SEINE VALLEY - NORMANDY The Tourist and Conference Information Centre Magazine

Up and Coming Rouen, really wonderful Lifestyle The Seine valley on horseback Savour the Flavour The Seine Valley Fruit trail Out and About The Cailly valley as seen by Alain Alexandre

edition 2014 - 2015 €2 Une marque exclusive

30, rue des Carmes • ROUEN 02 35 88 53 53 SEINE VALLEY - NORMANDY The Tourist and Conference Information Centre Magazine

SEINE VALLEY - NORMANDY The Tourist and Conference Information Centre Magazine

Up and Coming Rouen, really wonderful Lifestyle The Seine valley on horseback Savour the Flavour The Seine Valley Fruit trail Out and About The Cailly valley as seen by Alain Alexandre

édition 2014 - 2015 2€

Up and Coming 6 Rouen, really wonderful 15 The Joan of Arc story 18 900 years of history 23 Saint-Maclou revisited 28 The Cathedrals exhibition 30 Art …behind the Rouen scene 32 Local Gardens ‘Le Jardin d’Angélique’

Lifestyle 36 On your bikes! 42 The Seine valley on horseback 44 The Saint-Romain Fair 46 In memoriam

Savour the Flavour 52 The Seine Valley Fruit trail 56 Direct from the farm 58 The Rouen Chef’s Club 63 City dining 67 Hotels and accommodation 70 Guest houses

Out and About 75 Cruising along 76 The Cailly valley as seen by Alain Alexandre 79 Seine Valley wildlife 82 Fashionista Experts 84 Stores with a story to tell 87 City Pass fun 90 Events Diary 92 Addresses 1 from June 13th to September 21st 2014

La CREA CATHEDRAL OF LIGHT Production FIRST IMPRESSION c JOAN(S)

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LIGHT AND SOUND SHOWS ROUEN - CATHEDRAL SQUARE © Original design

Join us on FREE SHOW (1H15) June 13th - July 31st from 11 pm www.la-crea.fr August 1st - 15th from 10.30 pm August 16th - 31st from 10 pm September 1st - 21st from 9.30 pm Foreword

Rouen is one of France’s major cities. Its position between Paris and the sea gives it not only a fantastic geographical advantage but also an exceptional environment, surrounded as it is by unspoiled forests and the Seine River national parklands. The region has so much to offer, the diversity of its landscapes from the chalky river cliffs to the dense woodlands give a richness to the area that is second to none. Yet Rouen Seine Valley is also a modern and vibrant urban area. The capital of the Normandy region has been graced by fortune with a unique historic heritage: churches, monuments, the incredibly preserved medieval city or the fabulous collection in the Fine Arts Museum. These treasures are all remnants of its former glories and the City has had the good sense to carefully preserve its past yet keep its eyes resolutely turned toward the future. Rouen is proud of the exceptional quality of life that citizens and visitors alike enjoy. The City centre is in fact, the largest ‘open air shopping centre’ in France with a wealth of shops and boutiques alongside the famous historic monuments. The City is also full of modern monuments to culture: contemporary music at the 106, local heritage at the ‘Fabrique des Savoirs’ in Elbeuf, our amazing new sports venue: the ‘Kindarena’ designed by world-famous architect Dominique Perrault, or theatre in the listed Elbeuf Circus Theatre. There is truly something for everyone. The City offers an exceptional quality of life and an important part of that is the excellence of our local crafts not to mention our delicious traditional cuisine which is famed throughout France. Rouen and the surrounding area is a tourist destination ‘par excellence’. The City holds the prestigious heritage label ‘Ville et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire’ and the Tourist Office programme is full of interesting ideas for visits and a myriad of different ways to get out and about and discover the city of Rouen and the Seine valley. There are Abbeys and chateaux visits, walking trails, bike and bridle paths, City tours, river cruises and so much more. Whether visitors are coming for a holiday or for a business meeting, there is a destination that fits every occasion. On top of this truly magnificent heritage the City will be adding to its already extraordinary offer with the creation of two new and exciting attractions which will add to Rouen’s international profile. Artist Yadegar Asisi has made a name for himself with his ‘Panorama XXL’ creations. The gigantic frescoes that Asisi has designed will only be on show in Rouen. The Panorama will open ready for Christmas and next year Asisi will open an entirely new show, a world premiere, focusing on Rouen in the 15th century at the time of Joan of Arc. Also coming to Rouen in 2015, will be the opening of the new Joan of Arc dedicated museum which will be housed in the very building where she was tried and later pardoned. Rouen’s past is inextricably linked with the Saint’s tragic story and these new attractions will confirm Rouen’s unique and exclusive position as the City of Joan. Finally, Rouen’s magnificence does not stop there. Our splendid Cathedral, immortalised by Monet over 120 years ago, is once again the centre of attention under the beams of the spectacular summer ‘son and lumière’ show. This event is watched by thousands as the nightly projections of ‘Cathedral of Light’ transform the ancient stones of Notre Dame into a shimmering pillar of light. Rouen the beautiful, the historic, the everlasting is justly proud of its past and welcomes the future with open arms. With my very best wishes to you all,

Frédéric SANCHEZ, President of the metropolitan area of Rouen, Normandy.

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“ The Jumièges ruins transport one and add poetic beauty to the landscape ”

Gustave Flaubert, Dictionnaire des idées reçues. Rouen really wonderful

Rouen is the big summer rendez-vous for digital enthusiasts in France and elsewhere. Last summer at dusk over 400 000 visitors flocked to the Cathedral nightly to enjoy the double bill of the son et lumière spectacle projected onto the Western façade of the city’s gothic cathedral. The son and lumière entitled ‘First Impressions’ was created as part of the second edition of the International Normandy Impressionist Festival paying a digital homage to the movement played out on one of Rouen’s signature monuments. Scenes depicted a fishing trip or a charming young girl on a swing plus a veritable cascade of images accompanied by the sound of children laughing. The Cathedral was lit up in an avalanche of colours giving the crowd a glimpse of what the building would have looked like in the Middles Ages when the each of the portal’s myriad of statues would have been painted in strong, vibrant colour. The digital age takes on the Impressionist movement giving it a fresh and startling new lease of life … The second show was called ‘Joan (s)’ and it retraced Joan of Arc’s story from her birth in Domrémy, in Lorraine to her martyrdom at the stake in Rouen, on May 30, 1431. Narrated with both tenderness and a fiery zest the show touched the hundreds of spectators nightly more especially at the end of Joan’s heroic story, when in front of the all too real flames, they heard the 19 year old’s heart beating, faster and faster, as she courageously faced death. The show used a new French creative technology called “mapping” which uses images and 3D projections. This technique has had an instant success and has been a major French technological export thrilling audiences worldwide… The son et lumière will be back in the summer of 2014 from June 13 to September 21. In 2015, one of the two projections will be replaced by a new show about Viking Normandy and two other son et lumière will be shown onto the walls of the law Courts and Saint-Maclou church. Rouen really wonderful

n October 2013, Rouen Seine Valley was on top of the world as it was awarded the first prize in the World Summit Award (WSA), a competition which I rewards digital applications. The award was delive- red in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by the World Congress for Victor Hugo described the Abbey ruins as the ‘Most the IT Society, supported by the UN. beautiful ruins in France’ and today, under the The prize was won by the application created for the aegis of the UN, the Abbey is enhanced by the innovative use of the digital revolution. ‘Jumièges Abbey at Jumièges (see insert) and it places Rouen 3D’ is a new 3D laser image application which Seine Valley area at the forefront of the world of ‘aug- gives visitors to the 7th century Abbey the mented reality’. The Jumièges app is not the only one possibility to experience a 360° tableau depicting in use in the area as Rouen has been a technology the Abbey as it would have looked before its addict for quite a while adopting innovative apps such destruction in the 19th century. ‘The use of this new technology is a first in France and will revolutionise as QR-codes (flashcodes) for use on tourist trails vir- the presentation of historic and tourist sites’ said tual visits as well as dynamic and interactive websites Didier Marie, who was the President of the Seine- and son et lumière shows using the latest in digital- Maritime Department when the prize was awarded. tech not to mention the use of holograms. Rouen, the Over 160 countries took part in the international historic city of Joan of Arc remains as avant-garde as it competition. The Jumièges 3D app can be downloaded for free was under Monet and shines ever bright in today’s new on Appstore or Google play for use on digital world. smartphones and digital tablets. Tablets can also be hired for visits at the Abbey.

9 In the 19th century Rouen was one of the main stays of France’s textile industry (see p.76). Only a few vestiges from this glorious era remain today - building such as ‘La Foudre’, once the largest spinning mill in France which belonged to Industrial magnate and politician Pouyer-Quertier (1820 – 1881). Built in 1845 the factory was designed on revolutionary lines and was a model of modernity. Today it is still home to innovation as it is a business incubator housing start-ups in the Information and Communication Technology industries – business such as Gamit the company behind the game ‘En-Quête’ commissioned by the Rouen Seine Valley Tourist Office (see insert Voyage around the City). The former textile factory has not lost the thread…..

Geolocation, flash-QR-codes and enhanced reality are the three digital pillars behind this latest app which combines culture with fun making a visit to the city of Rouen a totally unforgettable experience. If you have a smartphone or a tablet you can follow your virtual guide for over 90 minutes as they lead you through the city and entertain you with anecdotes, quizzes and games Audio Guides are to bring Rouen’s fantastic buildings to life. The available from the ‘guide’ has stepped out of an unfinished Tourist Office and are impressionist painting only then to find himself free for Rouen City trapped in the real world. Visitors have to help him Pass Holders (see p. 87); Normal rate: 5 €. step back into the pictorial world by finishing the picture for the artist and answering clues in a scavenger hunt across the city. This creative app has been developed by the Rouen Seine valley Tourist Office in partnership with a Rouen based start-up called Gamit, a small private company specialised in fun digital experience-apps. For full details and download instructions click on this ‘flash- code’ using your tablet or smartphone or asking at the Tourist Office (En-Quête in Rouen at rouentourisme.com).

10 Rouen, Capital of Normandy is right at the forefront of the world digital revolution yet the city is not ready to turn its back on its past and is forging bridges between the latest technology and Rouen’s fabulous history. In the winter of 2014, the quay sides of the river Seine host the resurrection of ‘panoramas’- gigantic screens portraying landscapes and historical portraits - a Larger popular 19th century technology … than Life © © asisi Gmbh Larger than Life

‘The entrance to the Rotunda is through a darkened underground We shouldn’t just see history as portrayed by Hollywood’ passage. This is done deliberately so that your pupils dilate so says artist-architect Yadegar Asisi who has brought when finally you reach the panorama you are completely dazzled back ‘panoramas’ to our streets. These large scale ins- by the projections and thus transported into the heart of the film,’ ‘ explains Yadegar Asisi, the artist behind the work. tallations, an immensely popular art form in the 19th century, are designed to be viewed from the centre of a large rotunda so enhancing the illusion for the audience of being surrounded by the projected land- scape in 360°. Panoramas were invented by British painter Robert Barker at the end of the 18th century. They were immensely popular in France and were the start of mass communication as we know it so much so that between 1870 and 1900, over a hundred mil- lion people had seen one in Europe! ‘Even with all the luxury of today’s technology nothing quite compares with the sheer hypnotic force of the panorama’ says Asisi who firmly believes in the relevance of this almost forgot- ten technology. ‘The technique allows the spectator to really take their place in the landscape and to interact in detail with the image projected…it has the power to German artist-architect Yadegar Asisi has designed several panoramas notably in make one think which is not always the case in the Miami as well as many housed in former modern world ’ he adds with a wry smile. geometers in Germany. Dresden and Leipzig have roughly the same population as Rouen and between 2008 and 2011 Asisi’s panoramas welcomed between 300 000 and 400 000 visitors annually. Berlin’s Pergamon panorama opened in September 2011 welcoming a record- breaking million people in only nine months.

