having had a full French dinner before, Dave opted for lighter fare.

• the sweetest cantalope imagineable with a salty proscuttio
• seared halibut in a light, fragrant curry sauce over beans
  
• a very fluffy Grand Marnier souffle

This was my first "full" French dinner.

• meltingly tender duck liver with fresh figs
• delicate, lemony dover sole meunière
• cheeses selected from the 45 or so options available (no kidding-the tray was sagging under the weight of all the cheeses to choose from!)

A meunière preparation is deceptively simple. But every detail has to be perfect for an outstanding dish: creating a light golden, crisp crust while not overcooking the delicate sole; cooking in butter just long enough to make it nutty and rich without becoming the tiniest bit bitter; and using the lemon juice to halt the sauce at just the right moment.

For your further reading:

Top 10 culinary highlights of Normandy

*Canard à la Rouennaise:

1. Strangle 1 live, young duck (you'll need the blood for the sauce later...)
2. Remove the feathers and entrails, leaving the liver and gizzards.
3. Roast lightly.
4. Remove the still rare breast and thighs.
5. Put the rest of the carcass in a presse à canard (duck press) and squeeze out the blood and juices.
6. Reduce the blood, and blend with the liver to make a sauce.
   

The French Medical System

I just had my first encounter with the Evil French Socialist Medical System™.  I take a variety of medications on a daily basis.  Yesterday, I was in a hurry to get out of the house and accidentally took an extra dose of one my my meds.  Unfortunately for me, it isn't a medication that behaves well when you either under or over-dose on it. 

About 11am yesterday I started having some pretty bad symptoms, and our French school took me to the hospital. The ER was pretty much the same as any American hospital, except that I got to see a doctor faster than I expected.  They were modern, efficient, and professional.  I was in the ER for 3 hours total, including time for observation and an EKG.  No one discussed fees or insurance with us until we were finished (unlike a visit to a Canadian hospital a few years ago where they would not see us until I produced a credit card).

The total cost for an ER visit, doctor exam, EKG, and 3 hours of observation... €32.25

...and yes, I am feeling fine now, thanks!

Recipe: Sgroppino al Limone

Sgroppino al Limone (Frothy Lemon Sorbetto)

Refreshing-perfect for summer! Originally from Venice, Italy but my first taste of this tasty concotion was at the G Spot in Amsterdam. A waiter brought one to another table..it looked so good we asked what it was and ordered two. Soon, sgroppino's were appearing on tables all around us! A tart, fresh tasting lemon gelato or ice cream is essential. I tried Haagan Dazs..but it just wasn't the same.

• 2 cups (16 oz) of lemon gelato, softened
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/3 cup Prosecco or sparkling wine, chilled
• Zest of one lemon

Blend the lemon gelato, vodka and Prosecco.

Pour mixture into a pitcher and serve immediately. Sprinkle lemon zest on top. Serve with small spoons. Serves 4 in chilled champagne flutes.

Note: Mixture will separate if left standing.

1066 and You...in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux

May 1, 2010

What does the Norman conquest of 1066 have to do with me? you may ask.
Suprisingly, quite a bit! After the Norman conquest, a large number of words with a French origin (up to 1/3 of English) entered the English language. This includes words like: bacon, massage, corset, fantastic, flower. All of which, bien sûr, make learning French a bit easier!

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux
"Wow..it looks like a matte painting!", David exclaims as a massive cathedral suddenly appears as we walk a curvy cobblestone street. I nod. Now, as it has for almost 1,000 years, the cathedral dominates the old section of Bayeux. Fires, wars, and time have all led to many changes, additions, and modifications. At night, it is beautifully lit. Later, on a D-Day tour, we would see the cathedral spires from Point du Hoc on the coast.

Inside, a formidable set of 20 ft tall dark wooden doors, topped with a cobwebbed glowing circular window is behind me. Ahead, the ceiling soars far, far above me, criss-crossed by delicate ribs that sprout from the tops of slender clusters of tall columns that reach towards the ground. Soft music plays in the background as I look up and pass intricately carved stonework: small ovals--a man charming a monkey, monsters, lions, bishops, and lovers--punctuate a background of geometrical designs caved in relief.

Before this cathedral, there was, perhaps, a Roman sanctuary when the city was known as Augustodurum. Later, a Roman Catholic cathedral was built. While still under construction, William the Bastard forced Harold Godwinson to take an oath on holy relics in this (now rebuilt and modified) cathedral. Harold broke his oath, eventually leading to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. And William finally got a new last name...William the Conquerer.

