{"id":32753,"date":"2022-10-13T10:20:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T17:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=32753"},"modified":"2023-02-13T09:14:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T17:14:20","slug":"down-the-seine-to-normandy-seven-days-on-the-amalyra%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/down-the-seine-to-normandy-seven-days-on-the-amalyra%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Seine to Normandy: Seven Days on the AmaLyra"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ed Boitano<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clarity of the air was intoxicating as I sat on the the AmaLyra<\/em> bus in La Havre, France. With small boats in the harbor, I realized it was the same location where Claude Monet created his monumental landmark painting, Impression, Sunrise<\/em>, which gave birth to the art movement known as Impressionism. Devoid of pictorial realism, it was from his own personal perspective \u2013 not from yours or mine \u2013 achieved by a series of short impasto brushstrokes and the use of subdued blue-grayish colors, which contrasted with the warmth of the orange sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was revolutionary, but deemed amateurish and unfinished by critics and art institutions; where the visible brushstroke was the antithesis of painting, plus certain elements seemed to be almost cut off in the frame. But, Monet\u2019s work as painter would soon be known throughout the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Monet’s painting is credited with inspiring the name of the Impressionist movement. Impression, Sunrise<\/em>, depicts the port of Le Havre, where Monet once lived, now displayed at the Mus\u00e9e Marmottan Monet in Paris.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

WHAT I LEARNED: <\/strong>The art world would change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE RIVER SEINE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Seine is a 483-mile-long-river in northern France that flows through Paris under its two most famous bridges: The Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge across the river, stands by the Ile de la Cit\u00e9 (City island), once inhabited by the Parisii, a small Gallic tribe in 3rd century BC. Today it is home to Notre-Dame de Paris and Sainte-Chapelle. And the ornate Pont Alexandre III Bridge, with its gilded fames sculptures and nymph reliefs, which reflects the grandeur of the Belle Epoch<\/em>. Both bridges are classified as a French monument historique<\/em>. Unlike the Rhine and Danube, also popular for riverboat journeys, the water level on the Seine is regulated by a series of locks, which means smooth sailing as it meets the English Channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT I LEARNED:<\/strong> Once you leave Paris, the Seine is historic; charm and beauty await at the many sites stopped at during the riverboat AmaLyra<\/em><\/em>‘s journey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The AmaLyra docks at Les Andelys, Normandy. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

SO, THIS IS NORMANDY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first Viking raids began between 790 and 800 on the western coast of France. Normandy takes its name from those Viking invaders, referred to as Nortmanni<\/em> (“Men of the North” or \u201dNorse Man\u201d). Their savage raids consisted of plundering treasures stored at monasteries by defenseless monks, kidnappings for slave trade or ransom, generally ending with fires of destruction and death. The Vikings initially wintered in Scandinavia, but then found the warmth and comfort in the Lower Seine Valley more to their liking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Viking Longship at the Oslo, Norway\u2019s Viking Ship Museum. Photograph courtesy of Radoslav Hapl via Oslo Viking Ship Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Viking long-ship is characterized as a light, narrow wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed, which allowed navigation in shallow waters, making it easy for coving and beach landings. Ships carrying 100 warriors were not uncommon with an estimated 34 rowing positions. Viking leader, Rollo, made it all the way east on the Seine and reached Paris. The Carolingian king, Charles the Simple, struct a deal with Rollo, giving him Rouen and present-day Upper Normandy, establishing the Duchy of Normandy. In exchange, Rollo pledged loyalty to Charles, agreed to baptism and vowed to guard the estuaries of the Seine from future Viking attacks. The rate of Scandinavian colonization was vast, and continued when William the Conquer, Duke of Normandy, defeated England in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, displacing Anglo-Saxon nobility with Norman and reshaping the English language into Anglo-Norman, also known as Anglo-Norman French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT I LEARNED:<\/strong> It\u2019s complicated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ruins of Richard the Lionheart\u2019s Ch\u00e2teau Gaillard at Les Andelys. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ch\u00e2teau Gaillard, once a towering medieval castle overlooking the Seine, was built by Richard C\u0153ur de Lion (\u201cRichard the Lionheart\u201d) which added to his mystique as a great military leader. He is best remembered as a chivalrous knight in the Third Crusade; despite the neglect of his own realm due to long absence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard was also the great-great grandson of William the Conqueror, and simultaneously the King of England (Richard I) and feudal Duke of Normandy. The Ch\u00e2teau, now surrounded by a dry moat, was regarded as a naturally defensible position. The remains of its dungeon proved to be the most popular site of the tour. Richard did not enjoy Ch\u00e2teau Gaillard for long; he died from an infected arrow wound to his shoulder, sustained while attacking Chasteu de Chaslu\u00e7-Chabr\u00f2l in 1199.