Pronounced as “koh†through the nasal – the French don’t pronounce the last letter of the word, is the capital city of Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy) region and was the first city liberated by the allies, just a month after the D-Day landing on 6 June 1944 in the invasion beaches of: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
If you are coming over to check out the war memorial places and the beaches of Normandy, Caen would be the best place to stay. The city is about 10 kilometers from the coast. Click here to see a map: D-Day Beaches
Knowing what transpired here 65 years ago, it is remarkable to see that important medieval structures of the city built by William the Conqueror and Queen Matilda – at 128 centimeters (4 feet 2 inches) she was the smallest royal in the annals of history, survived from the Normandy invasion resulting into the Battle of Caen during the World War II. The whole city lay in utter destruction and it took 15 years to rebuild everything.
I spent the evening here and had dinner in the downtown across the Eglise St-Pierre. The seafood salad was good and the view to the church was just perfect even if it was a bit cooler outside in the terrace. They did not have any seats available inside by the window and I did not want to sit staring at the wall or at other people so I elected to sit outside.
Anyway, I had a good time walking around Caen. I truly enjoyed it. The place is low-key and the beige colours and styles of the buildings and their balcony grills remind me of suburban Paris. The medieval castle in the middle of the center sits in a totally great spot giving a very charming ambience of the place, the perfect scene to welcome you when you get in to the city. The chateau also provided a vantage point to view the city.
Caen is also home to 2 beautiful abbeys, Abbaye-aux-Hommes with the St-Etienne church and Abbaye-aux-Dames with the La Trinite church. It is amazing to see that they have survived the war and are still standing proud and glorious. My favorite, and which is the most popular as seen on most Caen postcards, is the Abbaye-aux-Homes and the Romanesque St-Etienne church. It’s so stunning and dramatic. I would prefer Romanesque over Gothic architecture any day.
It is a university city so there is a good population of young people here and student night life action never ceases as long as you know where to go.
I was also quite happy to find out there was an underground car park across my hotel in the center. Now that is really handy. The next day upon my check out, the hotel personnel manning the reception was generous to exchange my parking ticket with a discounted one. Maybe the hotel gets a cut from it? It’s €3 cheaper than the normal price, so why not.
There was also an older English man lingering about in the lobby. Earlier, I overheard him talk about the D-Day invasion with the hotel personnel. He must be a veteran himself, which brings me to mind about the D-Day celebrations on TV today. I brought up the idea with Dutchman to watch the celebrations next year. It would be cool to talk to veterans while they are still alive.
Nevertheless, I guess it’s never been a secret that I’m less fond of cities but Caen is just about the borderline for me. It’s not big — it’s like a city with a town feel. Just right.
Travel Period: May 2009
Destination: Caen (Lower Normandy), France
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