The cathedral was initially completed under Bishop Odo, William the Conquerer's half brother, who also likely commissioned that the history of his brother's 1066 conquest be embroidered on linen (the Bayeux tapestry). Surviving wars, invading armies, fires and other near misses, the Bayeux tapestry existed within these walls for some 1,000 years to become one of the few surviving records of life during this time.

As we descend into the crypt, it is dim and cool. It is one of the few 11th century areas that is pretty much structurally the same. Most of the crypt is dark; only a few lights shine on the paintings of angels (added in the 15th century) at the top of the columns. I can see a shape in the dark. Only after the camera has flashed do we realize it is a brightly painted tomb with a painting of the deceased behind it. I think, perhaps, this is sometimes how we live our lives. Only dimly seeing where we are going, until the occasional bright flash illuminates what was already around us.

Note: I found an interesting book review for "The Needle in the Blood", a historical novel by Sarah Bower about Odo and the making of the Bayeux Tapestry. Looks like it could be a good read!

A quick video is here.

All photos 2010 by L Gunter

Weekend (April 30-May 2) in Bayeux, France

May 1, 2010

Psst. The SNCF website doesn't want you to know this! From Rouen, take a 2hr train ride to Caen (careful..some routes are almost 4 hrs). In Caen, catch one of the frequent 20 minute trains to Bayeux. The old part of town is a bit of a walk from the train station. There is a local bus, but we opted for taxi (6 euro to our B&B near Place Charles de Gaulle).

Bayeux. Best known for it's famous tapestry, this is a lovely little medieval market town, great for walking. It was the first town liberated after D-Day, and one of the few towns not heavily damaged during World War II.

• founded as a Gallo-Roman settlement in the first century BC under the the name Augustodurum
• largely destroyed during the Viking Raids of the late 800s but rebuilt in the early 10th Century under the reign of Bothon

What to see:

• Bayeux Cathedral: original home for the Bayeux Tapestry
• Bayeux Tapestry: located in a former convent, the audio tour gives you easy to digest information as it keeps you moving along the 230 feet (70-meter) length of embroidered linen cloth recounting the events leading to Norman victory over England in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The tapestry is one of the few surviving documents of general lifestyle during this portion of the Middle Ages. No photography permitted. (Or needed really, with all of the pictures available elsewhere.)
  BBC video about the tapestry | nice animated version of the tapestry

Lots of pictures in Bayeux are below. I agree with Dave-someone spilled a whole bucket of pretty on this town!

To pause the slideshow and
show more information about a specific photo (if I added more),
put your cursor over a photo;
single-click to bring up a larger version. Voila!

All photos 2010 by L Gunter

Normandy: Bayeux, D-Day Beaches, Mont St Michel

April xx, 2010

Normandy is perhaps best known for three sites: Bayeux (for the tapestry), Mont St Michel and the D-Day beaches.

Getting there from Rouen:

• SNCF train from Rouen to Caen: 1 hr 47 min, ~20 euro each way
• SNCF from Caen to Bayeux: 15 min, 5 euro each way, trains run hourly
• bus service to the D-Day beaches available from Caen (BusVerts)
• tour from Caen or Bayeux to Mont St Michel

• tours by Viator include: Mont St Michel and St Malo: 8 hrs from Bayeaux or Caen, 73 euros Omaha Beach 1/2 day trip from Bayeux: 55 euros, 5 hours

D-day beaches

Erwin Rommel: "...the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive...the fate of Germany depends on the outcome...for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day."

At 9:15 p.m. on June 5th, the BBC's French service quoted lines of the 1866 poem Autumn Song by French poet Paul Verlaine.

Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l'automne
Blessent mon cœur
D'une langueur
Monotone.

The long sobs
Of the autumn violins
Wound my heartWith a languidMonotone.

It was a signal for the French Resistance to start dynamiting the railways. By midnight, Allied planes had begun bombing the Normandy Coast. By 1:30 a.m., June 6th, some 24,000 airborne troops--members of the 101st Airborne along with British, Canadian, and Free French--were parachuting onto German-occupied French soil.

Note: German signals intelligence had determined the Verlaine poem meant an invasion was immeniant. They notified their superiors and all German commanders in France. However, their warning was ignored. A month prior, they had made a previous warning about an Allied invasion that didn't occur. (The Allies had actually delayed the invasion to May due to the weather.)

