Rouen

Two weeks after I arrived, we drove to Paris on a Friday morning for my medical visit, part of the requirements for living in France. We were in a hurry as we left that morning, so we didn’t have time to fix and eat breakfast. That reminded me of another time when we were in a hurry, when we decided to grab a pastry in town on our way out. We went to the local patisserie in nearby Beaumont-Hague, where Daniel got his favorite “pan chocolate” and I got a pastry with some raisins. Then we realized we needed something to drink, and since it was a cold morning we thought a coffee would be nice. We were still in a hurry, and so we stopped in a nearby café. Daniel knew better, but thought it would be worth a shot to see if we could get a coffee “to go.” He asked in perfect French, but the woman at the counter looked at him like he was crazy. She asked someone else, but neither of them could begin to understand why we would want to take their porcelain cups with us. They didn’t get the concept, even after Daniel explained that it would need to be a disposable cup. I don’t think the French in general can understand why anyone wouldn’t have at least the time to sit down and have a cup of coffee. I have yet to see anyone eating or drinking in their car here… That is just unfathomable.

After my medical visit in Bagnolet, we drove to Rouen, a beautiful medieval city, the historical capital of Normandy, most known for its cathedral and for being the sight of Joan of Arc's trial and execution by burning at the stake. We spent the evening in the old part of the city, enjoying the beautiful cathedral (Notre Dame, painted multiple times by Monet), old architecture in the center of town, boutique stores, and a restaurant that seemed to attract English people. Afterwards, we drove outside of Rouen to the home of a nice family named the Boyers, for the rest of the weekend, where Daniel learned to play the accordion. :)