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Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Étretat AirBnB: A Servant's Attic

I think we scored another win with the Étretat AirBnB. The good thing about travelling in the period of Covid19 is that it is really easy to book good AirBnB lodgings. This building used to belong to a single family. It is now divided into tiny apartments. The landlord refurbished the servants' quarters at the very top of the building into his own small and cosy Just Married flat. There is a clawfoot bathtub, an antique mirror, very good heating, a well-equipped kitchen and even a roof terrace.

This apartment is situated just under the roof, where Cinderella normally stays. It has all the creature comforts and small homely touches e.g., the roof terrace and a hammock.

Love it!

 






Gill, Rouen

Gill is a Michelin 2 star restaurant. I went to a Michelin 1 star restaurant in Singapore once for lunch, and was sorely disappointed. From food to service, it was disappointing. I went to Putien for lunch and never went back because they served me something I had to complain about. Then, I tried to make an appointment at yet another Michelin 1 star who told me curtly that they cannot provide gluten free options.

So, we have decided to eat at a Michelin star restaurant in every town we stop at, in France.

Gill is in Rouen. It is helmed by Gilles Tournadre. I called ahead and left my credit card details to book a table. I let them know that The Husband and I needed gluten free food. They said, "No problem." Today, I made a booking at Le Donjon, a Michelin 1 star restaurant in Étretat and alerted them to our food allergy. They also said, "No problem."

When we arrived at Gill, there were toasted gluten free buns all ready. The service was friendly, dignified and elegant. The maître d'hôte explained each dish and helped advise on our orders.

As a student in France, I used to stare through the doors at Michelin starred restaurants wistfully. Now,  I can walk in and eat.

A more contemporary decor than La Couronne.

Amuse-bouches: newer cooking methods and plating options than La Couronne.


Very good gluten free buns.

Surprise starters at the chef's discretion.

Lobster.

Calf's head: a Normandie specialty.

The desserts on the menu all had gluten. This was prepared specially for us.




Tuesday, November 23, 2021

La Musée de Secq des Tournelles

 Rouen contains an interesting museum for ironmongery.









L'Aître de St. Maclou

The word "aître"is a French bastardisation of the Latin word "atrium". This place was originally an ossuary surrounding a cemetery. People were buried in the soil and later dug up, the bones stacked into the wooden frame surrounding the courtyard. In the 1700s, all human remains were relocated outside the city and the wooden frames holding the bones were converted in rooms for priests, poor schools for boys and a boarding school for little girls.

It is commonly thought that the youthful innocence and pure energies from children will serve to counter the dark energies of death.

The mummy of a cat placed into one of the original mud walls, likely to confer some magical protection.

A panoramic view of the courtyard.

The cloister right next to the courtyard.



 

Half Timber Houses

I was surprised to see architecture that I had only ever seen in England before. Then, it struck me that Rouen was for a long time, an English town. These half timber houses are called half timber because they use for their frames, half a log of oak split down the middle. Oak is very hard and durable. It still boggles my mind that churches made of stone have fallen apart, but 4 storey blocks made of mud and wood are still standing strong.














La Couronne: Rouen

Rouen's claim to fame is that of being the town where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Joan of Arc went from a simple and uneducated village girl to leader of France's armies. Such a story of feminine strength and empowerment! Even though the Hundred Years Wars between the English and the French continued for another 22 years after she died, her brief appearance on the timeline, her resounding military victories and her inspiring martyrdom gave to the French King Charles VII the psychological victory he needed to win hearts, minds and eventually all of France, for himself.

Statue of Joan of Arc.

The tower where they imprisoned Joan of Arc.


Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in a small and smelly market square in Rouen on 31 May 1431. This market square is today called the Vieux Marché (i.e., Old Market). In the Vieux Marché, there is a beautiful building of half timber, wattle and daub. In the picture below, you can see the exposed wood frame that holds up the structure. The wattle is a lattice woven with strips of wood, hung onto the wood frame. Then, daub, a sticky material made of mud, dung, straw and clay is used to cover the wattle. When dried, the daub keeps out the cold and the wet. I saw this style of construction in Stratford Upon Avon when doing the tour of all Shakespeare related houses: see HERE.

It is hard to believe that a house essentially made of wood and mud can survive since the 15th century till today, but clearly Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife's) cottage is still going strong. The old part of Rouen is full of such constructions still with people living and working in them.