D-Day--June 6, 1944--the "longest day", had begun.

More than 5,000 Allied ships, the largest fleet in history, arrived off the French coast with 150,000 soldiers, 195,000 sailors, landing craft, jeeps and equipment. They began the liberation of Europe by landing on a 50-mile (80 km) section of Normandy beaches codenamed Juno, Gold, Sword, Utah and Omaha.

To their enormous relief, the Allies had obtained complete tactical surprise. D-day, which could have been one of history’s bloodiest disasters, became instead one of its greatest victories.

• Point du Hoc is where US Rangers climbed up the steep (100 ft, 30m) cliff to knock out German bunkers overlooking Omaha and Utah beaches. One of the most impressive of the battle field areas, the areas contains numerous bomb craters and bombed out bunkers. Given to the U.S. by the French, Point du Hoc remains just as it was left on D-Day. Great presentation on Point du Hoc here.

Photo: US Rangers on Pointe du Hoc, June 8, 1944.
The American flag was used to identify their position, preventing incoming Allied fire. From here.

Caen
Because of extensive damage during WW2 (see Battle of Caen), most of the medieval buildings were destroyed. Best known for historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror.

• Le Chateau Ducal: Built in 1060 by William the Conquerer to house his residential palace. The palace became one of the largest fortified residences in Europe. Heavily damaged during WWII. Wander through the ruins on walkways or climb the wide steps to the ramparts for a fine view of the city and St. Peters Church. video
• Museum of Fine Arts: On the grounds of Le Chateau Ducal.
• Musee de Normandie (Normandy Museum): On the grounds of Le Chateau Ducal.
• Abbaye aux Dames: Founded by Mathilda, wife of William the Conqueror, this abbey embraces Eglise de la Trinité, which is flanked by Romanesque towers. Its spires were destroyed in the Hundred Years' War. The 12th-century choir houses the tomb of Queen Mathilda; note the ribbed vaulting
• Abbaye aux Homes: Founded by William the Conqueror local Caen stone (also used for Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London). The Huguenots destroyed the tomb in 1562 -- only a hipbone was recovered. During the French Revolution, the last of William's dust was scattered to the wind. The hand-carved wooden doors and elaborate wrought-iron staircase are exceptional.
• Memorial for peace, a World War II museum.

Wrought Ironwork Museum in Roeun, France

April, 2010

Fantastic! That's exactly I thought upon entering the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles (Wrought Ironwork Museum) in Rouen, France. Items are showcased within the grey stone walls of a former 15th-century Gothic church (Eglise St-Laurent). If you like ironwork, metal, or just flat out beautiful things, this is definately a place to visit. Most of my pictures didn't turn out so well...guess we'll have to go back!

Click to go to the museum website for pictures of some of their collection.

It has the best medieval lock and key collection we've seen in Europe so far! There are some 14,000 pieces in the collection. There are also many beautifully executed examples of things you usually associate with metal work: signs, doors, door knockers, hinges, tools, security grills for windows, cooking utensils, etc.

There are also a number of items that surprised me--iron corsets, 17th century coffee grinders and lighters, lamps with clever ratcheting systems so they could be raised or lowered, delicate jewelry and hair ornaments...again, all handmade in iron.

Click on a picture below to see a larger version. All photos made in April 2010 by LGunter.

Photo: Shop signs dating from the Middle Ages	Photo: Museum interior, from the 2nd floor
Photo: Tools	Photo: Beautiful drifted* security grille for a window. *In drifting, a hole is punched into the hot metal; for this grille, additional fleur-de-lis topped iron rods were threaded through the holes.

needlepoint balustrade that graced Mme de Pompadour's country mansion

Volcano jokes-top 4 picks

Travel seems to be getting back to normal. Hopefully Mt. Katya, the even larger volcano near Eyjafjallajökull (see graphic below), won't erupt!

Based on an intensive 5 minute search, here are my picks for "Top 4 Best Icelandic Volcano Jokes" on the Internet:

1. It was the last wish of the Icelandic economy that its ashes were spread all over Europe.
2. Iceland goes bankrupt, then it manages to set itself on fire. This has insurance scam written all over it.
3. Did you hear that Goldman Sachs made the Iceland volcano erupt? It did pretty well shorting airlines.
4. I see that America has declared war on Iceland. Apparently they are accusing them of harbouring a “weapon of ash eruption”.