12 The idea to resuscitate the majestic and outsize forms of the panorama was born during a conversation between Laurent Salomé, then Director of Rouen Museums and Laurent Fabius, the current Minister of State for Foreign Affairs who was the then President of the Community Council for Rouen Elbeuf Austreberthe. During one of their meetings to prepare the First Normandy International Impressionist Festival Salomé told Fabius about giant paintings that were gathering dust in the Louvre archives and the seed was planted….and has taken root to spring into life with the creation of the new cultural installations coming to Rouen – such as the Joan of Arc Historial (see p. 15). The new Museum XXL will be situated on the left bank of the river on the quays between Hangar 108 and the Gustave-Flaubert Bridge on the Rollet peninsula. It will offer visitors the chance to rediscover these forgotten giants and be larger than life element in the City’s already rich and varied cultural agenda which includes events such as the Armada, the International Impressionist festival as well as the annual exhibitions in the Fine Arts Museum. In the meantime, Yadegar Asisi’s panoramas will be on show in The Panorama XXL rotunda, opening 2014, on the right bank of the Seine, next to Hangar 2, Rouen. © © asisi Gmbh © © asisi Gmbh

The Community Council and the Upper Normandy region together with financial backing from the Matmut, have commissioned German born artist-architect Yadegar Asisi to design an original work or panorama depicting Rouen as it was at the beginning of the 15th century when Joan of Arc was here. The panorama will complement the exhibition in the Historial dedicated to the story of France’s favourite heroine which opens in January 2015. For the last two years, medieval specialists along with the regional heritage, archaeological and archive departments have been working with Asisi to ensure the accuracy of the portrait of Rouen designed by the artist. Although Rouen has the highest concentration of historical buildings of anywhere in France, there is very little tangible evidence remaining from that period. The Rouen panorama will open in the autumn of 2015 and in the meantime, two other panoramic works by Asisi will be on show - one depicting Ancient Rome under Constantin in 312 and the other showing the richness of the Amazonian rain forest. Both will be housed in a purpose built 28 meter high Rotunda. The Panoramas open from December 13, 2014. © © asisi Gmbh

13 Réalisation : Seine-Maritime Tourisme - Photos : V. Rustuel, Getty Images, H. Sentucq H. Getty Images, Rustuel, V. - Photos : Tourisme Seine-Maritime Réalisation :

Votre guide de voyage mobile seine-maritime-tourisme.com My name is Joan (of Arc) In 2014 Rouen’s nightly son et lumière will take Joan of Arc as its theme and her tragic story will be retold and projected onto the Cathedral’s façade nightly from June 13 to September 21, 2014. In 2013, 410 000 spectators enjoyed the show… In January 2015 the capital of Normandy will open two new structures dedicated to the Maid whose story is inextricably linked with Rouen. The Historial will show both a historical portrait of the young heroine as well as exploring the myths tous events surroun- and legends associated with her short life and the ding Joan of Arc in the 15th century. The ‘Panorama’ designed by artist-architect Yadegar walls of this part of the Asisi which will be a living portrait of Rouen as Palace are charged she would have known it in the 15th century... with history and the ghosts of the past will mingle with those created by the The Joan of Arc project represents an enormous scienti- Historial’s technical fic and technical investment as well as a large amount of team. space! ’ says Alain Bardin Director of the project which ‘encompasses both the Joan of Arc Historial and the ‘There is very little phy- panoramas signed Yadegar Asisi (see previous pages). sical evidence remai- ning from Joan’s era, yet Rouen was the largest city of the Kingdom in Joan of we have a wealth of Arc’s time, it was the port serving Paris and the city was literary documentation even more important than London and so it seems fit- which thanks to today’s technology will portray Joan’s life in ting that in the 21st century a huge effort is made to the form of holograms or living statues who will tell us her bring the Rouen of the 15th century back to life… remarkable story’ continues the Director. Another tech- nique called ‘mapping’ will project 3D animations onto Ghosts in the machine… the walls showing the Palace as it was in the Middle The new Historial will be housed in the rooms where Ages and allowing the visitor a glimpse into what life Joan’s trial and pardon took place, in the very heart of was like at that time and the story of one of the best the Archbishop’s palace, part of Rouen’ massive loved figures in the history of France. Cathedral complex. The visit will start in the official state room where Joan heard her condemnation in 1431 A legendary figure and where she was absolved and pardoned in 1456. From the moment she joined forces with the Dauphin Also part of the exhibition will be two crypts, one and future King Charles VII, Joan of Arc created a sen- Romanesque and the other Gothic plus some rooms sation as we can see in the abundance of contemporary and a tower all in existence at the time of the momen- texts remaining to this day. Perhaps the best known is the ‘Ditié de Jeanne d’Arc’ written in Joan’s lifetime, by poetess and philosopher Christine de Pizan, an influen- tial figure that today, we would call an intellectual and feminist writer. However, there is a wealth of literature about Joan both serious and even imaginative which all gave rise to the myths and legends that surround her. For some she was an iconic feminist warrior for others a saint and popular heroine - the different representa- tions of this modest peasant girl are contradictory. The Historial’s exhibition will have three rooms dedicated to the story behind the history of Joan’s life. ‘The Historial will try and makes sense of all the different point of view and political interpretations that surround her. We all have our own ideas and she is as well-known and controversial today as she ever was….’ says Alain Bardin.

16 The Historial is housed in the very heart of the Archbishop’s palace in the rue Saint- Romain. The concept is on 5 levels running from the Romanesque and Gothic crypts which are directly under the Aubigné chapel to the magnificent space of the ‘Grand comble’, above the States rooms in the Hôtel d’Estouteville. 900 years

900 years ago Rouen was a wealthy and influential city whose reach went of history… far beyond the confines of the province of Normandy stretching across the channel into England which had been annexed by the Normans after the battle of Hastings in 1066. In the early Middle Ages Rouen was the second richest city and second largest city in France with a population of over 30 000. Of this golden age, at the beginning of the 12th century, only two buildings remain: the Abbey of Saint-Georges at Saint-Martin-de- Boscherville, and the Jewish Monument, the oldest known Jewish remains in Western Europe …

Between April and October 2014, the Abbey church and gardens will play host to numerous exhibitions and concerts. June will see the largest number of events including a series of conferences, son et lumière and a Medieval Fair…nearby at the Abbey of Saint- Wandrille, enjoy the sung service of vespers by the community who are known far and wide for the beauty of their Gregorian chant. For full details: abbaye-saint-georges.com.

The Abbey gardens were created in the 17th century by the Benedictine monks from the congregation of Saint-Maur.

18 Founded in 1114, the Abbey of Saint-Georges at Saint-Martin- de-Boscherville is about to celebrate its 900th anniversary. The complex is not only one of the finest examples of Romanesque anglo-norman architecture but also one of the best preserved of those still standing today. Within these ancient walls it is easy to step back in time and share in the daily life of the community in the early Middle Ages... The Jewish Monument was discovered in 1976 when the Palais de Justice (the present day law courts) was being restored. The monument which is situated directly under the main courtyard of what was once the Exchequer of the province. The monument itself was built around the same time as the Abbey of Saint- Georges in Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville, and is considered to be the oldest remains of the once thriving Jewish community in France. The ‘house’ built in the Romanesque style dates from the beginning of the 12th century and is all that remains of the Jewish Community in Rouen, apart from the present day name of the street ‘La rue aux Juifs’. Only the lower parts of the house are still standing as the Jewish quarter was raised to the ground when the Jews were expelled from France in 1306. The monument is so large and impressive (14.10 m x 9.50 m) that experts think that it was an important building. One theory is that it was a rabbinic school or yeshiva, thanks to the religious graffiti scrawled on the walls which is still visible to this day. In fact Rouen was one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe and a centre of learning so the monument may well have been a place of education or possibly the ‘demeure’ of a wealthy Jewish citizen.

The monument is now open to visitors after being closed for over thirty years and you can visit it every Tuesday at 3pm or on the last Friday of the month at 10.30am by prior reservation on +33 02 32 08 32 40. Full rate: €6.50; reduced rate: €4.50. The visit lasts 2 hours and is for a maximum of 18 people at any one time.

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Saint-Maclou refurbished

The restoration of St Maclou church has taken two years during which time the church was surrounded by a wall scaffolding and protective materials. Now, this jewel of the flamboyant gothic has emerged from its chrysalis and is quite simply staggeringly beautiful thanks to the specialized team of artisans who have performed miracles… Saint-Maclou refurbished

Normandy is a place where craftwork of a consistently Association (or AADN) was present at the prestigious high quality has flourished since the 12th century’, says International Heritage Trade Fair held in the Carrousel du Pascal Joulain. Pascal is a member of the Normandy Louvre, Paris, says Pascal Joulain, living proof that Arts‘ and Crafts Association Normandy is still up there amongst the (Association des artisans d’art de greatest with a reputation for the quality Normandie or AADN) and is quick of its craftsmen!’. to talk about the region’s tradition of These awards winning craftsmen and excellence that stretches back to the women, often distinguished by the time of William the Conqueror. ‘In ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ (Best the Middle Ages, Normandy was one of Craftsperson in France) medal in the richest provinces and certainly one recognition of their skill and outstan- of the best organised with a highly deve- ding contribution not only restore the loped system of international and natio- works of yesteryear but they are also nal trade links. Thanks to its wealth instrumental in the production of Rouen quickly established itself as a tomorrow’s heritage. These are the place where art and craftspeople of the artists that are creating new forms and highest quality could flourish – a tradi- concepts in fields as diverse as wood tion which continues to this day’. The work, miniature cars, musical instru- city of Rouen contains the highest ments and glassware… The St Maclou number of listed and historic buil- church area although not home to all dings per square meter of anywhere in has a large number of these skilled France and so it is little wonder that it also a place craftsmen working under the shadow of its imposing where ancient skills such as glass blowing, woodwor- wooden doors and towering buttresses. We went in king, furniture restoration, metal working, masonry, search of one of them but you can easily meet more in gold leaf work, and pottery making are carried on to his the rues Damiette, du Père Adam, Malpalu or day. ‘In November 2013, the Normandy Arts and Crafts Martainville.

24 The Saint-Maclou church is dedicated to a Breton Saint named Malo. Building started in 1437 six years after Joan of Arc’s martyrdom and the church was finished in 1517 and considered to be a jewel of the flamboyant Gothic architectural style. The term ‘Flamboyant gothic’ was devised by Rouen writer and artist Eustache-Hyacinthe Langlois, who first used it to describe the decorative stone work and rose-window tracery of the later more florid style. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and it was only at the end of 2013, after two full years of restoration work that repairs were finished and it was reopened in all its original splendour. Two steps from the Church is the ‘Aître Saint-Maclou’. The site is that of a plague time cemetery dating from the Black Death of 1348 which was later embellished by a serie of wooden galleries in the 16th century which were to serve as ossuaries hence the carvings of skulls and tibias, on the buildings outer beams. Later the complex became a school and boarding house for girls before housing the Rouen and Le Havre Regional School of Art and Design (Esadhar) until September 2014.

Tradition and the present

Marc-Henri Tellier has a gallery in the rue Damiette - one of the streets in the city of Rouen that was a favourite with artists. Marc-Henri has written a splendid biography about local industrial magnate and impressionist art collector François Depeaux entitled ‘The Coal magnate and the Impressionist’. Tellier is a graduate form the Sorbonne and specialises in of the 19th and 20th century art.

