France. Follow the Impressionists in Normandy. 1.

Rouen. The Street of the Large Clock leading to the Gothic Cathedral Monet painted from 20 views

Who’s a Francophile? Someone who appreciates French history, culture, fashion, art and cuisine, and that describes me.  Ever since I lived in Paris for four years when I was in my 20’s, I jump at every opportunity to return.

Last month  I jumped at a chance to return to Normandy to follow in the footsteps of the Impressionist Painters. I criss-crossed the countryside from Giverny to the cobble-stoned streets of Rouen, across a patchwork quilt of emerald jewel fields and lush valleys dotted with lambs and cows,  to storybook seaside resorts with chocolate shops, toy stores, fresh fish and flower markets, pastries and sidewalk cafes.

TIP: Pack your umbrella, sunhat, sunscreen and a windbreaker.

Regardless of the season, I knew that we could count on the whimsical weather of fleeting clouds, peek-a-boo sun, and moody mist as our companion.

Rouen

The art history journey began in Rouen, the capital of upper Normandy; one hour and ten minutes by train from Paris.  Filling street after colorfully-restored street are two-stored half-timbered homes. Antique shops, cafes and restaurants fill the first floors and red geranium-choked flowerboxes decorate the upper floor windows.

I meandered down narrow cobbled-stoned streets admiring some of the 800 restored homes dating from the 14^th to the 18^th century.

The pedestrian street of the Great Clock (rue de Gos Horloge) is the busy shopping area, home to tempting pastry shops and fancy stores. We meandered through this historic part of town, built in the 16^th century, then relaxed in a pew at the 13^th-century Gothic cathedral (painted by Monet) and watched twinkling red and blue light filter through the stain glass windows. On a more somber note, no visitor to Rouen misses the historic square where Jeanne d’Arc was burned at the stake.

Claude Monet said “Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.”

When Monet painted the façade of Rouen cathedral, he worked on up to 14 different canvasses at one time, capturing the ever-changing light and color.

He painted at various times of day and the year and in different weather conditions as he tracked the passage of time, color and light on the cathedral façade. Monet painted – from a window in the second story of a women’s underwear shop – today it houses the office of tourism where we stood to take in his view.

In  July and August “Impressionists Nights,”  a light show, is projected on the cathedral façade and the Beaux-Arts Museum portraying the life and work of Monet, Pissaro and Gauguin in Rouen.

Red Carpet rolled out for guests at Rouen's 5-star hotel in a 16th century Renaissance Manor

You can go for a day or rent a car and visit all the Normandy sites in four days or more.

The tourism websites are: www.normandie-tourism.fr , www.seine-maritime-tourism.fr,

Where to stay.  Rouen:  A 5-star hotel in a 16^th century Renaissance Manor. www.hotelsparouen.com

Outstanding Restaurants  Rouen: www.lacouronne.com.fr/ and www.le-sixiemesens.fr

Air France has daily flights from major US cities.

How to avoid airplane germs

I admit that I”m a germ freak. I wear an air purifier around my neck for ion technology clean air, and use a

Germs on an airplane

tissue to touch anything in the bathroom.

What else can you do?

• Don’t put your head down on the food tray to sleep, or put your bread or snack directly on the tray.
• Use hand sanitizers often and wipe down the remote in your hotel room.
• Buy a portable air purifier. This is the model I have used for years  Ultra-Mini.

s

“Four out of six tray tables tested positive for the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and norovirus, the highly contagious group of viruses that can cause a miserable one- or two-day bout of vomiting, diarrhea and cramping, was found on one tray. Most of the bathrooms he swabbed had E. coli bacteria. Thirty percent of sinks, flush handles and faucet handles had E. coli, as did 20 percent of toilet seats, according to his research.”

In case you missed this article in the New York Times Travel Section, March  2011.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/travel/06prac-germs.html