Picture from "Hazards due to eruptions and floods from Katla and Eyjafjallajökull, south Iceland" : www.ginorden.org/events/gikonferanser/ginorden2005/folder.2005-09-22.0156715982/folder.2005-09-26.3717505051/Session_10-Monitoring_of_Seismic_Activity_Magnus_Gudmundsson.pdf/at_download/file

Funny, this explains alot...

This was just the perfect post to me, for so many reasons.

First, I'm in Rouen. Second, I've encountered pretty much everything in the post--the maddening French keyboard, the dog piles (easy to avoid as you have to watch your step on cobblestones anyway) and the rest. Well, I haven't asked any girls out. Or guys. I did unintentionally ask a bank manager if he had any "kept men" in the bank-but that's not the same at all!

Anyway, back to the post...it's great, so I've reposted here (with some line breaks) so it won't be eaten by the Internet when I'm not looking. The rest of Bruceleereally posts are also an interesting read for his observations. I've considered trying CouchSurfing, heard about hitchhiking in France, and had already read enough about Morrocco to make it low on my "visit" list.

Si Si monsieur! Sunday, January 31, 2010 in Rouen, France by Bruceleereally

I really love France. I love everything about the country and its people. I even love the minor annoyance of the layout of the keys on their keyboard. Rather than the English qwerty keyboard, le clavier francais seems like a Best Buy technician was drinking while reassembling a keyboard.

But back to the French. I love how they love simple but good food. I love their French accents in English, always leaving the letter h silent. Home becomes 'ome. Tres jolie. I even love how they leave a heap of their dog's shit in the middle of the trottoir (sidewalk). It makes walking around a city more fun. I love how they have found little ways to make their language more efficient.

I would really like to learn to use the French word "si". I don't mean "if". You see, there is no English equivalent to this term. Let me explain it's beautiful usage.

Bruce: (addressing a pretty French girl) Tu ne veux pas prendre un cafe avec moi?

Girl: Si.

Entirely fictional dialogue. But a good illustration of the use of "si". Let me translate it to English to explain.

Bruce: (addressing a pretty French girl) You don't want to have a coffee with me?

Girl: Yes.

In English, the girl's response is confusing. Is she saying yes to my statement of not wanting to have coffee with me? OR is she saying she does want to have a coffee with me?

The French have overcome this barrier of communication by the use of "si", which is the affirmative of a negative statement. By responding "si", she says that she wants to have coffee.

I love asking negative questions in French only to hear this very French answer. It's a simple pleasure. The lack of the equivalent to "si" might also explain my luck (or lack thereof) with English girls. But alas, that is an entry for another day.

DELF or Parlez-vous français?

The DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) is a series of 4 independent certifications (A1, A2, B1, B2) designed for non-native speakers to demonstrate their level of knowledge in the French language. There's also an advanced set of certifications beyond the B2 level called the DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française).
Each exam consists of suprisingly well designed sections on reading, writing, listening and speaking. I'll paraphrase what each level (A1, A2, B1, B2) means so you get an idea of what is being measured:

• A1: One step above an Englishman. Able to recognize the language is French and fill in a simple questionnaire.
• A2: Ability to order a carafe of house wine and dinner in a menu without pictures. Also able to unintentionally offend your French acquaintances who have invited you to a party.
• B1: Able to write a beautiful apology letter to your French acquaintances for offending them when they invited you to their party and you drank too much wine, which led to mistaking the dog for the lady of the house. Oops.
• B2: Able to successfully start a bar fight by expressing an eloquent opinion about the World Cup. Able to the explain the situation to the police prior to discharge from the hospital.
  

While I'm sure both France's International Centre of Pedagogical Studies (CIEP) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) would glare disapprovingly at my DELF level descriptions...they do give you something of the "flavor" each level encompasses.

For 2 hours, we took the reading/writing part of all 4 DELF exams--A1, A2, B1 and B2--to see where we were. Whew! Talk about brain fry....Even our teacher was tired by that point.

We were thrilled to find we were both pretty solidly in the A2 level for reading/writing and beginning B1. The goal is to get to B1 by the time we leave school. While we didn't do any of the speaking/listening sections, it's clear that's where we're both weakest.

So, more listening and speaking for us in the near future! And reading...And writing....

