Day 3: On to Rouen

Leaving Giverny, we stopped briefly in the village of Vernon. Lovely old cathedral and an example of the Normandy architecture known "half timber" or "timber framing." According to local information, this style was brought about because the limestone quarried in the area was so soft that it had to be shored up by oak timbers to allow construction. From Vernon, on to Rouen where they burned Joan of Arc at the stake. Visited the plaza where she was burned and the massive modern church built in her memory. Rouen has long been a center for commerce--wool in medieval times and grain currently. Rouen is home to Le Gros Horloge--The Big Clock--which only has an hour hand. Apparently the pace of life was slower in medieval times. Rouen also has a "Notre Dame" cathedral, but not "The Notre Dame" we will visit in Paris in a few weeks. Rouen is very "touristy" so we are driving on to Honfleur, a pretty harbor town.