See the exposed wood beams of La Couronne?

La Couronne is a restaurant that has been around since 1431. See picture above. The then owner, Mr. Guillaume Baudry could see Joan burning at the stake from out the windows of his property. Before the infamous martyrdom of Joan of Arc, La Couronne was a forgettable provincial inn. After the death of Joan of Arc, the little market square became infamous. As decades flowed into centuries, La Couronne became a veritable historical institution. La Couronne was where Julia Child ate her very first French meal, and fell in love.

With so much history to carry on its shoulders, it is no wonder that La Couronne serves up a very traditional French restaurant experience, from décor to food.

Traditional decor.

Oysters from the English Channel.

Pan fried foie gras.


Lamb chops.

Raspberry gratin.

Raspberry flan.




Sunday, November 21, 2021

Rouen: AirBnB Flat

AirBnB can be somewhat the luck of the draw. We booked a Superhost in Florence whose accommodation was so filthy that we had sinusitis from the dust mites.

We scored a good one with this apartment in Rouen. It comes with a charming outdoor courtyard, a well-equipped kitchen and even a bathtub meant for 2.


Maximilien Certain

The landlord is Maximilien Certain. He is a young man of 28, who grew up in the countryside around Rouen. He learnt construction from his father. He bought this apartment as a dilapidated storage room with a high ceiling. By his own hand, he refurbished it. He did the electricity, the floorboards, the mezzanine floor, the carpentry. He even made the coffee table by up cycling an old marble table top broken into 2 pieces. He mended it with melted steel. He designed and constructed the 2 person bathtub by hand.

He learnt his craft alongside his Dad, and bought this first apartment in his early 20s. Since then, he has refurbished many apartments. He buys dilapidated ones and sells them for a good profit after his own version of a design and build. He is now 28 years old, and owns 3 apartments and 1 apartment block. One of the apartments is in Paris. If you know how expensive Parisian properties are, you will understand how much this young man has achieved.

I chatted with him. He shared that he wanted to have an apartment in every major city in Europe, and most of the larger towns in France. I said that he had big dreams. He looked me in the eye and said: "It is not a dream. Dreams are elusive. Mine are goals. I prefer goals. Goals can be achieved. After achieving this goal, I will set another."


An Adventure

I had something of an adventure when we arrived. Maximilien asked me to chope the parking lot in front of the building, whilst he went to help The Husband get out of an underground parking complex, where our car was stuck because there was no way to pay parking fees in cash, and they would not accept our credit/debit cards. An old couple in their 60s came along. They were extremely nasty. The Husband tried to back forcibly into me: like run me down with his car. Thankfully, at that moment, 1.9 m tall Maximilien arrived. 

The couple left when he motioned to them to leave. 

Charming little courtyard.

The bed overlooks the courtyard.

The bed is in an alcove.

There is a walk-in wardrobe.


Small little kitchen with everything one needs for simple meals.

Lovely living room.

Bathtub made for 2.



Saturday, November 20, 2021

Musée d'Orsay

La Musée d'Orsay houses France's collection of impressionist paintings. The first time I visited (more than 30 years ago) time ran out before I could see the whole collection. Just before Covid19 hit, a partial exhibition came to Singapore. I saw that too. Somehow, I always felt unsatisfied. It felt like eating just 2 bites of a good meal, and then have no time to eat the rest.

In 2009, I came to Paris with the children. They had no interest in impressionist paintings. So, after some discussion, I gave in and denied my own wishes. This time, I made sure I had a whole day to spend on this one museum.

Impressionist painters moved away from traditional painting, which depicted religious tableaux. They painted reality.


Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

The 2 paintings showcased in the museum were faded and damaged. They also looked like they had been cut up and then pieced together again. Apparently, the were painted as posters and used for advertisement. Nonetheless, the distinctive style that is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was clear. It was good to see the originals up close.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted a whole series of life in the brothels.






Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was fascinated by movement. His paintings and sculptures portray movement.



You can feel the movement in this piece, as the girl stretches backwards.

Degas love to paint the movement of ballerinas.

Another Degas sculpture depicting movement.

More sculptures depicting movement.


Renoir
I like Renoir best. The paintings are infused with a downy softness. Renoir painted every day people getting along.







There were many other painters featured. There is no space in my blog to explore each one. So, I have only shown my 3 favourite painters.