Week 3 in Rouen -- by Lola

April 19-23, 2010 in Rouen, France

Our classmates this week were the same group as week 2--sweet woman from Japan (Eri), a quiet man from Japan (Hiroyshi), an earnest woman from Germany (Marion), and a fun loving German man currently living in Switzerland (Tomas)--plus the first other American we've seen (Lisa), and a studious Korean girl ().

In class at the French in Normandy school, we studied:

• review of comparisons for nouns, adverbs, adjectives (more than, less than, better): plus...que, moins de..que, mieux, etc
  
• construction of conditional phrases (If...)
  
• vocabulary for housing terms, including rental abbreviations
  
• sentences with present tense plus future simple constructions
• how to do superlatives (the best, the worst, etc)
• listening for numbers, dates..and to "La-bás"
  

Class vignettes:
Instruction is all in French. In class, we joke around in French...or in whatever language is lying around. Sometimes it's pantomime. In any case, we all like to laugh...especially to the point to where teachers from other classes come by to find out what all the ruckus is about....

• We were going over the French words for the fingers on the hand (thumb, index, etc): Tomas demonstrated the difference between the pinky finder and "der stinky finger". Unfortunately, he also demonstrated it to the class next door, who had no idea what was going on.
  
• When asked if she had any children, Lisa said no because she wanted to learn French first. I replied it wasn't necessary to know French to make a baby ("N'est pas nécessaire de parler français pour faire un bébé"); she got satisfyingly pink!
• Our teacher was fond of saying "merde" and our classmates demonstrated how to say it in their respective languages-Japanese, Korean, and German. It sounds suprisingly sweet coming from a little Japanese woman...
• During break, I described a little about "Drink and Sing" to my Dutch classmate: we agreed that a little Jameson's "scrubbed the throat" to make singing sound better...
  
• After hearing the song "La-bás" by Jean-Jacques Goldman (YouTube) in an exercise where we had to listen to the song and fill in missing words, David and I began singing "Blah blah. Le chanteur, il a chanté blah blah..." (Blah blah. The singer, he sang blah blah....)
  
• For superlatives, I created a photo slideshow to demonstrate what Seattle was famous for...including the worlds longest floating bridge, the 2009 record number for most zombies, and the 2000 implosion of the world's largest thin-shelled dome (Kingdome) to create the worlds largest structure implosion by volume
• We briefly discussed eating dog in Korea, and horse in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan
  

Outside of class:
Pretty similar to week 2. Class, eat, nap, errands and/or walking around, studying, sleep!

When looking at a French menu, you might see the following:

• steak à cheval
• steak de cheval

There's a BIG difference between the two! Steak à cheval means "an egg riding horseback--on top of--a steak" while "steak de cheval" IS a horse steak.

Le Parc de Clères

Friday, May 14, 2010
about 20 min from Rouen by train

After being sick most of the week, we decided to go in search of Le Parc de Clères. After a 15 minute train ride out of Rouen, we arrived at the Cleres station. The old train station was deserted. And I don't mean empty...though the door opened, the information window was boarded up. There was no town to be seen. As our train faded into the distance, the only sound was bird song. And a rather eerie animal call.

We looked at each other, shrugged, and headed down the hill. And found a cute little town, complete with a picturestue stream, a medieval-looking market pavillion, two boulangeries, and a few other shops. The park entrance was just a few more steps away.

The purpose of Cleres Park is to preserve and study animal and plant species for preservation. Scientific research carried out at the Park focuses on molecular genetics (biotechnology of reproduction), artificial insemination and cryopreservation of seeds (genetic management of captive populations). The park is composed of:

• a "Flamboyent Gothic" castle built in the 16th century near/on the ruins of a medieval castle built in the 13th century
• a zoological park (200 species of mammals, 1500 species of birds)
• a plant collection (eating and cider apple collections, conservatory with medicinal plants)

Le Parc de Clères isn't what either of us expected. Gently landscaped grounds contained free-ranging birds and animals..ducks, wallabys, deer, flamingos. Without any fences, humans and animals seemed to mutually agree on an acceptable distance from each other.
Note: Except, that is, for some male peacocks, who seemed to take immense glee in pursuing people with babies...

The castle wasn't open, but did provide a picturesque background for the plants and animals.

Getting there:

1. train to Cleres (about 15 min)
2. less than a 10 min walk:

• cross the overhead bridge, and walk down the hill
• at the medieval market pavillion, turn right
• park entrance is about 1/2 block away on the right

Sunday April 18, 2010 in Rouen, France

Sunday, April 18, 2010

We had a busy day walking our feet off! Hard to believe, but I think we walked even more today than in Dieppe. It was a warm, beautiful sunny day: perfect for any and all outdoor activites.