Marc-Henri has a knack of finding old masterpieces and then calls on the skills and services of local art restorers ‘It is quite hard to find a really good art restorer and when you do you tend to stick with and keep them for yourself so I cannot tell you who I work with. This business is full of well kept secrets – we are discrete’ he says. This is true of all aspects of the art world – restorers, framers, guilders are all used to working ‘behind the scenes’ – it is very the nature of their work. ‘A painting gets restored roughly every thirty years’ says the Gallery owner showing us a picture that he recently acquired - a work by Henri Vignet, representing the Saint- Romain tower, Rouen cathedral, in about 1915. The painting is part of the post-impressionist Rouen school and will be worth around 6000 euros says Marc-Henri Tellier. It is also a valuable historic document as it shows that even at the beginning of the 20th century there was still a quantity of medieval houses built right up against the walls of the cathedral itself. We may not know who restored the painting to its former glory but the visit was worth it just to see this snapshot of Rouen as it was not so long ago… 37 rue Damiette www.galerie-tm.fr

25 Jean-Marc Sarhan, violin maker

The place smells of wood and resin; violas and pieces of maple or spruce lie scattered beneath the ancient beams from which hang a whole orchestra of violins waiting to be played. Just yards from the rue Damiette, on the corner of the rue Eau-de-Robec, Jean-Marc’s workshop nestles within the aged timbers of a medieval house it is a place where time is only relevant on the lines of sheet music. Rouen born, Jean-Marc Sarhan learned his trade in Mirecourt, a small town in the Vosges world famous for its stringed instrument and bow makers. Now he works with Nadia Hérouin restoring instruments rather than creating them: ‘In order to make an instrument you need all the time in the world as to start with, you have to go out into the forest to choose the wood’ he tells us. However, Jean-Marc is still an expert in his field and can spot a French made violin at a glance. The best French made violins date from the 19th century when there was a unity in the shape of the instruments giving a particular tone – a truly ‘French sound’. The violin maker half lets us into one of his secrets ‘For us the problem when restoring an instrument is to keep the aged aspect of the wood - a good violin should not look too contemporary ’ but that is as far as he gets and bows out without telling us what concoction he uses to achieve the perfect look. 18 place du Lieutenant-Aubert Tel. : 02 35 89 45 34

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*SHOPPING INATTENDU Cathedrals 180 masterpieces

28 Between 1892 and 1894 Claude Monet painted a series of 30 views of Rouen cathedral thus making James Roberts, it world famous. 120 years later Rouen Fine Arts Intérieur de la cathédrale de Museum is hosting an international exhibition Chartres, entitled simply ‘Cathedrals’. Opening in the spring Aquarelle, 95,5 x 68 cm Fontainebleau, dépôt du of 2014, the exhibition will show 180 paintings all musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais inspired by great cathedrals – buildings which (Château de straddle time and remain a monument to human Fontainebleau) / Jean- Pierre Lagiewski history and achievement…

oethe, Hugo, Turner, Corot, Sisley, Pissarro, tures were taken in 1853 by Edmond Bacot from Monet, Rodin, Chagall, De Staël all painted exactly the same place where forty years later Monet cathedrals. From the Middle Ages onwards would set up his easel and start his magnum opus. G these Gothic monuments have played an From April 12 to August 31, 2014, Rouen Fine Arts important role in people’s imagination. Their imposing Museum (mbarouen.fr). architecture was more than just bricks and mortar, their substance structured political society and even during the decidedly anticlerical 3rd Republic, Cathedrals remained at the forefront of debate. Monet’s paintings were neither religious nor mystic in concept but more in tune with depicting the reality of light on the façade of history. The 180 works on show in ‘Cathedrals: romanticism – impressionism – modernity will place Monet’s cathedral series into an international, historical context. This exhibi- tion is very important for Rouen’ says Sylvain Amic, Rouen Fine Arts Museum director and curator general for the exhibition. ‘It will show how Monet came to be painting the cathedral facade just a hundred years after the revolution. The ensuing reign of terror and the wave of ico- Sylvain Amic, Director general of Rouen Museums and noclasm saw the desecration of hundreds of churches and curator General for the 2014 exhibition. Every year Rouen Fine Arts Museum holds an internationally cathedrals as they were the living representation of divine recognized exhibition and the 2014 event ‘Cathedrals: power.’ The 180 works on show have come from romanticism-impressionism and modernity’ will bring museums all over the world including photographs together paintings from 60 artists spanning two from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The pic- hundred years of creative work.

Cathedrals Treasures from Sienna The exhibition brings together different media including ars narrandi from the Gothic age paintings, sculpture, models, literature, cinema, jewellery, furniture, photography and modern art. It is Rouen Fine Arts Museum, 03.2015 – 08.2015 part of a Franco-German project linking Rouen and Rouen Fine Arts Museum is already getting ready to Cologne, both have Cathedrals that are known launch its next major international exhibition. worldwide and both have some of the most important Entitled ‘Treasures from Sienna’, this retrospective art collections in Europe. will have exhibits depicting art in Sienna between the 13th and the 15th century. This exceptional exhibition will bring together for the first time, Charles Frechon, Rouen, L'abbatiale Saint-Ouen vue de la cathédrale, masterpieces from the Sienna Pinacoteca Museum 1891 with many rare works of art from French Public Huile sur toile, 35 x 27 cm collections. Collection particulière © Dominique Langlois

29 Rouen, A capital A for Art Rouen has over 15 Modern Art Galleries whether they be associations, private or municipal such as Mezcla, Tigre, le 180, Le Collectif d’en face, Störk to name but a few. They are all art of a network called ‘Rrouen’ a group which aims to promote the exhibitions on show and generally publicise what is going on in the modern art scene in the city. (To subscribe to their newsletter: [email protected]). Other galleries such as Duchoze, Bertran, Rollin, Lernon are independent and exhibit work ranging from the quite startlingly modern to the classic but they all are the showcase for the city which is still remains to this day, one of the capitals of the international art world. We visited two artists in the Saint-Maclou quartier...

Not just any old iron Stone is king in Rouen yet the City is also famous for wrought iron and indeed one of the greatest iron workers of the 19th century, Ferdinand Marrou, lived and worked in Rouen creating the Cathedral spire and the fanciful finials on the Gros-Horloge. So when Michel Gibault came back to his native Rouen after a spell in Montreal, he was merely following a century-old tradition of metal working. Michel has a gallery in the rue Damiette but his workshop is a few kilometers away in Barentin where he organises classes for his students who create their own masterpieces under his guidance. Modern architectural styles and particularly that of le Corbusier have had a great influence on Michel but his work is also influenced by the skill and creativity of haute- couture… especially that of Paco Rabanne’s collections in the 60s. 42 rue Damiette www.michelgibault.com

30 ‘Les Racines du ciel’ studio and shop No brushes in this studio - the artistic process happens thanks to hammers and scissors. In her studio boutique Sophie Gratias lovingly sculpts stone from Saint-Maximin or Vernon, creating original works or copies and inspirations from Rouen’s medieval gothic buildings. Sophie did her training just round the corner at the Rouen School of Art and Design before studying with several different stone masons and finally opening her shop 17 years ago. She gives individual sculpture classes using stone (€10 per hour) and organises fun sessions for children, ‘The children all leave with their own work which is often their initials or a heart or something simple’. The boutique area of the studio sells stone ornaments (not too heavy or expensive) and Sophie says her best-seller is the Rouen coat of arms or the lovers of Bayeux. 152 rue Martainville www.lesracinesduciel.fr

Gallery visits Over two hundred artists live and work in Rouen. Every year on the last weekend in September, they open the doors of their galleries and garrets to both art lovers and those who are simply curious to see the creative process at close range. For full details of the programme: www.la-crea.fr. Angelique’s gardens (Le Jardin d’Angélique)

When you walk into Angélique’s garden you enter another world. It is as if you have been transported into a painting or into a universe dominated by the heady smell and scent from the 2 000 roses planted here. The gardens were created in 1989 by Gloria and Yves Lebellegard, in memory of their eldest daughter, Angélique. The park is made up of two interlacing gardens that stretch away from the elegant and aristocratic 17th century manor house. One garden is planted in the Italianate style with grassy alleyways, yew sculptures and box-edged borders full of different grasses and perennials. The second garden has an English feel to it with its impeccable lawns, flower filled borders and stately tree-fit for a Princess or even an angel. Entrance: €6 (free for under 12s). Open from May 1st to October 31, closed Tuesdays from July 1st. Route de Lyons, Montmain.

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Gustave Flaubert, Dictionnaire des idées reçues. Getting a handle on the city The regional capital has embraced the bike as a means of urban transport. For ages bikes meant holidays and free time but now they mean business in the heart of the City where special lanes have been made available for those who prefer their transport green. The bike is fast, free and has been reinstated as one of the best ways to get around the City and enjoy the scenery at the same time. In on two wheels under an hour you can get round 4 major “Picture Postcard” sites. Rouen - based association Guidoline and its Guidoline 1250 members. The association was founded by a group of enthusiasts all ‘gutter bunnies’. Guidoline puts the spring back into the bicycles Guidoline started in a tiny shed where the of yester - year. This association lovingly restores founders shared their tools for repairing their retro models such as those built by Peugeot, pushbikes and with the growth of the Motobécane, or Talbot all rescued from piles of association bigger premises were needed and junk in garages, cellars and barns. These classic the association moved to its present HQ in the two wheelers once the favourite of sports rue Molière, Rouen. shops retake to the high road shiny and retuned Walking into Guidoline is to step into a bikers’ and ready to take on the modern light and racy paradise: the workshop contains every sort of models with whom they share today’s bespoke tool imaginable, piles of spare parts, cycles in cycle lanes. The humble bicycle is enjoying every possible state of health from ancient what can only be described as a renaissance. wrecks to frames being lovingly restored. To No longer relegated to weekends and lazy days one side the ‘café culturel’ is full of photos of the bike is once again the alternative urban shining bikes enjoying a new lease of life; means to get around. More than that today’s elegant frames ready to welcome their rider. bikers are also enamored of their machines Guidoline’s founders mostly came from the says Simon Larchevêque. ‘We are not just world of art and graphic design and their HQ has interested in our bikes a means for exercise even also dedicated a space to a group of artists who if we do ride for fitness or in events. We love our organises exhibitions or creates installations in bikes and are proud of them. Being a bikie is cool.’ the entrance to the workshop. Simon is one of the directors of Guidoline regularly stages events in Rouen - bike rallies, fancy dress rides, long distance rides, competitions or just simple get togethers for enthusiasts. The programme is available on www.guidoline.com. The association is also a partner of another group of fans ‘L’Heureux Cyclage’ (www.heureux-cyclage.org), a network of cooperative of bike repair-shops. Finally Guidoline also welcomes two-wheeler tourists with bike-information or repairs… 36-38 rue Molière, Rouen

38 Bikes for hire….

It is easy to hire a bike in Rouen or in the Seine valley in fact there is a range of options on offer. The ‘Community council of Rouen Elbeuf Saint-Austreberthe’ has ‘Velo’R’, as an alternative to classic Public Transport services including the tram-metro, the TEOR bus lines by offering electric bicycles, foldable or fixed frame bikes all for hire for a day or for a month or longer. Short term contracts vary between €5 a day, €7 for a week-end and €13 a week (full tarifs) for push bikes and a little more for electric models. Full details: la-crea.fr/velo-r-de-la-crea.html

In Rouen, Cy’clic, the bikes for hire service, is run by JCDecaux as it is in most large French cities. The Cy’clic system has instant bike for short journeys including 30 minutes offered free for each journey. (€1 for access 24 /24 or €5 for an access for 7 days running). This service is only available in the City of Rouen. Full details: http://cyclic.rouen.fr/

The Quartier Saint-Maclou

Saint-Maclou church is a jewel of the flamboyant Gothic style. Its Renaissance doors and porch are one of the most beautiful picture postcard views in Rouen. Not to be missed are the two little naked cherubs who adorn the 16th century fountain to the side of the church at the crossroads of the rues Damiette and Martainville. They are pre- cursors of their more famous cousin the Menneken-Pis in Brussels.

39 The Gardens and Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen

The chevet of the Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen, the largest of the Rouen churches and one which is often taken for the Cathedral is surrounded by the Town Hotel Gardens which are a perfect place to laze away a sunny day. The massive stone Abbey church founded in the 6th century is considered to be one of the best examples of Gothic architecture and is certainly one of the most imposing buildings in Rouen.

The Market in the Place Saint-Marc

On Sundays, St Marc square becomes one of the largest open air markets in the greater Rouen area. The market is divided between the stalls of green grocers, cheese-mongers and fresh produce and the boxes and stands of bric à brac, second hand clothes and so on. The market is the liveliest place to be on a Sunday morning in Rouen and the local café terraces are always full of happy shoppers enjoying a coffee or a glass of dry white wine…

The Rollet peninsula

On Rouen’s left bank at the foot of Flaubert Bridge, this tiny peninsula was once the place where the city stored its coal. Now it has been as a park a green oasis from where to watch bustling river port with a panoramic view of the City behind. Downstream the concrete giants of the port’s grain silos stand tall opposite the towering spires of the Cathedral – a view which has not changed for centuries. The Rollet peninsula enjoys 2 kilometers of green space and play-parks running down river towards the port from the Guillaume-le- Conquérant Bridge.

