tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post3182188302196479851..comments2024-03-28T08:34:32.401+01:00Comments on Out and About with Mary Kay: Day trips from Paris: Rouen, city of Joan of Arc and Gustave FlaubertMary Kay Bossharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-91663076728817387042015-01-17T15:35:06.905+01:002015-01-17T15:35:06.905+01:00You have wonderful pictures.
Other day trips optio...You have wonderful pictures.<br />Other day trips option from Paris can be: Loire Valley, Champagne area, Strasbourg...<br /><br /><br />http://parisbym.com/day-trips-from-paris/mathttp://parisbym.com/day-trips-from-paris/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-50545134043687612112014-02-08T11:35:07.425+01:002014-02-08T11:35:07.425+01:00Lovely photos thank you! Rouen is lovely.and a mu...Lovely photos thank you! Rouen is lovely.and a must for Flaubert fans.<br />A vintage postcard reminded us so strongly of Felicite of the Simple Heart we bought it, we also visited Pont l'Eveque to see her home for ourselves! <br />Have a look at the postcard and more here http://www.normandythenandnow.com/a-simple-heart-at-pont-leveque/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835230346574039795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-87807970491709710992013-10-20T23:21:28.054+02:002013-10-20T23:21:28.054+02:00Many of the things Gwan recommends on her blog are...Many of the things Gwan recommends on her blog are excellent: Notre Dame la Grande holds a special place in my heart, as I used to go to mass there on Sundays, despite being more or less agnostic and certainly not Catholic. (I was billeted with a group of nuns by my university, and they were marvelous and took me everywhere.) The cathedral is interesting, very different architecturally than the Gothic cathedrals of Paris. The Palais de Justice is wonderful and you can see part of the old Roman wall that encircled the heart of the city in the courtyard outside. Going inside is a must as well, it was Eleanor of Aquitaine's court palace and you can imagine what it was like full of life. The Baptisere St. Jean is wonderful and incredibly historic - it's the oldest Christian structure in France, I believe.<br /><br />Since it's so close to La Rochelle there is some good seafood there; I can remember that most restaurants had a moules frites special. (I'm allergic so I never tried myself, but many friends did.)<br /><br />If you are looking for a time of year to go, there is (or was) a music festival in early fall, I believe September, and about that time they are still projecting colored lights onto the front of Notre Dame La Grande to show what it looked like when it was first built. It's quite unusual inside as well, with the painted columns. <br /><br />Regional delicacy to try: Torteau Fromage, an amazing cake that I miss still, after nearly ten years. Here's a good blog post explaining it: http://kitchen-at-camont.com/2010/03/30/tourteau-de-chevre-a-goat-cheese-treat/.<br /><br />(As you can see, I loved it there and am always happy to talk about it!)Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071037752920853786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-71454571928614540292013-10-20T16:58:30.074+02:002013-10-20T16:58:30.074+02:00@Amanda, Thanks for mentioning Poitiers! I've ...@Amanda, Thanks for mentioning Poitiers! I've been intending to go ever since I read about the Eleanor of Aquitaine connection on Gwan's (below) blog. Also, many thanks for suggesting La Serrurerie for afternoon tea. That will save me from scouring the internet looking for a place to eat before I go. If you have any other tips for Poitiers or elsewhere, please let me know!<br /><br />@Gwan Taking the TGV to visit you in Tours was a real eye-opener because it was a surprise that it's so much faster to go places by train than by car. One question, does the road from Metz lead to Paris? I sure hope so!Mary Kay Bossharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-9809477430462238142013-10-20T16:43:00.589+02:002013-10-20T16:43:00.589+02:00I think Rouen is a city that you would really like...I think Rouen is a city that you would really like, Bridget! There's lots of history to make it interesting, narrow streets and half-timbered houses to make it picturesque and really good food. While reading about it before we went, I noticed that many people spend their vacation there and make occasional day trips to Paris! Mary Kay Bossharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-56977448502030295642013-10-20T16:38:00.116+02:002013-10-20T16:38:00.116+02:00You're welcome, Emma!You're welcome, Emma!Mary Kay Bossharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-8675709908309384392013-10-20T16:37:19.265+02:002013-10-20T16:37:19.265+02:00Rouen is well worth a visit, Anne! Many people, in...Rouen is well worth a visit, Anne! Many people, including Parisians, don't seem to realize how close it is to Paris. Before writing this post I had to re-confirm the amount of time it takes to get there by train because Nancy's (who commented below) "Paris Greeter" was very skeptical when we told her that it's a little more than an hour. 1 hour and 10 minutes is about the fastest that you can get there and 1 hour and 30 minutes is about the longest. On a slightly different topic, I recently saw that they've started offering English language classes to French commuters on the Rouen-Paris train. Mary Kay Bossharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-8701871760020539412013-10-20T16:32:47.452+02:002013-10-20T16:32:47.452+02:00We haven't made it back to Rouen yet, Nancy! I...We haven't made it back to Rouen yet, Nancy! I'm just way behind with my blog posts. This was about Stéphane's and my visit at the end of September.<br />Mary Kay Bossharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790841060667671034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-67141405384475070632013-10-20T14:17:47.660+02:002013-10-20T14:17:47.660+02:00Glad that you made it back, albeit without me! Lo...Glad that you made it back, albeit without me! Looks like a train trip there is in my future.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17220532038856530727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-55514362988284016412013-10-19T15:17:00.930+02:002013-10-19T15:17:00.930+02:00I didn't realize Rouen was so close to Paris b...I didn't realize Rouen was so close to Paris by train (duh). We drove around, rather than through, on our way to Normandy. Thanks for opening my eyes to another place I "need" to visit!<br />Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09601542052605334407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-12337053186744815822013-10-19T13:54:58.044+02:002013-10-19T13:54:58.044+02:00Nice. Thanks.Nice. Thanks.epgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-50943704704713384282013-10-18T23:03:31.147+02:002013-10-18T23:03:31.147+02:00I really enjoyed Poitiers too! I didn't realis...I really enjoyed Poitiers too! I didn't realise Rouen was so close to you on the TGV (all roads lead to Paris and all that). I've never been to Normandy, it looks lovely!Gwanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13127784431543135980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-58777643442253038092013-10-18T22:05:37.560+02:002013-10-18T22:05:37.560+02:00Oh lovely...definitely a place to check out next t...Oh lovely...definitely a place to check out next time I'm in Paris!bridgetwhoplaysfrenchhornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00944714770867649886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1053563546908229556.post-87077838276287722642013-10-18T18:43:44.090+02:002013-10-18T18:43:44.090+02:00If you're interested in another day trip, I ca...If you're interested in another day trip, I can highly recommend the city of Poitiers. I did a year of university there on an exchange program, and it's a wonderful small city with great history. Eleanor of Aquitaine's capital city, with Roman ruins mixed in among early Christian ruins and some gorgeous Romanesque churches, a pedestrian-only city center, and some great places to eat. (Would recommend La Serrurerie for afternoon tea.)<br /><br />It's about 1.5 hours by train if you catch the express. It's a very walkable city once you get there, too - though I'd recommend taking a cab up from the train station.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071037752920853786noreply@blogger.com