• went grocery shopping at our usual local places: the boulangerie for french bread and croissants, the middle eastern market (with kinda creepy music playing this Sun...) for fruit and veggies, rose water, hummus-in-a-can
• found the Sunday market near the Church of Saint Maclou (built in 1200; rebuilt 1437-1521; an example of "Flamboyant Gothic" architecture) where we bought beef for a stew, cheese (Como and locally produced Neufchâtel), and flowers
  Note: Rabbits, pigeons, beef, pork, and chicken are plentiful. Plucked chickens will often still have their feet-rough feet prove a chicken lived a free range life!
  
• stumbled on a secluded courtyard behind a gate (photo below): the Aitre St-Maclou is rare even in Europe these days. The serene courtyard was a mass Medieval grave for plague victums; the surrouding buildings with danse macabre carvings were the ossuary for the nearby Church of Saint Maclou
  Photo: Trees in courtyard are where the mass plague grave was located; the medieval buildings were the charnel houses, St. Maclou church is in the distance; detail of a danse macabre carving which line the buildings;
• cleaned the apt while David did the laundry (clean clothes--yea! 12 euro/approx $16 for laundry--bah!)
• ate a crepe from a streetside vendor; discovered chouquettes: cream-less cream puffs, sprinkled with large granulated sugar crystals...while not as pretty as the "Etoile de Mer" from Dieppe, at least I can buy them here in Rouen!
  
• heard how to correctly pronounce the obscene version of the word like "canard" from a crazy person near the McDonald's ("McDo") in Rouen....
• sat in cafe and people watched while baking in the sunshine
• strolled along the Seine and saw a car lifted onto a barge

Sunday has a different rhythm for than other days. Many stores are closed. Some, like the boulangerie, corner market, etc, are only open until noon. Something to keep in mind when looking for a bite to eat: the kitchens in many cafes are closed, though you can still get drinks.

A number of markets occur thoughout the week in Rouen. So far, these are the two that we have visited:

• Place St Marc: Large open air flea market (open Tues, Fri, Sat, Sun) near the Church of Saint Maclou--chickens sizzling on rotisseries, fresh fruits and veggies in colorful piles, seafood and fresh meats (chicken, duck, pork, beef, quail, pigeon...), dried sausages hanging in neat clumps, cheeses (Camembert, Como, Rollot, Neufchâtel, Vieux-Pané , Boursault, Brillat-Savarin, Livarot, Pays d'Auge ....), clothes, household items, furniture, and the best flower market in the area
• Vieux Marché : Smaller covered market (open daily except for Mondays) near the Church of Saint Joan of Arc--fresh meats, seafood, foi gras, pates, terrines, honeys, jellies, etc

Saturday April 17, 2010 in Dieppe, France

Sat, April 17 2010
about 1 hr by train from Rouen

No longer thwarted by the flea (see David's previous post), we successfully bought our train tickets to Dieppe. However, due to a continuing railway worker strike, we ended up going by bus to Dieppe, then returning to Rouen by train in the afternoon. Was great for me--I got to see more that way!

It was certainly a worthwhile trip! The weather was beautiful, the city charming, and because our Dutch classmate Jose talked with a local woman on the bus, we easily located the Saturday market.

Photo: April 2010 by LGunter: Market day items...clothing stalls in front of the 14th century Church of St. Jacques; "beef heart" tomatoes; medieval building behind a stall selling chickens, ducks, and pigeons; beautiful flowers; basket of tasty dried, pepper coated sausages
The Saturday market in Dieppe is the largest market in Normandy.

You can find fresh produce, meats, cheeses, shoes, clothes, furniture, food vendors, and treats of all kinds. It covers a large area of the medieval town center, and it's packed with people!

I saw local people from Rouen who spent the 20 euros (approximately ~$26 round trip cost) just to come to this market.

Dave bought a pair of cushy faux Crocs for 5 euros. I saw the "Etoile de Mer", had to get one, and loved it at first bite! Not too sweet, it's like a light, creamless, slightly crispy eclair with a meltingly tender middle and crunchy sugar bits on top. Yum..seriously, I would go back JUST for them!
Photo: April 2010 by LGunter: Pile of 5 euro "crocs", and the beautifully delicious "Etoile de Mer"
By 2:00, the vendors have packed up, left, and the city workers are cleaning up the streets. You'll only find trash and the odd apple or carrot left on the streets.