40 www.rouen.aeroport.fr Discover the Seine valley on horseback Riding is one of the top leisure activities in the hexagon and France has over two million registered horseback enthusiasts. Rouen, the Normandy capital, has 24,000 registered riders who gallop off into the sunset of the woods, forests and agricultural land which make up two thirds of the region’s territory. So saddle up and come with us to Jumièges.

lémence Plassard, is in charge of Maulévrier via the Château du Taillis (see Nature and tourism at the p. 48). ‘The forest has great rides, says Community Council of the Clémence Plassard, the path goes up and C Rouen Elbeuf Austreberthe area down, it is never boring and there are lots of ‘In the future our aim is to have a lovely view points over the river’. Worth long distance regional bridle path going from noting is that the river ferry at Jumièges is the Mont-St-Michel to Etretat but at the specially fitted out for horses and riders so moment only two trails are open’ she tells us. that you can cross the river safely. ‘It is the The World Equestrian The two paths of 13 and 16 kilometers res- only one that has such specialist equipment’ pectively are 90% off road and give the says Clémence. Also noteworthy is the fact Games rider and mount ample room to discover the trails link three of the most beautiful of The world’s eyes will be fixed on Normandy the Seine valley and Jumièges forests. Park the region’s abbeys: Jumièges, Saint- with an expected audience of 500 million in the town centre parking (between the Wandrille and Gruchet-le-Valasse as well watching the world equestrian games that abbey and the ferry) where there is room to as having lots of restaurants at both will be held in the region between August leave horseboxes, then trot off along the Jumièges and Duclair and a picnic area in 23 and September 7, 2014. The Caen area, tow path either heading North or the forest of Trait, near the Woodland and Mont-Saint-Michel, Deauville and the Orne river area will all be on show for the World South. The start of the path has a barcode Forest centre at Haie de Yainville. Equestrian Games which are held every 4 so that riders can set their itinerary on their years like the Olympics. The games will see GPS systems. To the North, the rider sets the best riders from over 60 countries off on the left rein down a path to the compete in 8 official disciplines of the ‘Ferme des Îles’ then skirts round the 11th International Equestrian Federation: show and 12th century church of Saint-Valentin jumping; dressage; three day eventing before entering the forest. On the other (CCE); driving; reining; vaulting; endurance; hand, the southern trail goes through the para-dressage. orchards before joining the forest at Trait- For full details of the programme: www.normandie2014.com;

43 The Saint-Romain Fun Fair Rouen’s annual Fun fair is the modern version of a much older event dating back over a thousand years. It is the largest fair in France and along with the Trône fair in Paris is one of the oldest and most historic. Rouen’s Saint-Romain fair attracts over 1.5 and 2 million visitors every year to the banks of the Seine to enjoy the two hundred plus rides and attractions. érard Poetschke is non- Romain offered him a pardon if they committal about the fair’s age were successful. Of course the Bishop G ‘the Saint-Romain fair is said to Saint was a real hero and he slayed the date back at least to the 9th beast easily with the prisoner’s help but century at around the time when the he kept his bargain and pardoned his remains of the City’s Archbishop Romain, second in command. In fact until the later canonized, were buried in the Revolution this tradition of pardoning a Cathedral but to find the precise date you prisoner at All Saints remained in force would have to go through the archives in so much so that the fair was nicknamed the Archbishop’s palace.’ Gérard Poetschke the Pardon Fair. is the President of the Saint-Romain fair ‘The fair as we know it started to take on organisation committee but he is also the its present form in about 1890 and it was In Memory owner of the famed Black bear (l’Ours held in its original spot between the Place noir). The restaurant is known on every Beauvoisine and Boulingrin until 1983 of Fair Folk fair ground for its delicious suckling pig when it was moved to the left bank quays.’ Rouen has the only monument dedicated grilled over a wood fire and the figures explains Gérard Poetschke. Now the fair to the fair people who fell for their country speak for the popularity of the fare with spreads for over two kilometers down the during the First and Second World wars. 1 635 piglets being snapped up every 30 length of the Seine side quays sparkling The memorial is in the Place du Boulingrin, days. Nowadays, the fair has little in and twinkling through the autumn where the fair had been held for centuries common with its origins or even with the nights and paving the way for from its beginnings in the 11th century until 1983 when it was moved to the left fair as it would have been up to the 19th Christmas… bank. In France about 5000 people work on century as today the emphasis in all on the Fairs and the vast majority of them the word ‘Fun’. In the early days the fair attend the St Romain Fair and the Armistice was a celebration dedicated to the Day celebrations on November 11. memory of St Romain but above all it The monument is signed Jean Dahmen, on was a trade fair for merchants. a model by Maxime Real del Sarte (1889- 1954) and was inaugurated on November From legend to fun-fair 15, 1931. At the centre of the sculpture Legend has it that in the 7th century there are two lions pulling a chariot with a winged Glory holding a crown of laurel Bishop Romain killed a dragon which leaves in her right hand and a dead soldier was terrorizing the upper reaches of the in the left. A touch of macabre irony is that City. When the Bishop asked for one of the lions was decapitated on August volunteers to help him take on the 17, 1942 by a torpedo. monster the only person who came to his aid was a condemned man and so

45 2014 Celebrating the start and the beginning of the end ... 2014 sees the start of the celebrations linked to the two World Wars: the centenary of the start of the Great War and the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings and the Liberation of France. Rouen was quite a way from the Front in the First World War and very badly damaged by the Rouen 1914 bombings in the Second. The city lost many of its citizens, The Victory memorial stands tall in the making both periods important dates in the City’s history. Place Carnot on Rouen’s left bank. It was originally installed in front of the former Normandy Exchequer in 1924 by sculptor Maxime Real del Sarte (who also designed the Memorial to the Fair folk. See previous article). The column is ten meters high and takes the form of a Belgians, Brits and Chinese… Roman Fasces. It was moved to the left The British made Rouen their main bank in 1990 to make way for the metro. supply port but it was also home to their The monument also shows British and largest military hospital (see insert). Belgium soldiers from the First World Rouen also had a large population of War and is the most visible memento in Belgian Soldiers as after the German the city to that war that was only invasion the Belgian Government moved supposed to last a few weeks or so they to the Sainte-Adresse area of Le Havre. A thought in 1914. little known fact about Rouen in the ‘The great War lasted four long years over First World War is that the city was home the course of which Rouen became the great to 100 000 « coolies » or Chinese workers industrial city that we know today’ The biggest British sent to work behind the lines. ‘About 40 Military cemetery explains Guy Pessiot, historian and of these workers that were nicknamed President of the Rouen Seine Valley “Célestes” are buried in the Saint-Sever Thousands of wounded soldiers were Tourist Office. ‘It would be a mistake to cemetery’ explains Guy Pessiot ‘And brought to Rouen from the front. 11 436 think that Rouen profited from the First recently we received a delegation from the fallen heroes are buried in the military war’ he continues. ‘Of course, at that most famous Chinese cinema producer who cemetery extension in Petit-Quevilly and time, Rouen was the most important wants to make a film about the Chinese in you can still visit the tombs of these French port because of the presence of the Normandy and the Somme during the First soldiers who came from all part of the Commonwealth armies and the arms World War and some of them decided to Commonwealth (Great Britain Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the industry factories but we should not forget stay on here after 1918’. The making of the fact that the City lost 4 900 of her West Indies). A memorial to the dead was the film could be something positive that erected in the French half of the cemetery citizens on the Front and in that Rouen comes out of this sad part in the City’s paid a heavy price...’ and it bears the names of the 4 885 Rouen history and may even bring Chinese citizens killed in the First World War. tourists here to retrace their great British Military cemetery grandfather’s footsteps. Boulevard Stanislas Girardin just off the Bruyères roundabout, Petit-Quevilly

47 Bloody devastating bombings razed to the ground in the two raids of In the Second World War the beautiful April 19, 1944 and May 30-31 when the city of Rouen was the victim of frequent allied bombers showed Rouen no mercy. air raids and bombings. The darkest days The city also suffered badly at the hands of date from 1944 when the attacks caused the Free French Forces on the eve of Rouen’s the deaths of over 2 700 civilians. ‘Rouen liberation which was not until August 30. August 1944 paid a heavy price in the Second War as, There is a memorial to the civilian victims Scenes from hell over and above civilian deaths, the City lost of the air raids on the Western facing wall 700 of its citizens in uniform, 25 resistance of the Halle aux Toiles at ‘Place du You will find the August 1944 Museum in members shot and killed as well as 90 Gaillarbois’. an outbuilding of the Château du Taillis citizens deported that never came back’ says (itself built on the foundations of a fortified manor house from the 13th Guy Pessiot. ‘Large parts of the City were century) sole surviving building in the second renaissance style dating from 1530 in the Seine-Maritime. The museum has exhibits showing civil and military life at the time of the Battle of Normandy, which raged in and around Duclair in August 1944. As part of the celebrations for the May 8th 1945, there will be a battle reconstruction in the Château Taillis park on the 10th and 11th of May 2014 from 10am to 6pm, including military camps from both sides and featuring more than 250 soldiers. Outside there will be more than 80 military vehicles from 39-45 including side-cars, breakdowns, jeeps and ambulance-lorries. The museum is open from May 1 to October 15 week-ends and Public holidays from 10am to 12 and from 2pm - 5pm (the museum is open all year round for group visits). The chateau itself is open for the National Heritage Days September 20 and 21, 2014 while a couple of candlelight visits of the Chateau and park (featuring over 1800 candles and torches) are scheduled for July 5 and August 2 from 9.30pm (Dates to be confirmed on +33 02 35 37 95 46 or +33 06 83 82 22 89).

48 49

“ For duck - the best is from Rouen. ”

Gustave Flaubert, Dictionnaire des idées reçues. A Walk on the wild life-side

The Jumièges Fruit Trail is one of the most attractive of the walking and cycle paths in the Seine valley whether you see it under its mantle of springtime blossoms or spin down its winding route to buy crisp autumn fruit straight from the farms in Conihout. Jumièges enjoys a micro climate created by the chalky cliffs along the river valley and has been famed for its delicious fruits apples, pears, cherries, plums and red fruits since the Middle Ages.

The best way to see the windy river side trails is definitely the bike. The Seine river valley boasts a round 30 kilometers of trails which crisscross the valley through the Seine River Country Park from Notre-Dame-de- Bliquetuit to Duclair crossing the river on the ferry which is free. The trails are mainly on the flat so are easily accessible. A picnic stop in the Leisure centre at 4 route du Manoir, Mesnil-sous-Jumièges (entry is free ) ; is a must or why not enjoy a round of golf on the 18 hole Jumièges course or its compact 9 hole course. If you don’t have a bike then pick one up for hire at either Duclair or Jumièges. The restaurant ’Entre Scène opened a year ago and was an instant success. Housed in a typical Normandy style building surrounded by delightful gardens. The Chef offers seasonal produce at very reasonable prices - his success is simple- ’Entre Scène locally sourced and fresh dishes … Didier Hurpy and Jean-Michel Delbaere do not have a freezer - well not strictly true, they do have one for fine river ice-cream they told me. The ’Entre Scène’s owner, Didier and the Chef, Jean-Michel share the same side dining vision. The cuisine is based entirely around the freshest local produce from the orchards, vegetable gardens and farms on their doorstep. Vegetables come from Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville, on the other side of the river Seine, fruit from the orchard next door and their choice cuts of meat come only from Normandy breeds. ‘We take a real pride in the quality of the products we use but our meat is what has made our reputation and it is why people come back to us again and again’. On the menu you will find such tempting dishes as ‘Tow-path salad’ with its crunchy Jumièges apples topped with a warm and tangy Camembert, or try the salad with poached egg and duck slices (ducks are Duclair’s specialty) or go for the best-seller which is the steak in camembert sauce or for fish lovers the delicate filet in a delicious Noilly based cream. ‘We don’t go in for extravagant fancy dishes just good home cooking using the best quality ingredients and that is why we can keep our prices affordable’. And so they are - all the more reason to finish your meal with a delicious apple tart… ’Entre Scène, 1397 route du Halage, Mesnil-sous- Jumièges. Tel : +33 02 35 78 48 44. Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 to 2.30pm and from 7 to 11pm, Sundays from 12 to 3pm.