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT I LEARNED:<\/strong> During long battles of siege, local non-combatant populations sought refuge in castles for protection. The fortifications were generally well supplied for a siege, but when the extra mouths to feed rapidly diminished the supplies, led to the eviction of civilians \u2013 generally women and children \u2013 into the hands of the invaders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Port de Honfleur was founded by Vikings during their invasions of Gaul in the 9th century. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Honfleur is located on the southern bank of the Seine with its sister city La Havre on the other. In the 1600s, Honfleur benefited from a boom in maritime trade which included an expedition by Samuel de Champlain, who founded the city of Quebec in Canada. Today, it is primarily known for its old port, characterized by houses with slate-covered frontages, painted by artists. Monet\u2019s mentor, Eug\u00e8ne Boudin, was born in the Honfleur, and is considered one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors. The Sainte-Catherine Church is the largest wooden church in France, with its bell tower across the street to avoid the spread of fire if struct by lightning. Unlike Le Havre, Honfleur was not ravaged by Allied bombings during WWII and was then liberated by the Allied Canadian, British and Belgian armies without any combat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a chance that tourists outnumbered the locals, but for good reason, with its picturesque cafes hugging the old harbor \u2013 you\u2019ll find giant pots of steaming fresh moules (mussels) with bits of camembert cheese waiting for you \u2013 fish and vegetable markets, museums and art galleries, inexpensive souvenir shops, and simply strolling through its historic cobblestone streets and functioning old harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT I LEARNED:<\/strong> The people of Honfleur are referred to as Honfleurais.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gros Horloge (Great Clock) in Rouen. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.
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The chimes of the Gros Horloge (Great Clock) wet my excitement as I entered Rouen\u2019s old town center. Resting on a Renaissance arch, the astronomic clock has spanned Rue du Gros-Horloge since the 14th century, and is considered the defining image of Rouen, the capital city of Normandy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renowned for its well-preserved architectural heritage and historic monuments, Rouen was able to survive the Hundred Years’ War and later wave of Allied bombings in 1944, despite the destruction of half of the city, leaving more than 1,200 civilians dead and thousands injured. Bullets and shrapnel can still be found lodged within buildings today. Nevertheless, Rouen regained its economic composure in the post-war period thanks to its industrial sites and large seaport, which today is the fifth largest in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the streets of Rouen, now cobblestoned and wide enough for a pack of donkeys. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was once said that you could smell Rouen a mile away. With its dank medieval streets, barely wide enough for a donkey to pass, the Rouennais would drop debris and feces out their windows, creating a cesspool with that particularly unique stench, and sometimes diseases of the pandemic kind. Devoid of sunlight, the ground would remain muddy seemingly forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rouen Cathedral today. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But it was the light of the sun that I was more interested in seeing, or, should I say, the light that Monet sought when he painted the Rouen Cathedral (circa 1506) more than thirty times, between 1892 and 1894. Moving from one canvas to another as the day progressed, he painted the facade with highly textured brushstrokes, making the light palpable at different hours of the day. I had always thought he set his easels in front of the cathedral \u2013 though he did twice \u2013 but learned he painted through windows of buildings across the street, which explains his compositional perspective from various angles. To view those paintings and other Monet and Impressionist masterpieces, though, requires a trip to the Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay and other museums in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cross marks the spot where Jeanne d’Arc met her death. Photograph by Deb Roskamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Jeanne d’Arc Memorial Cross is the centerpiece of a small garden on the Place du Vieux-March\u00e9 (market square), the site where a 19-year-old illiterate peasant woman was burned at the stake for witchcraft, heresy and dressing like a man by her English captors. Remember, Rouen was then part of England. But history now explains Jeanne’s death was really more about politics, not theology, when England was at war with France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The adjacent Church Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc felt a little out of place with its 1970s architecture, surrounded by Norman half-timbered houses, but it does offer an emotional experience with its sweeping curves that evoke the flames that consumed her. Also, its interior is illuminated by the light of 13 pristine Renaissance era stained-glass windows, which were taken from a nearby 16th century church that is now in ruins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty years after her death, the 19-year-old woman who called herself Jehanne la Pucelle (Joan the Maid; \u201cmaid\u201d signifies virginity), was exonerated of all guilt. And by the time she was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV, Jeanne d\u2019Arc had long been considered one of history’s greatest martyrs, and a patron saint of France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n