TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Sunday morning – I woke up early around 7AM. I wanted to be at the Sunday market at around 8AM but laziness took over the life of me, haha. It happens, a lot! Plus the cartoon show on TV was entertaining so I dawdled a bit. So I had some tea and biscuit in the bedroom, a quickie breakfast. I’ve momentarily stopped taking breakfasts in hotels during my travels as they damage my craving for lunches. Lunch is the best meal of the day in my opinion. Radishes and artichokes. I love vegetables! 9AM and I was at the hotel lobby having a chat with the receptionist who eagerly showed me where the market is on the map. Pretty easy, it’s along the marina just near the castle and the St-Pierre Church. When I got there, vendors were still busy putting up their tents while others were just placing their wares on the tables. Good thing I did not come here early or I will be twiddling my thumbs. The Caen Sunday market was quite impressive. For a small city, the open-air market was rel...

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. Château de Caen sits on a hill is considered as one of the largest castles in Western Europe. 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 whol...