We were called and asked to help solve a mystery: Where did the "R" in go in Rouen. They lost it many years ago and have been forced to call the city "Hoo-Awn" - ever since. We looked, and looked, and still - no sign of the "R". The unfortunate people of France will still be forced to pronounce the name of the place: "Hoo-Awn." I'm so sorry. (The problem is widespread, as Patrick Roy (Wah), new coach of the Colorado Avs, will tell you.)
Nicholas Peschanski is a friend with whom we worked in Nepal a few years ago - now an ER Doc in Rouen. We stayed with him and his wife, Isabelle, overnight and with his 2 kids Lila (6 years) and Thylen (3). The kids were sooooooo much fun and we had a blast with them, even though we didn't share a language, we played and giggled, and walked around the old town, and perhaps the highlight of the day when they both gave us a kiss goodnight. It was just amazing too me, how much we could communicate, and how well we could get along without sharing any actual words - although Lila did teach me to count in French. We learned that Lila, when hearing that English-speaking visitors were coming, had made Isabelle promise to translate everything that we said. I think Isabelle came pretty close to keeping the promise.
A sidelight, when counting on your fingers here, you start with your thumb being "one", and continuing from there so that "four" is a thumb plus 3 fingers. If you try to hold up just your index finger, foks get confused. Such a simple little concept that is different in 2 languages and cultures.
Back to Rouen - it's a good sized city, a million plus people that is the head of deep water navigation on the Seine, and the biggest grain shipping port in Europe. It was reportedly 45% destroyed in World War II - though most of the destruction was on the left bank where the industry was and much of the old city was spared, though some of the old stone buildings still have scars in the walls, from bullets.
We walked through the beautiful narrow streets with old Normady architectural style - wooden beams running horizontally, vertically, and diagonally with the spaces between beams filled with plaster. None of the walls are actually vertical - the city is built on swampy gound, and the buildings settle into the ground and with buildings being 500-600 years old, they are quite crooked.
The oldest clock in Europe was recently restored - looks to be about 10 feet square, and has lots of real gold on it.
A recent visit of the "tall ships" - the old sailing ships, brought more than a million visitors to the city.
If you've ever had any sterotypes of French folks carrying around baguettes and eating them, they're true! As we walked, Isabelle ran into a bakery, bought a big long baguette. The kids nibbled on the ends, while we tore off pieces of the delicious, still warm bread, and nibbled our way down the streets. Looking at displays of photographic art mounted along the walkways. (By the way, even more stereotypical, while walking in Paris, there really were guys standing on the bridges and playing the accordion - songs that made you want to cry, and that could have been from a Goddard movie from the 60's.)
A few sights I'm not used to: violin repair shops.
Nicholas Peschanski is a friend with whom we worked in Nepal a few years ago - now an ER Doc in Rouen. We stayed with him and his wife, Isabelle, overnight and with his 2 kids Lila (6 years) and Thylen (3). The kids were sooooooo much fun and we had a blast with them, even though we didn't share a language, we played and giggled, and walked around the old town, and perhaps the highlight of the day when they both gave us a kiss goodnight. It was just amazing too me, how much we could communicate, and how well we could get along without sharing any actual words - although Lila did teach me to count in French. We learned that Lila, when hearing that English-speaking visitors were coming, had made Isabelle promise to translate everything that we said. I think Isabelle came pretty close to keeping the promise.
A sidelight, when counting on your fingers here, you start with your thumb being "one", and continuing from there so that "four" is a thumb plus 3 fingers. If you try to hold up just your index finger, foks get confused. Such a simple little concept that is different in 2 languages and cultures.
Back to Rouen - it's a good sized city, a million plus people that is the head of deep water navigation on the Seine, and the biggest grain shipping port in Europe. It was reportedly 45% destroyed in World War II - though most of the destruction was on the left bank where the industry was and much of the old city was spared, though some of the old stone buildings still have scars in the walls, from bullets.
We walked through the beautiful narrow streets with old Normady architectural style - wooden beams running horizontally, vertically, and diagonally with the spaces between beams filled with plaster. None of the walls are actually vertical - the city is built on swampy gound, and the buildings settle into the ground and with buildings being 500-600 years old, they are quite crooked.
The oldest clock in Europe was recently restored - looks to be about 10 feet square, and has lots of real gold on it.
A recent visit of the "tall ships" - the old sailing ships, brought more than a million visitors to the city.
If you've ever had any sterotypes of French folks carrying around baguettes and eating them, they're true! As we walked, Isabelle ran into a bakery, bought a big long baguette. The kids nibbled on the ends, while we tore off pieces of the delicious, still warm bread, and nibbled our way down the streets. Looking at displays of photographic art mounted along the walkways. (By the way, even more stereotypical, while walking in Paris, there really were guys standing on the bridges and playing the accordion - songs that made you want to cry, and that could have been from a Goddard movie from the 60's.)
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