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