Paris to Caen

Yesterday we left Paris from Gare St Lazare, and travelled west 2 1/2 hours to Normandy. An excellent train ride brought us to the port city of Caen.

Three things about Caen. First, the city is this year celebrating 1,000 years (!!) of history.
Second, William the Conqueror lived here before he invaded England in 1066. After his death he was buried here, but after his grave was desecrated at least twice, only his shinbone remains. (This has been used to calculate his probable height at 1.73 metres.)
Third, given the city’s proximity to the Normandy coast, 80% of its buildings were destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944. (With friends like these, who needs enemies?)

This morning we joined a local guide Thomas for a tour of “history and secrets”. It was a very enjoyable experience, all the better because we were Thomas’s only customers today.

Thomas told us that when William wanted to marry Matilda of Flanders, first her family disapproved because he was illegitimate, and the the Pope declined to bless the marriage (nudged by the French king).

William & Matilda married anyway. When the Pope died, the new Pope agreed to bless the marriage, on condition that William built two abbeys (one for monks, the other for nuns), two hospitals, and a library..

Our tour took us to first to the Abbaye-aux-Dames (also Sainte Trinité). The enormous church doors in the photo are original - almost 1,000 years old!

Our next stop was Duke William’s castle - huge walls, with a clear horizontal line marking the arrival of cannon technology. Nazi troops used the castle as barracks during the occupation, and
there is evidence of burning on the outside wall.

We walked a lot today (12,175 steps), through narrow little streets and wide boulevards, over the river and along the canal. Most shops were closed (being Sunday), but there was a huge market along the canal. There was also a replica of one of Ferdinand Magellan’s ships, the Victoria. Plus Des fell in love with a pack of “squadrons” - St Bernard’dogs used by the Police for rescue work in the water.

We stopped for coffee, and then went to William’s other monastery, L’Abbaye-aux-Hommes (aka St Étienne, St Stephen’s).

A great tour!

Tomorrow a day trip to Bayeux, of Tapestry fame.Leggi altro