I'll add a separate post on Dieppe's Chateau Musee for more pictures....

Dieppe, the town:

• was founded as a fishing village sometime around 1050.
• is part of the "Alabaster Coast" (la côte d'Albâtre): a stretch of the Normandy coast with spectacular white chalk cliffs that plunge into the sea.
  From Guy de Maupassant Le saut du berger (The Shepherd’s Leap). Originally published in Gil Blas of 9 March 1882, comes this poetic description: "From Dieppe to Le Havre the coast presents an uninterrupted cliff, about a hundred metres high and straight as a wall. Here and there that great line of white rocks drops sharply and a little, narrow valley, with steep slopes, shaved turf and maritime rushes, comes down from the cultivated plateau towards a beach of shingle where it ends with a ravine like the bed of a torrent. Nature has made these valleys; the rains of storms have ended with them in the shape of these ravines, trimming what was left of the cliff, excavating down to the sea, the bed of waters which acts as a passage for mankind. Sometimes, a village is snuggled into these valleys, where the wind of the open sea is devoured."
• today, Dieppe's commercial docks unload half the bananas of the Antilles and 40% of all shellfish destined to slither down French throats.
• is well known for it's tasty mussels and scallops; a regional specialty is marmite Diepoise: fish, mussels and shrimp stewed in cream, cider and onions, lightly flavoured with spices.
• is the closest beach to Paris (albeit a cold, rocky one...the "sand" is composed of roughly egg sized flint and sandstone rocks).
• housed France's most advanced school of cartography in the 16th century.
• was Frances first seaside resort, and popular with the rich and famous in the 19th century.
• was a magnet for artists looking for light, natural landscapes, sea views, and historical buildings; famous names who painted here include Delacroix, Turner, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Gauguin and Degas.
• was the site of the "Dieppe Raid": a bloody WWII battle in Aug, 1942 where a combined Canadian/Scottish force landed to seize and hold a major port, gather intelligence, and draw out the Luftwaffe; none of their objectives were met, and 60% of the Allied forces were killed, wounded, or captured; 50 US Rangers went into battle for the experience and suffered the first US land deaths in Europe; the Dieppe failure influenced planning for the later Operation Torch and Operation Overlord

Photo: August, 1942 by unknown: Dieppe beach, after the raid an abandonded Dingo Scout Car (British light fast 4WD reconnaissance vehicle) is in the foreground. The white cliffs are in the distance. Photo: April, 2010 by L Gunter: The Dieppe beach and white cliffs pretty much look the same.

Week 2 in Rouen -- by Lola

April 12-16, 2010 Rouen, France

Knowing what to expect made things easier this week. We're still mentally tired after class--several hours of trying to speak and comprend everything in French burns up alot of brain power!

Our classmates this week were a sweet woman from Japan (Eri), a quiet man from Japan (Hiroyshi), an earnest woman from Germany (Marion), and a fun loving German man currently living in Switzerland (Tomas). In class, we had interactive instruction in French on:

• how to form the future proche verb tense
• how to form the future simple verb tense
• how to do comparisons (more than, less than, the same...)
• vocabulary related to the Icelandic volcanic eruption
• listening exercises and vocabulary related to shopping and markets

Outside of class
Our life is settling into a comfortable rhythm. This week:

• After class, we walk over to the medieval section of town and get a bite to eat from a streetside vendor for lunch.
• We might run (walk) some errands, visit a museum, explore or just head back to the apartment.
  
• Back home, we drop off our school bags. If we get mail, Madame Lejamble puts it on the buerau in the hallway. There might be a nap.
• We'll then walk a couple of blocks to the boulangerie for fresh bread and perhaps stop into a store for wine or something else needed for diner. We might take the subway back into the center of Rouen.
  
• Afterwards, I'll either make dinner (frequently) or we'll go out (not as often).
• In the evening, there's usually some surfing on the Internet, studying/homework, email/Facebook...then conking out in bed.

We went to the Ironwork Museum in Roeun. It was fantastic! There are literally thousands of GORGEOUS handmade iron objects-everything from signs, railings, doors, hinges, tools to coffee pots and corsets. Yep. They had iron corsets. Hmm....I'll have to make a separate post JUST on this museum!