53 Fresh from the farm On the fruit trail the local farms have the right to sell their produce direct to the public at the entrance to the farm; cherries are the earliest fruits as they arrive in May, from July to September plums and red fruits are on offer before the autumn flavours of apples and pears. And as it is direct both the prices and the quality are unbeatable.

Pick your own The ‘route du Conihout’ runs for 9 kilometers between the orchards around Jumièges and the 7th century abbey that bears its name to Mesnil-sous-Jumièges. The 15th century manor here was house once owned by court beauty and royal mistress Agnès Sorel. In autumn this is apple lover paradise when you can choose and pick your own Normandy beauties at under an Euro a kilo.

54

Farm The Seine valley is dotted with farms that shops sell their wares direct at the gate…so cut out the middle man and go direct to the farm and to buy and enjoy the freshest food. On the road to Saint-Wandrille, you will find ‘Servais- Picord’ Farm which does not sell fruit but the best meat Home cured products ever. It is all so fresh that if you were to visit the farm on a Monday you would see Friday’s produce enjoying their last days of the rich green Seine valley grass! The farm produces sausages, blood sausages, T- bones and perfect pâtés for those crusty French baguettes. It is a family business where father and son share the load of raising and slaughtering 1500 pigs and 100 Aquitaine, Charolais or Limousin cows each year. The team of 6 including two butchers are just a small part of the 21 strong staff that it takes to rear and transform the livestock into delicious dishes. Now the farm is expanding into poultry and last year they received a grant from the Community Council of Rouen Elbeuf Austreberthe to start a new product: tender 4 month old chickens that Gilles Servais-Picord describes as ‘mouthwatering’. Ferme Servais-Picord, 280 route de Saint-Wandrille, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Duclair (on the D 64 road). Open Fridays and Saturdays. Tel. +33 02 35 37 99 61 www.charcuterie-a-la-ferme.com

Mondays and Tuesdays are when Aurélie and Jean- Lake Farm Charles Bernard turn the milk from their 70 strong herds into butter, cream, cheese and rice pudding (a (La ferme des Etangs) Norman speciality). But there is more to this farm that dairy the Bernards also produce fresh farm meat once a month from their Charolais and Montbéliarde stock as well a selection of jams, pâtés, eggs, vegetables and cider etc. To be fair it does not all come from chez Bernard as they already have enough to do with the dairy and vegetable production but all the produce sold here come from neighboring farms: honey comes from Saint-Pierre-de-Varengeville, terrines from Bosc-le-Hard, jams from Jumièges… and it all goes at the end of the week when people come to stock up even from miles away. ‘The nice things people say about us is our best publicity’ says Jean- Charles’s mother Évelyne, who is not too old to lend a hand especially in the dairy where her expertise turns milk into cheese. The Ferme des Etangs produces a Munster style cheese as well as a sort of Tome. The farm also has 4 cosy rooms for a weekend in the country where breakfast is a real treat. Another option is ‘Tea Time on the farm’ says Évelyne where the farm’s golden butter, fresh pastries, pâtés, cider and homemade jams outshine the lowly tea and coffee. Tea time reservations are a must on +33 06 43 11 65 38. Open from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Ferme Les Étangs, 78 rue de Bas, Saint-Pierre-de-Manneville.

57 Mightymeaty!

In the charming Normandy style half-timbered house nothing Michelin starred chef William Boquelet has not let success go to his is just ‘typical’. Prepare to be knocked off your seat by the head and his fame has spread far and flavour packed freshness of William’s cuisine and his approach wide beyond the bounds of his home 100% in tune with the seasons... town of Damps and even the Eure department… for William is still the become fashionable again but that is William who has his own particular same humble chef, doing his own good because they are delicious’. way of marrying the exotic with the cooking and welcoming the public This latest addition to the famous Eure using unexpected flavours such as into his restaurant and kitchen at the Rouen Chef’s Club (Rouen Seine the ‘Hand of Buddah’ a plant from Asia ‘Auberge de la Pomme’, Les Damps, valley Toques) is keen to preserve the that he uses for its zest or in a mouth- just outside Pont-de-l’Arche. region’s culinary identity. Ever since he melting confit. settled here in 2008, William who William Boquelet is also fascinated by Naturally talented works mainly with local producers, says the latest trends in cooking such as What strikes you on entering that the region has given him wings to ‘street food’ which he describes as William’s restaurant and seeing the fly and has taken his cooking to a new ‘Something that the French have lost Chef at work is a sense of freedom. level. ‘It is a given that we only use fresh, along the way but which is omnipresent William’s practiced hand makes rapid seasonal ingredients but what is in Asia and elsewhere in the world - there strokes of the knife but this is a important is to be inspired not to feel you are some absolutely delicious things to eat carefully and long practiced have to ever - and that is what out there and I never tire of trying and choreography – it just looks easy! Normandy produce does for me - it just discovering new ways of doing things or Lobster, scallops, celery and squash, comes naturally’. tastes’. As if this approach was not our Chef takes the same care and innovative enough William finds his attention over each step for each and A world of flavours time between coking to train future every ingredient ensuring that the full For William, there is one rule that generations and to pass on his flavour is revealed. ‘I am not in the last should never be broken in the kitchen enthusiasm. bit interested in vegetable vogue - I have and that is that ingredients should be always used vegetables that our seasonal. Apart from that anything Keeping the fire going grandfathers used to eat – yes certain goes! ‘I love world cuisines even if I William is a member of the select group things like ‘Butternut squash’ have mainly use local ingredients’ says ‘Générations cuisines et cultures’ made up of chefs who invest their time in the future and training of the next generation of young talents in the kitchen. ‘Being a chef is never static it is a profession that evolves’ says William and as part of their training he and his fellow Chefs organise what they call ‘Jousts’ where young chefs compete not just in the kitchen but in the restaurant too as both are two side of one profession and both have to work in seamless harmony. ‘It’s the secret to what makes a good restaurant great’ says William. Not as easy as it may seem but this is a secret that William works hard to pass on. Auberge de la Pomme, 44, rue de l’Eure, Les Damps. Tel: +33 02 35 23 00 46. Open from Tuesday evening to Sunday lunchtimes.

58

Brave new world…

Just behind the renaissance facade of the ‘Hôtel Romé’ Rouen newcomer ‘L’ODAS’ is an explosion of taste and flavour. Its young and super creative chef is forging new paths way off the established cuisine track…

The ODAS is named after the Chef they are in the presence of genius. The Olivier Da Silva and it is pronounced restaurant is small with room for only L’Odas, AUDACE. Just like the restaurant’s 28 but it is always full of people who passage Maurice-Lenfant, Rouen. name the Chef is seeking for freedom, have come to enjoy the Olivier Da Silva Tel: +33 02 35 73 83 24. the daring do to cook what and how he show and watch the Chef at work. ‘I Open Tuesday lunchtime to Saturday evening. wants for his clients and not to be cook with flare and go with the flow’ and hemmed in by any predefined rules. if his plancha seared scallops are The name is there in bold and the Chef anything to go by then that is the truth. is nothing if not that. This is a new Not forgetting the chestnut cream venture for Olivier who had the soup, prawn raviolis, veal tartar with courage to leave his previous position capers and parmesan, or Olivier’s where he had just been awarded a lemon tart simply unbelievable… much saught after star from the famous Red Guide. This was the second time He may not be seeking the stars but his that Olivier’s talent had been mission is to boldly go to realms where recognised yet ‘I do not actively go after no chef has gone before… the Michelin stars’ says the 36 years old, once the maestro behind the double starred Jardins d’Épicure, in the Val- d’Oise, or the Devos, in Mons, Belgium, ‘All I really want is to cook for my clients.’

A fresh start This restaurant is different. It does not have a script. Olivier has had the guts to throw away all cuisine conventions and that was a brave move especially here in Rouen where the clientele has a reputation of being difficult to please. ‘I cook for the moment according to what I see in the market so that it is the ingredient that inspires me. It is the ingredient that comes first alongside the client. I ask them what they do and don’t like and if they have any personal dietary requirements and then I cook. It is as simple as that.’ This is no blind tasting. The clients cannot believe their eyes - the kitchen is on show for all to see behind the large glass bay and when the dish arrives their taste buds tell them that

61 Quai Boisguilbert, Hangar 1, Espace des Marégraphes, 76000 ROUEN76000 Marégraphes, des Espace 1, Hangar Boisguilbert, Quai e n i e S e d d r o b n e s i a u q s e l r u s e s s a r r e t t e c d R Le 6ème Sens s n o i t a s n e s e d e n i e l p e n i s i u c e n u 2, rue Thomas Corneille, 76000 ROUEN76000 Corneille, rue Thomas 2, , e g a t é r e 1 u a e g n u o l - r a B , l e n n o i t p e c x e e r d a c n U Le 6ème Sens 6ème Le [email protected] [email protected] www.le-sixiemesens.fr www.fabrik-rouen.fr Tél. 02 35 88 43 97 Tél.43 88 35 02 Tél. 02 35 70 70 00 Tél.70 70 35 02 La FabrikLa GUERET 1880 GUERET La Fabrik s t n a r u a t s e r & s l e t ô H s e n n e i s i r a p s e i r e s s a r b s e d t i r p s e ’ l Pascaline , s n a 0 3 e d s u l p s i u p e D 5, rue de la Poterne,ROUENla 76000 de rue 5, [email protected] Tél. 02 35 89 67 44 Tél.67 89 35 02 Pascaline www.pascaline.fr é h c r a M x u e i V u d e c a l p e r b è l é c a l r u s , s i a n n e u o r n o t e n n a c u d é t i l a i c é p S , e d n a m r o n e l l e n n o i t i d a r t e n i s i u C Le 4 Saisons Le Maupassant 39, place du Vieux Marché, 76000 ROUEN76000 Marché,du Vieux place 39, s n a 0 3 1 e d s u l p s i u p e d Place BernardPlace ROUENTissot,76000 Le Maupassant Le www.le-maupassant-rouen.fr [email protected] Le 4 Saisons 4 Le [email protected] Tél. 02 35 07 56 90 Tél.56 07 35 02 Tél. 02 35 71 96 00 Tél.96 71 35 02 www.le4saisons.fr Dish of the Day The Fabrik

Puerto Rouen architecture chic and cool

Once used to store cotton bales this style of course. The Fabrik, can seat old warehouse has taken on a new 200 inside and another hundred lease of life with its vintage 50s outside on the river side terrace. A furniture bringing a touch of the special note for the Fabrik’s generous New-York loft to the classic port and reasonably priced. Sunday architectural style of red bricks and brunch at €25 ahead and €10 for kids. steel girders. The port is still there Fixed menus are also good value at outside even if the warehouse has a €21,90 and €29,90. new role to play as an exciting new riverside eatery. Samuel Piedoie, the head of the restaurant says ‘We have not gone for quantity on the menu we have gone for quality’. Fabrik favourites are the Thai style wok fried prawns or the salmon tartar not The Fabrik, Quai de Boisguilbert, forgetting the foie gras but the ‘pièce Espace des Marégraphes, Rouen. de resistance’ is unquestionably the Tel: +33 02 35 70 70 00. Fabrik signature burger, New-York Open daily.

63 Dish of the Day Thebouchon du Vieux Palais

Lyon style cuisine in the Normandy Capital…

Under the reign of the Emperor Hervé Lechevallier is today’s Rouen- style bistro then you need to be able Diocletian Rouen was the HQ of the Lyon link and he brings in his to converse in the Lyon lingo and use second Lyonnaise legion. But the good specialties direct from chez Bobosse, words like ‘sabodet’ which is a sort of news is that there is no need to step in Lyon. He also brought in his chef sausage made from meat from a pig’s back to Roman times to find a decent Sébastien Bryard direct from the head and ears. Lyon cuisine is as you tavern with hearty dishes fit for a former capital of Gaul. ‘A Bobosse can see not for the faint hearted but legionnaire. Here the Rhone valley tripe sausage is just something else. it is packed with taste. nectar flows freely, tripe and other The offal is marinated in white wine Fixed menus at €21. Lyonnais specialties abound and not to before being stuffed into a natural be missed are the creamy Lyon style outer coating made from a piece of cheese called ‘La cervelle des canuts’ or intestine. Andouillettes from Troyes or silk workers brains- sometimes it is best elsewhere simply do not compare.’ If not to translate just taste and enjoy! you are going to frequent a Lyon

Le Bouchon du Vieux Palais, 21 rue du Vieux Palais, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 35 89 65 02. Open from Tuesday to Saturday evenings until 11pm.

