My first day in Rouen

The train ride from Paris

As the train accelerated by the minute, we left the urban landscape behind and started passing by forests and plains. It was the beginning of March, and the landscape was still harsh on the eye, the trees were withered and the sun shone bright in the clear sky. My destination, I knew, was a small (yet historical) city of the North, named Rouen. When I had chosen it back in the day, I had seen the numerous and colourful Gothic houses, the monuments, and well, a set of other things I'll explain in the future. In general, I knew I was heading for a place which seemed to have come right out of a pop-up picture book for children, so my excitement could not be contained.

The closer we came to the city, the more little houses I could see out of my window. As every new Erasmus student heading into the unknown, I was feeling anxious and joyful at the same time. For those who haven't experienced that feeling yet, let me tell you; don't worry, it's absolutely normal and you will have an amazing time so, keep your heads up! And then, after almost 2 hours, I was there.

Taking the first steps into the city

I took a step into the train station, not knowing where I was or where I needed to go to, but I felt a sudden urge of bravery and asked for directions (always ask around, it is a good way to practice the language and well, to start fighting your anxiety! ). After some pantomime and misconceptions, I was pointed to the direction of the Old town, which is pretty much the city centre. I dragged my luggage across the pavement, looking everywhere, taking the city in. It was all so beautiful! Even when I still hadn't actually reached the centre.

Thankfully, it wasn't far, so I quickly came to realise that everything I had seen prior to my visit was true; the picturesque houses with the wooden structure showing at their facade, the narrow streets, the little squares, people walking around in the coldness and sneaking a peek at various vintage shops, even the small cafes...it was almost like an old curiosity shop, a living fairy tale! And the colours, they were vivid and present everywhere!

One of the main streets, leading to La place Du Vieux Marché (The Old town market square).

The cathedral of Rouen

After wandering around, I came across the city's greatest monument, the Cathedral. As an Architecture student, I had already heard of the heavily complex decoration and plasticity of its primary facade, but I was not expecting something so massive yet so delicate. Back then, I was kind of ignoring the historical significance of the building, but I understood it was the pride of Rouen, and the people loved to hang out at the big square in front of it. The grandeur of this church is mesmerising, and one can see the lantern tower (with the iron spire) from almost everywhere in the city. I would come to spend a lot of time relaxing in front of it with friends, drawing it etc.

I will come back to a detailed analysis of the cathedral later. Anyway, after a while, I managed to locate the airbnb I would stay in for the first four or five days, until I could find a place to stay. Word of advice: try to be as best prepared when house-searching. For me, it was a bit tough, as my semester started in March, meaning most flats I could afford or which were in good condition were already taken, and the cold of Northern France did not make searching a walk in the park! What is more, try to find yourself a place in the centre, it's much more animated than the rest of the city and it is definitely worth a little extra money!

The Great Clock

In the afternoon, I decided to go look around some more, and found myself at the cathedral again. Just across, there is one big pedestrian street, named "La rue du Gros-Horloge" or, "The street of the Great Clock". You guessed it, there is a big clock in the city, and it's no ordinary clock! It is actually one of the oldest ones of its kind, and it has an interior ring depicting various deities, which rotates depending on the days and the phases of the moon! So, everyday, one can see a different image displayed on the clock itself. Of course, this is not something one can observe so easily, it took my around two months to realise the change myself! But the most amazing part is that the clock is set in one of the oldest buildings of Rouen, which forms an arc the citizens traverse, like a passage. Really, this city couldn't get any more picturesque.

I'll give you more details another day, as there is a whole story behind this. After all, Erasmus students (like proper explorers), myself included, have had a knack for seeing it from within and I am sure you will too, if you visit!

Grab some French sweets!

At any rate, the first day I was really lost in terms of... geography. I had not properly understood which thing is where, so I stuck to the city centre. After a long walk, I grabbed a crepe from a local shop and started heading home. Right next to that place, there was this fancy macaron store, set in an old colourful building. If you cross The Great Clock street, you can't miss it, they even have a small cart with macarons for display outside. I suggest you get a bite, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me!

And that was my first day in Rouen. In the end I was tired and really nervous for the next day to come, but I had a good feeling for the city. I knew there were a lot of things to come so I decided to get some rest and jump onto the next goal; my university. But this is also for another day, too much info will confuse you!

Have a good day and see you around!

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