After finally getting out of Paris, albeit by bus not river boat, the monkeys arrive in the ancient city of Rouen. Here we were to board another ship, the sister ship to the AMA DANTE, which had been our house boat on the Seine in Paris for four days. Our new home, the AMA LYRA, was supposed to sail us to La Havre to see Normandy and then go back up the river to end our fractured river cruise in Paris. It didn’t quite work out that way (nothing on this trip seemed to work out as planned) but that’s all for a later blog. For new joiners who haven’t been following Kongo’s misadventure, the simian couple arrived in Paris from Los Angeles for a 7-day round-trip river cruise from Paris to Normandy. The Kongo’s came four days early to spend some time in the City of Light before boarding their ship. After boarding, the monkeys learned that unusually high water levels on the River Seine would prevent sailing, so we spent another four days in Paris with some makeshift tours whipped up by the riverboat company, AMA Waterways while we waited for the water levels to drop. They didn’t drop. The water just got higher and higher. Eventually, we were bused to Rouen to board the second ship on our one week river cruise.

Rouen is a beautiful ancient city dating back to the era before the Romans. Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses and was known as Rotomagus under the Romans. It became an important city in the 3rd century AD when Christianity was introduced. The city was invaded by the Normans in 876 and became the capital of the Duchy of Normandy. It came under English rule after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and again in 1419 during the Hundred Years’ War. In 1430, Joan of Arc was imprisoned in Rouen and later tried and executed there by the English in 1431. Rouen was occupied by the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and again during World War II where it sustained some damage but managed to retain its historic architecture.

For Kongo, the highlight of Rouen is its amazing cathedral. It is famous for its three towers in different architectural styles. The cathedral has a long and storied history, with the first church on the site dating back to the 3rd century AD when Christianity was introduced to Rouen. The current cathedral was built and rebuilt over more than 800 years, with features ranging from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture. It is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in France.

• It was the tallest building in the world from 1876 to 1880, with a height of 151 meters (495 feet).
• It has been the subject of a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.
• It suffered damage during World War II from fires and bombings, but has been extensively restored.
• It contains the tombs of several important historical figures, including Richard the Lionheart.

The Butter Tower was constructed between 1488 and 1506, in a late Gothic Flamboyant style. It received its unusual name because donors to the tower were given dispensation to consume butter and milk during Lent. The dense decoration of the tower emphasises its height; tall pointed niches for sculpture, buttresses decorated with tracery, pinnacles, gables and arches. At the top, the square plan of the tower becomes an octagon, with an ornate stone crown. It was damaged by allied bombing on D-Day in 1944 but has been heavily restored.

In 1822 lightning started a fire that destroyed the wood and lead Renaissance spire of the central tower. It was rebuilt in iron, which at the time was a highly controversial move. The new spire was not completed until 1882 and for a short time in made the Rouen Cathedral the tallest building in the world at 495-feet tall.

The majestic interior of the church is awe inspiring.

The interior features vibrant stained glass windows from the Medieval period to the early Renaissance. Massive stone columns rise to majestic vaulted domes that continually draw your view upward. Making you look up, toward heaven, was actually the point of the the soaring architecture as well as providing an entryway for light.

Richard the Lionheart, the famous English king, as well as the tombs of other important historical figures are built into the cathedral.

Now the tomb of Richard the Lionheart is interesting. In March 1199, Richard was hit in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt, and the wound turned gangrenous. Richard asked to have the crossbowman brought before him and the man turned out to be a boy. He said Richard had killed his father and two brothers, and that he had intended to kill Richard in revenge. He expected to be executed, but as a final act of mercy Richard forgave him, saying “Live on, and by my bounty behold the light of day”, before he ordered the boy to be freed and sent away with 100 shillings. Despite that final act of mercy, the boy was flayed alive and hanged as soon as Richard died on April 6.

There is a funny looking lion at the foot of Richard’s sarcophagus. That’s because the French had heard about lions but nobody had actually seen one. So the carving ends up looking like a cross between a big tabby cat and a dog.

Actually only Richard’s heart is buried here. The entrails were buried his entrails in Châlus (where he died), and the rest of his body at the feet of his father at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou. In 2012, scientists analysed the remains of Richard’s heart and found that it had been embalmed with various substances, including frankincense, a symbolically important substance because it had been present both at the birth and embalming of Christ.

Near the cathedral is the very old Gros Horloge (Great Clock) built in 1389 of cast iron. It’s a remarkable tribute to the early engineers who conceived and put it together. Although it no longer keeps time, the clock is beautiful.

Kongo would have loved to stay in Rouen longer. It’s a beautiful city and full of history. But we were set to actually sail on the river that evening so away we went. The next day we would see Normandy (which is the previous blog post).

Travel safe. Have fun