64 Dish of the Day The Sitio

The place to ham it up!

Vivian Douet has just the slightest hint of an accent from his long time spent in Spain near Valencia! Spain means ham and we love it. Le Sitio, it means ‘The Place’ in Spanish as written by Cervantès or sung by Julio Iglesias and in Rouen it is certainly the best place to taste and enjoy ham. ‘We have hams from everywhere imaginable even if we love Spanish ham. We have hams from Corsica, Italy, the Basque country, to name but a few’ says Vivian ‘and we serve them with salad and roast potatoes’. The Sitio has an ambiance all its own that runs the length of the long, small some cold cuts from Cany-Barville, a room that seats a maximum of 44 glass of Calvados and a buttery guests. The ham slicer stands proud Neufchâtel-cheese filled potato. A Le Sitio, 4 rue de l’Ancienne Prison, at one end and gives the place a dish that according to Vivian takes Rouen, Tel : +33 02 35 36 00 66. Tapas bar feel but the Sitio also does your senses direct to the farm and Open Tuesday to Saturday. a mean raclette and a special ‘As the Normandy countryside. However much Fondue as you can eat’ dish for the favourite dish at the Sitio, is a €20. Here a touch of Spanish easy- marinated parmesan cheese which going, a little manana manana gives once tasted is never forgotten! it a relaxed feel ort you can also opt Lunch-time menus: €14. Take away for some stout smoky Normandy ham service. from the Manche not La Mancha or

65

Hotels

Hôtel Bonaparte** Imperial Rouen

‘My wife is just mad about Napoleon Arts Museum. Rooms range from 33 and the history of the Empire’ says to €91 and are fit for an Emperor. owner Sylvain Lecesne. Funnily enough the couple did not christen the hotel ‘Bonaparte’ it was called that when they came, no doubt because of the statue of Napoleon which stands just a few meters away in front of the Town Hall. However when the Lecesne’s saw the name they knew it was their destiny to own the hotel! The deep red and laurel motifs in the reception, salon and breakfast room are indeed reminiscent of empire but the 34 comfortable refurbished rooms have a style all their own. The hotel is in the heart of the City Hôtel Bonaparte, just a few steps from the St Ouen 3 rue Jean-Lecanuet, Rouen. Abbey Church and the Rouen Fine Tel.: +33 02 35 07 77 07.

67 Hôtel Ibis Zenith Exhibition centre** Meeting the highest standards

Ibis Director, Vincent Mesureux, is ‘Sweet bed’ throughout he says: ‘It is really proud that his is the only the latest in comfort and is the Rouen Ibis to have been refurbished brainchild of the Accor group’s design and upgraded to the Accor group’s and innovation service’. The hotel is ‘Poppy’ standard. The bedding is right opposite the Exhibition Centre and the Zenith concert hall. It has parking for 70 cars and 3 coaches plus a modular space that can hold meeting rooms ranging from 25 to 140 m2 all of which is purpose built for seminars and show-room events. There is also an Ibis Budget close by so that expense conscious clients can also access the meeting and corporate facilities on site. Ibis Zenith offers free Wi-Fi and has full disabled access.

Hôtel Ibis, 29 avenue Maryse-Bastié, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray. Tel: +33 02 35 66 03 63.

68 Hotels

Hôtel Cardinal** Best view over the Cathedral

When asked why the Hotel Cardinal looking the Gothic masterpiece is called that owner Nathalie which inspired so many artists (see Bouckenhoue stops for a minute. It p.28). All the Hotel’s rooms have could be called that after Cardinal been recently refurbished in tasteful Guillaume d’Estouteville who presi- pastel shades of grey and pearl, warm ded over the rehabilitation of Joan of yet easy on the eye and comfortably Arc in 1452, a process which took furnished with leather armchairs and place but a few steps from today’s a hint of 50’s retro as the building hotel in the Archbishop’s palace. was one of the last to be built in the Alternatively, it could be named after reconstruction period after the the Cardinal and Archbishop of devastating bombings of the Second Rouen, Georges d’Amboise, who was World War. Louis XII’s prime minister. Either way Rooms from €75 to €180. the Hotel Cardinal is called just that and both Cardinals lie peacefully in the Cathedral opposite the Hotel and Hôtel Cardinal, if they know the answer they are not 1, place de la Cathédrale, Rouen. telling. Tel: +33 02 35 70 24 42 The Cardinal has the best views over-

69 Guest House

Au pas de l’ours

Bare necessities? Certainly not! Au pas de l’ours 33 route de Quevillon, Hard to imagine that this delightful can get a glimpse of the ships as they 76113 Saint-Pierre-de-Manneville. guest house with its view over the pass up and down or the ‘Chemin du Tel: +33 02 35 60 73 34 apple and cherry orchards was one a Roy’ foot path that runs along the www.gite.aupasdelours.fr bear skin tannery. The owner Marie river bank. Boissin tells us that she is a big fan of Prices are from €190 to €230 (for 2 bears and has placed bear motifs and nights at the weekend) and from decoration throughout the Guest €295 to €470 per week. House although it is done with a delicate touch and taste… just a small bear here and there! What is certain is that the place is charming. The Gite has its own front door and inside the freshly refurbished decor is warm and welcoming. The rooms are light with bay windows overlooking the orchards leading to the river and you

70 Guest House

Les Buis de Boscherville 5 spectacular rooms at Les Buis de Boscherville

‘It is like living in two different places sequoias, a spectacular huge has its own personal decor and Annie all at once’ says Annie Dautrême. ‘In magnolia as well as spreading also offers ‘table d’hôtes’ or evening winter the water meadows that lead chestnut tree. The grounds are home meals on prior reservation. ‘My down to the river become a natural to herons, storks and cormorants and signature dish is duck filet and pears in marshy paradise while in summer the offer a ringside seat for bird and boat balsamic vinegar’ she tells us and if meadows dry out and become rich watching as the river is just a stone’s you are coming on horseback then pastures so we get a change of scenery throw from the house. ‘I aim to make your mount will be as comfortable as without ever leaving our home.’ This people feel really at home here’ says you in one of the Dautrême’s two property, built in 1704, is surrounded Annie and her wish is plain wherever spacious loose boxes. by a park that contains trees at least you look. The five guest rooms are in Prices range from €120 to €150 per as old as the house itself including a separate building to Annie’s own night. home, next door, but she has spared nothing in her search for perfection Les Buis de Boscherville and hospitality. ‘I chose Lin Vosges 1169 route de Duclair, linen sheets for all the beds, it is what 76480 Hénouville. they use at the 5* Hotel Plazza in Paris Tel: +33 02 35 12 06 43 and argon oil toiletries’. Each room www.lesbuisdeboscherville.fr

71 L’Alcôve des Beaux-Arts Seek ‘enlightenment’ at L’Alcôve des Beaux-Arts

This is a place with a history says and splendid views over the former Philippe Marchand the present owner Saint-Laurent church (now the of the beautiful 18th century town Wrought iron museum) and the house which was once the property Rouen Fine Arts Museum. Not to be of a Rouen magistrate and member of missed are Bénédicte Marchand’s the Normandy parliament here in the generous breakfasts, served in the city. ‘Contemporaries of Voltaire living room: seasonal fruit salad, would have enjoyed social evenings freshly squeezed orange juice, and discussions here. Then, the house, yogurts, homemade jams and pas- which dates from 1725, became the tries. property of a friend of Rouen’s famous Prices range from €90 to €100 per medical genius and Nobel prize winner night. Charles Nicolle’ continues Philippe who with his wife Bénédicte have renovated the building from top to bottom. On the ground floor there is a room with its own boudoir or salon ‘as this is an 18th century home built in the century of enlightenment this is the place for reflection and philosophy ’ says Philippe with a smile. On the first floor there are two rooms with a L’Alcôve des Beaux-Arts small kitchen and private living room. 14 rue Charles-Lenepveu, Rouen. This suite has independent access Tel: +33 02 35 70 99 80

72 “ Journeys- should be done as fast as possible ”

Gustave Flaubert, Dictionnaire des idées reçues. Out and about and Out

On your bikes!

Every year 70 000 cruise passengers visit the city of Rouen – no one knows how many of them use the company’s green-bike system but as their numbers increase in 2014 and 2015 more of them will pedal their way through the city.

The Cruise line Agis has 6 vessels that stop in Rouen. Coming up the river and seeing the city of Rouen is The ships make port from springtime onwards and breathtaking so the 48 hours stopover is more than the passengers can then either discover their city justified as it gives the passengers time to see the under their own steam or enjoy a guided tour with City’s 228 listed monuments. FYI Rouen has the one of the Rouen Seine valley guides. highest number of historic monuments per square ‘Our ships are equipped with about twenty bikes and metre in France and using the bike help people get some even have electric bikes’ says Léo Beilmann from round and see the City in their race against the clock! Agis. ‘You can easily spot our passengers as they pedal ‘Services for our passengers are getting more and more their way in groups of 6-20 along the dedicated cycle sophisticated’ says Léo Beilmann ‘Le Scenic Jem’ an lanes that Rouen has opened’ he comments. Australian ship even has bikes with a GPS system so These cruise ships were once barges and have been that tourists can plot their own itinerary and get round given the new name of ‘River cruise ships’ The the city at their own pace’. Cézanne, Amalegro, Avalon, Excellence royal are just 4 of the 6 cruisers each with a capacity of 120 to 160 passengers. ‘Since the 80s there has been a steady increase in river cruising and river tourism’ adds Léo Beilmann. ‘Happily we are now seeing the Americans return to our shores as after September 11, 2001 US tourists just stopped coming here’ he adds. Traditionally Americans have only been second to Germans as the top river tourist nation coming to Rouen up the Seine - a journey which crews describe as one of the most beautiful in the world...

75 The Cailly valley as seen by Alain Alexandre

76 This valley used to be called ‘Little Manchester’ because it was one of the mainstays of the 19th century textile industry that flourished in and around Rouen. The valley is called after the river that flows through it and in the 19th century this would have been full of factories making cotton cloths, threads and woven materials but it was especially famous for a type of cloth called ‘Indiennes’ which had printed patterns. The cotton factories became rarer and rarer after the 60s but local authorities have preserved some of them as part of Rouen’s industrial heritage. The river Cailly flows into the Seine downstream at Croisset where Flaubert had his riverside house.

The story of Rouen’s industrial past Alain Alexandre has co-written with Michel Croguennec, a very interesting and informative work called ‘180 years of Industry in the Rouen Area’. The book is superbly illustrated throughout and over its 300 pages tells the story of the major factories that have laid their mark on the City. Rouen’s industrial journey starts according to the authors, in the 18th century thanks to the initiative of one Étienne Delarue, a Rouen merchant who one day received 40 bales of cotton accidently muddled up with some other goods from the West Indies. Delarue worked the cotton in the same way as linen and so produced a cloth called ‘siamese’ and then ‘Rouen style’. Delarue produced, checked or striped material using coloured threads. As the technology and demand progressed the cloth industry expanded using ever more sophisticated dyes and machines and so the metalworking and chemical industries (which are still in operation to this day) came to Rouen. Thanks to their detailed research Alain Alexandre and Michel Croguennec present a whole new ‘When I was a child you could set your watch by the angle from which to trace the City’s history. The capital factory sirens and you could even tell each factory buy of Normandy was also the cotton king of France. Rouen the sound of its alarm. Later when I was a student I got was the place where elastic garters and braces were interested in the industrial heritage here in the valley of invented, Rouen saw the installation of the American the Cailly – that was 50 years ago. The old rope makers Company ‘Fermeture Éclair’ who makes zips and the in the very heart of the valley are now the Corderie lesser known Scottish company ‘Linoleum’. Vallois Museum. Histoires d’Usines, Alain Alexandre & Michel It is a very special place and it really shows what life in Croguennec, Published by L’Écho des vagues, 2013. a factory would have been like at the end of the 19th century. The factory was named after its founder, the Industrial magnate Jules Vallois who in 1880, transformed what had once been a paper mill then a cotton mill then a woollen mill into a family run rope Alain Alexandre is a local making business. The staff that were especially historian and has written feminine were extremely badly paid. Most of the Cailly numerous works about the valley factories were run on paternalistic lines and it history of the Cailly valley. was quite common for the mill owner to give workers Alain is also the President of their trousseau when they got married. The factory the Museum of Mankind and remained in service until 1978. For almost a century the Industry Association (AMHI) great water wheel which still functions perfectly to this and has worked tirelessly to day turned the waters of the river Cailly into energy. The preserve this aspect of the writer Gide knew the place well as he often came to area’s heritage. One of his visit his mother’s family the Rondeaux, who owned the major successes is the neighbouring property and had once owned the Industrial Heritage Museum of factory.’ Corderie Vallois. The Industrial Heritage Museum La Corderie Vallois, 185 Route de Dieppe, Notre-Dame-de- Bondeville. Open daily from 1.30 pm to 6pm. 77 ‘All that is left of the former Levavasseur factory is the diesel engine room. The once busy cotton mill with its 250 workers (mostly women) closed down in the 1960s. In 1825, a violent strike hit the company and the workers threatened the owner with pitch forks but in their defence this was because he had decided to lower their wages without telling them! The workers organised a strike fund which was totally illegal at that time, with the help of fellow factory workers from the next valley. The Mayor of Le Houlme was deemed to have been responsible for not controlling such subversive behaviour and so 400 mounted police were called in from Rouen. A policeman was killed in the ensuing riots and strike’s leader Jules Roustel, was accused of murder, tried and found guilty and guillotined. Four other workers were sentenced to hard labour for life’. Usine Levavasseur, rue Gustave-Quillebeuf, Le Houlme.

‘This manor house once belonged to the rich industrial family the Greslands. They made their money in the valley in the 19th century but their house was built on the site of a former Cistercian priory founded by Mathilde de Rouvres in the 12th century. They used the remains of the chateau of the Seigneurs de Bondeville to build the manor. The mediateque backs onto the manor and when it was being built we found a chapel and a small cemetery with 15 coffins dating from Merovingian times. The Greslands were a very rich and powerful family and the manor was only a second home. In 1866, they built a brand new steam powered factory, it was called the factory in the fields because it was further down the valley in the pasturelands. The factory made candle wicks which was a great advance and for over a century the company employed more than 400 people whose lives, generation after generation, were inextricably linked to the factory.’ Médiathèque Mathilde-de-Rouvres, 1 rue Victor-Hugo, Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville.

78 Our furry and feathered friends About ¾ of the Rouen Seine valley area is rural made up of woodlands, forests and agricultural land. In this ‘green belt’ you will find an extraordinary collection of wildlife from the mighty stags whose cries fill the forests in the rutting season to the lowly squirrel- red of course! It is not always so easy to see our native wildlife but there are 5 places around the City where you are sure to be able to spot something … The Rouen Natural History Museum History Natural Rouen The The Botanical Gardens, Rouen Rouen’s Botanical gardens play an important role in the preservation of the world’s plant life. The gardens are home to peacocks, ducks and terrapins who have the freedom of the 85 000 square meters and there is also a collection of parrots, parakeets and pheasants in the aviaries. The gardens offer leisure facilities as well as a collection of plant species from the five continents. Rouen, left bank, 114 Avenue des Martyrs-de-la- Résistance.

The Animal and Botanical centre at Clères The Château and country park at Clères was once the much loved retreat of the international ‘entre-deux-guerres’ jet set. In a 1953 poem the writer Colette described Clères as ‘Paradise on earth’ and waxed lyrical about the park’s deer, kangaroos and famous ‘flamingos’. The Park remains one of the lovelies t places for a walk on the wildlife side in the Seine valley area. Some of the protected s pecies are caged but most of the water birds and wallabies are free to wander about amongst the visitors. Clères, Avenue du Parc. Open from March to October from 10 am to 12 and from 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm; from April to September from 10 am to 7 pm; in November from 10 am to 12 pm and from 1.30 pm to 5.30pm. Full pric e: €7; Reduced rates: €5; Family Ticket (2 adults + 3 children): €25. © © CG76

80 Rouen’s Natural History Museum has the second largest collection of animals and wildlife in France with an 800 000 strong collection. The Museum is also a ‘museum piece’ in itself with its wooden exhibition cases and dioramas dating from the 19th century. The Museum puts on regular exhibitions, lectures and with plenty of events aimed at the younger audience. 198 rue Beauvoisine, Rouen. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 2pm to 5.30pm. Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays. Entry rate: €3. Free for under 18s. © © biotropica

Apart from Yadegar Asisi’s Visions of Amazonia in Rouen (see p.11 onwards), you can find a tropical forest complete with wildlife just 40 minutes from the city under six thousand square meters of glasshouse. Here you can discover a whole new world. Try the Land of secrets where the animals are all really colourful with strange sexual habits and behaviour. Watch out for the Land of the predators with its feisty alligators. Some of the animals like the wallabies, goats and turkeys are allowed to wander free. Base de loisirs, Butte de la Capoulade, Val-de-Reuil. Open daily from 9.30am to 6pm (Sundays and public holidays included). Entrance: €12.80; reduced rates: €8.80 (free for children under two years old).

The perfect place for a stroll in the forest or a family outing to go wildlife spotting as the centre has numerous hides from which to spot wild boar, deer, does and stags. Forêt de Roumare, rue de la Roseraie, Val-de-la-Haye.

81 Get a spring in your step at Printemps The Printemps store offers a fabulous free personal shopper service. It is so easy to get the latest fashion look - all you need is to take a meeting to get your own personal clothes and beauty advice - Printemps’s fashion experts are there to help both men and women find exactly the right style and cut for your lifestyle and budget.

‘Printemps does not offer a makeover – it is something make up session with practical advice and tips. Men much more than that – a really complete service’ says have a different approach and are often after a sort of Agnès Girard, Printemps Rouen director. ‘We first lis- ready to go kit with clothes for work or for weekends. ten to the client and get to know their fashion profile in ‘We are the only store offering this sort of service both keeping with the sort of life they lead. Then our experts for regular customer as well as visitors from elsewhere will pick from the latest fashion trends or classic in France or around the world’ says Agnès Girard, ‘Here clothes. Our expertise is knowing exactly what to look in Printemps Rouen we have created a first class service for from which designer range to suit each individual. - the sort of customer relationship that world class Your Printemps fashion experts will accompany and Parisian designer brands have with their clients. We are guide you to find the clothes that really suit so rather not offering telly-reality style makeovers but a sophisti- than rushing in and buying something on a whim they cated private advice and counselling service that the help you choose new elements for your wardrobe that clients adore and come back for again and again as fit the bill.’ Sandrine Tanneur, is one of three Fashion their lifestyle evolves. What is important is that people and Beauty advisors ‘the process is much more pro- feel that our advice enhances how they feel and look found than just a quick ‘try this’’ she says. and that with the clothes they choose with us they look ‘We start by sitting down together and chatting - having and feel their very best’. a coffee talking about what the client does, the sort of For further details: Printemps, 4 rue du Gros- clothes they like. We listen and talk for as long as it Horloge, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 32 76 32 79 takes for us to get the feel of each person and their life- style. We have a private area where clients can relax * Choose from 3 different services ‘Les incontournables’ (for and talk to us in confidence so that afterwards they a quick fix); ‘My ideal’ wardrobe (for a personalised look for trust us to pick out the clothes they need’. For women, work or casual wear); ‘Latest Trends’ (a look at the new sea- the next stop is the beauty bar and a personalised sons’models).

82

Rouen stores with a story to tell

The centre of Rouen has the highest number of historic buildings per square metre of anywhere in France but in and amongst these there is also a vast choice of both boutiques and brand shopping. Let’s zoom in on 4 of Rouen’s remarkable shops.

A café with philosophy Le Métropole is a café that has been going since 1930 and the art deco style building is built in a style evocative of its time. Neither the facade nor the bar, which is in classic zinc, have changed and both are listed as historic monuments. When Jean-Paul Sartre was a teacher in Le Havre he would come to Rouen to meet Simone de Beauvoir, also a teacher and they would meet here when he got off the train as it is just by the station. Today the café still has its regulars and continues to a favourite meeting spot for people coming off the train … Le Métropole, 111 rue Jeanne-d’Arc, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 35 71 58 56.

Cakes with a view Dame Cake tea shop (it also serves delicious light lunches) is housed in the former workshop of the wrought iron art deco artist Ferdinand Marrou. Marrou designed and made the small clochetons bells in the Cathedral, the finials of the Gros-Horloge's roof and the wrought iron decoration on the Benedictine Palace in Fécamp. Carole Criquioche the present day owner of what is now a favourite rdv for tea lovers in Rouen, is in awe of the history and beauty of the building. ’It is ideally placed and we try to maintain the highest quality service in keeping with its illustrious past’ she says. Ferdinand Marrou worked here between 1902 and 1917. Then Roussel Printing Shop took over the premises until 2002 when Dame Cake opened its doors. Dame Cakes, 70 rue Saint-Romain, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 35 07 49 31. An old fashioned haberdasher This establishment was opened in 1921 and is one of the last surviving town centre haberdashers in France. The building looks like a real old fashioned store thanks to the careful lettering redone by Rouen artisan Laurent Savisky, in 2007. This sort of signing was the traditional way of advertising the shop’s wares and was all done by hand. Droguerie Deconihout, 138 rue du Gros- Horloge, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 35 71 25 86.

For a momentous moment This charming 15th century house complete with overhang was once a hardware store before ceding its place to the softer delight of great cuisine and fine dining. Les Nymphéas which has been recognised by Michelin, was opened 20 years ago by Chef Patrice Kukurudz who has recently passed his Toque to his second in command Alexandre Dessaux, pastry chef Nicolas Bodnar and his Maître d’hôtel, Christophe Tronel. The restaurant is situated virtually opposite Corneille’s birthplace yet we should remember that the Nympheas’ historic building would have been considered a very old house when Corneille was young- history is omnipresent in this beautiful city. Les Nymphéas, 7 rue de la Pie, Rouen. Tel: +33 02 35 89 26 69.

Seeing Rouen through a woman’s eyes

8 am. Jeanne wakes up in one of the Hôtel d’Europe’s specially designed rooms in the heart of the City. Hôtel de l’Europe***, 87-89, rue aux Ours. Tel: +33 02 32 76 17 76. [email protected] www.h-europe.fr 20% reduction for City Pass holders.

Jeanne is fed up with the metro, tired of cars and has had enough of her high heels. Here in Rouen she can zip from one place to the next as her whimsy takes her on a bicycle and not only is it fun but is great for the figure and for the complexion.

9 am. Rouen you are all mine! Enjoy the sweeping views from the balcony. Le Balcon - The View, place de la cathédrale. Tel: +33 02 32 08 32 40. [email protected] - www.rouentourisme.com Reduced rates for City Pass holders. 87 10 am. A sudden wicked craving for chocolate! Chocolate bar, 17-19 rue Thouret. [email protected] A free melted chocolate shooter for purchases above €5.

11 am. No question of easing off- Jeanne sets off to find a new bag … La Baladerie - Balenzo, 56 rue Jeanne-d’Arc. Tel: +33 02 35 98 79 76 or +33 02 35 71 04 53 [email protected] www.balenzo-labaladerie.fr City Pass holders get a 10% reduction on Ladies’ bags.

9.30 am. Biking through Rouen’s ancient streets Jeanne is inspired by the half timbering patterns to make her own. Bo and bo, 37 place des Carmes. [email protected] www.boandbo.com 15% reduction for City Pass holders.

2pm. Jeanne decided to visit this Lunchtime. Jeanne fancies a excellent wine shop which has the same delicious Norman crepe. name as her! La Tarte tatin, 99 rue de la Vicomté. Tel: +33 02 35 89 35 73 Caves Jeanne d’Arc, 31, rue Jeanne-d’Arc. or +33 02 35 89 35 73 [email protected] Tel: +33 02 35 71 28 92 or +33 02 35 88 58 89 City Pass holders get a 10% reduction on a full meal (main [email protected] www.cavesjeannedarc.fr course/dessert/drinks) not including set menus. City Pass holders get a 5% de reduction on purchases. 88 3pm. Jeanne loves the big names in luxury brands and her latest favourite is Diesel. Luxe Outlet, 5 rue Grand Pont. Tel.: +33 02 32 10 98 71 [email protected] www.luxoutlet.fr City Pass holders get a 5% reduction.

2.30 pm. Time just flies on a bike with the wind in your hair so Jeanne redoes her face before hitting the shops. 4.15 pm. A quick bite for tea Glam make up, 81 rue d’Amiens. Tel: +33 02 32 83 43 68 washed down with a small glass of cider - it’s [email protected] www.glammakeup.fr the local drink so why not! City Pass get 5% reduction on beauty products La petite bouffe, 1 rue des Boucheries Saint-Ouen and 10% on services. Tel: +33 02 35 98 13 14 City Pass holders receive a kir, a white wine or a glass of cider.

3.45pm No one says that Jeanne is a cow to her friends – she buys a whole lots of regional souvenirs just for them. Vachement normand, 56 rue de la République. 8pm. To round off a long day Jeanne Tel: +33 02 35 70 54 17 or 02 35 70 54 17 [email protected] City Pass holders get a 10% reduction. treats herself to dinner at the Couronne, the oldest registered Inn in France. Situated in the Vieux Marché, opposite the St Joan Church. La Couronne, 31 place du Vieux Marché. Tel: +33 02 35 71 40 90 City Pass holders receive a white wine pre-dinner drink.

6 pm. Jeanne cannot leave without tasting the creamy, salty local Neufchâtel cheese Fromagerie. Fromagerie Hubert, 47 rue d’Amiens. Tel: +33 02 35 63 51 62 City Pass holders get a 10% reduction on Cheese Plates. 89 Rouen, Seine valley Events Diary 2014-2015

June 2014 Cathedral by Night Chocolate & Gourmandise Leasureland 900 years Celebration of Saint- (Every wednesday evenings from July to Rouen exhibition centre Rouen exhibition centre Georges de Boscherville Abbey August 2014) (from 31/10/14 to 02/11/14) (from 24/02/15 to 08/03/15) St-Martin-de-Boscherville Thursday Terraces Nature and bird exhibition (from April to September 2014) Rouen (10, 17, 24 and 31/07/14) Malaunay (18/10/14 and 19/10/14) March 2015 « Cathedrals » exhibition Rouen on sea Autumn rally Rouen Book exhibition Rouen Fine Arts museum Halle aux Toiles, Rouen (from 18/04/14 to 31/08/14) Beaches on the quays, activities, Rouen Seine valley Tourist Office (18/10/14) attractions… (from 11/07/14 to 17/07/14) (21/03/15 and 22/03/15) « Musicals of Normandy » Saint-Romain’s Fair National event Festival of classical music in religious National fireworks Low quays south bank Cinema celebration buildings (from 20/05/14 to 31/08/14) Depending on town (from 24/10/14 to 23/11/14) Minerals and fossils exhibition (13/07/14 and 14/07/14) Norman creation workshop Halle aux Toiles, Rouen Halle aux Toiles, Rouen An evening at the Aître November 2014 (31/05/14 and 01/06/14) Aître Saint-Maclou Saint-Romain’s Fair National event Painting exhibition (from 04/07/14 to 06/08/14) Low quays south bank 17th spring of the Poets La Bouille (from 29/05/14 to 09/06/14) (from 24/10/14 to 23/11/14) Wave Art September 2014 National event Wine and local produces exhibition Artistic expression in diverse diocese Rendez-vous in the Gardens (01/06/14) Cathedral of Light Rouen exhibition centre churches Finale courtivore festival Rouen (from 13/06/14 to 21/09/14) (from 07/11/14 to 09/11/14) International of Roller Skating Omnia, Cinema of Rouen (04/06/14) Birds sale Wedding and reception exhibition Jean Moulin quay – Rouen Cathedral of Light Belbeuf (07/09/14) Rouen exhibition centre Rouen’s big carnival Rouen (from 13/06/14 to 21/09/14) Flea market of Rouen (from 07/11/14 to 09/11/14) Rouen’s international trade show A spring into the park / Rouen exhibition centre ( Youth book exhibition Rouen exhibition centre The « Bakayades » from 12/09/14 to 14/09/14) Halle aux Toiles, Rouen (from 27/03/15 to 06/04/15) Grand-Quevilly (from 14/06/14 to 21/06/14) « Créativa » (from 28/11/14 to 30/11/14) National event Rouen exhibition centre Rouen in the Frost April 2015 Music celebration (21/06/14) (from 25/09/14 to 28/09/14) Rouen city center (from 29/11/14 to 04/01/15) Rouen’s international trade show L’Archifête Auto Moto Rétro exhibition Autumn in Normandy Festival Rouen exhibition centre Le Petit-Couronne (21/06/14 and 22/06/14) Rouen exhibition centre (from 12/11 to 9/12) (from 27/03/15 to 06/04/15) Archéojazz Festival (27/09/14 and 28/09/14) Wave Art Blainville Crevon Poetry in the street Festival December 2014 Artistic expression in diverse diocese (from 25/06/14 to 28/06/14) Rue Damiette and Place Lieutenant Aubert Christmas market and Téléthon churches « Viva Cité » Festival (27/09/14 and 28/09/14) Grand-Couronne The Rouen Spring Sotteville-Lès-Rouen, bois de la Garenne Le Mesnil Roller Frosted Rouen Festivities program: free admission in (from 27/06/14 to 29/06/14) Mesnil Esnard (September 2014) Rouen city center (from 29/11/14 to 04/01/15) museums, rendez-vous around heritage Marcel Duchamp Prize National event Dog show Abbatiale Saint-Ouen Local heritage days Rouen exhibition centre May 2015 (from 28/06/14 to 28/09/14) (20/09/14 and 21/09/14) (06/12/14 and 07/12/14) 24 Hours speed boat race Books on the quays On the river Seine in Rouen July/August 2014 Rouen (21/09/14) January 2015 The Rouen Spring Region’s concerts Culinarie flavours and colours Frosted Rouen Festivities program: free admission in Presqu’île de Waddington, Rouen Festival Rouen city center (from 29/11/14 to 04/01/15) museums, rendez-vous around heritage (from 03/07/14 to 06/07/14) Rouen (from 27/09/14 to 19/10/14) Winter flea market of Rouen 26th Circus Arts festival « Les Fresques Darnétalaises » Normandiebulle Rouen exhibition centre Grand-Quevilly Darnétal (from 04/07/14 to 12/07/14) Cartoons Festival of Darnétal (from 16/01/15 to 18/01/15) Painters exhibition 900 years Celebration of Saint- (28/09/14 and 29/09/14) Every cinema of the world Festival La Bouille Georges de Boscherville Abbey In Seine-Maritime cinemas St-Martin-de-Boscherville National event October 2014 (from 15/01/15 to 23/01/15) (from April to September 2014) Museums night Culinarie flavours and colours « Cathedrals » exhibition "Yes or Notes" Festival Festival February 2015 Rouen Fine Arts museum Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray Rouen (from 27/09/14 to 19/10/14) French Cup synchronised skating (from 12/04/14 to 31/08/14) Official Rouen Joan of Arc festival « Maison Déco » Rouen’s skating rink « Musicals of Normandy » Rouen Rouen exhibition centre Norman independant artist exhibition Festival of classical music in religious Garden seeds festival (from 10/10/14 to 13/10/14) Halle aux Toiles, Rouen buildings (from 20/05/14 to 31/08/14) Jardin des Plantes of Rouen Cathedral of Light Stomach and Norman Gastronomy « Les Hivernales » Rouen (from 13/06/14 to 21/09/14) Festival Bonsecours Rue Rollon Rouen (18/10/14 and 19/10/14)

For full details and further information online: Rouentourisme.com 90

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93 49, RUE D’AMIENS ROUEN QUENTIN GAREL - PATRICK BOURDON GIQUET PHILIPPE GAREL - VELICKOVIC - MARC BOUTRAIS DUCHOZE.COM RODOLPHE MABILLE - DENIS RIVIÈRE TÉL. : 02 35 07 34 13 JÖRG HERMLE - LOUIS GAGEZ - RUTA JUSIONYTE YVES CRENN - CHRISTIAN RENONCIAT ANNE-CLAIRE SCHMIT - THIERRY DALAT EMMANUELLE PERRAT - JEAN-PIERRE LE BOZEC

94 95 Rouen and Seine Valley District Tourist and Conference Information Centre The Tourist Office offers you a wide range of services Full details about the city and its surroundings (museums, monuments, entertainment, sports, leisure and practical information). Local and national tickets for shows, concerts, festivals.... Reservation of hotel rooms, bed and breakfasts and self-catering accommodation for Rouen and the region. Guided tours of Rouen's historic centre for groups and individuals. Rouen Excursions for groups and individuals throughout Normandy. Conference Office: promotions Audio guide visit and information for conferences, events, receptions, seminars and business meetings in the CREA area. Gift Shop: a selection of regional products, ideas for gifts, souvenirs: confectionary (apple flavoured barley-sugar, toffees made with delicious Isigny butter,) cider, calvados, Rouen gift boxes, Impressionist or ‘Heula’ product range, books and stationery. Thanks to the audio guide, visit the historical centre by yourself. Contact the main desk: Available in six languages it cannot be simpler to visit Reservation: Tel. +33 (0)2 32 08 32 40 - Fax: +33 (0)2 32 08 36 56 the city by yourself or with your family! [email protected] - www.rouentourisme.com Just ask our front desk for an audio guide which will be given with a map. Marked steps on the pavement and Tourist Office Point et Bureaux d'information touristique the narrator's voice will reveal secrets of the Opening Hours Elbeuf monuments of Rouen and the artists it inspired. 7 cours Gambetta - 76500 Elbeuf Take your time to have a good look! Tél : + 33(0)2 32 96 30 40 May to September: Email : [email protected] From the Cathedral to place du Vieux Marché, passing Duclair the Gros Horloge and the Aître Saint Maclou, Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 7 pm 227, avenue du Président Coty - 76480 DUCLAIR Sundays and bank holidays Tél : + 33(0)2.35.37.38.29 - Fax : + 33(02.35.37.12.59 offer yourself a cultural journey through the Capital 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm. Email : [email protected] of Normandy. Day rental of an audio guide Rest of the Year: Opening hours: (according to the front desk opening time): €5. Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 12.30 pm 1 April to 30 September: 10:00 to 12:30 / 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday, Sunday and Holidays: closed and 1.30 pm to 6 pm. 1 October to 31 March: Wednesday to Saturday: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reservation to the Closed on Sundays and bank holidays except for special events. Jumièges Rouen and Seine Valley Rue Guillaume le Conquérant - 76480 JUMIEGES District Tourist Office Normandy Tél : + 33 (0)2 35 37 28 97 - Fax : + 33(0)2 35 37 07 07 Email : [email protected] +33 (0) 2 32 08 32 40 1 April to 30 September: 10:00 to 12:30 / 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday: Closed 1 October to 31 March: 10:00 to 12:00 / 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday, Sunday and Holidays: Closed Bureau de change Tel: +33 (0)2 35 89 48 60 Opening hours: from May to September: Monday to Saturday 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm. The rest of the year: Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Closed on Sundays and Public holidays Purchase or sell travellers-checks - We buy foreign bank notes which were quoted before the euro.

This magazine is produced by the Rouen Seine Valley Events and Tourist Office. 25, place de la cathédrale - CS 30 666 - 76008 Rouen cedex 1 - Tel: + 33 (0)2 32 08 32 40 - Fax : + 33 (0)2 32 08 36 56 [email protected] - www.rouentourisme.com

Magazine Director: Guy Pessiot Advertising: Veo Communication Editorial Director: Yves Leclerc Dépôt légal : 2nd quarter 2014 ISSN : 2015-133X Text: Stéphane Nappez Impression : Imprimerie Pollina - France Photographs (unless otherwise stated): Jean-François Lange No part of the magazine may be reproduced without the written permis- Magazine secretary: Marion Rabiller sion of the Tourist Office of the Community Council of Rouen-Elbeuf- Graphics: Bruno Voisin - Veo Communication Austreberthe (CREA). Document not contractual.

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