Day 3 - Caen to the Coast

Today we cycled to Caen, along the river path. Our timing wasn't great as it's a public holiday in France today, so most things were shut, but we walked up to the Château de Caen which has got a nice viewpoint. Caen was William the Conqueror's capital, and the castle is one of the largest mediaeval castles in Europe.


Our visit also coincided with a large protest against the proposed reforms to the retirement age in France (the French government wants to raise it from 62 to 64 and people are outraged). Vive la revolution! 

Even though there were around 14,000 protesters, it was all very civilised. The only police we saw were on the motorcycles which were leading the marchers. It seemed like such a different approach to the UK, but maybe that's because some people are just looking for trouble at large events at home. 

The other thing that's very different here is that everyone leaves their bikes locked up with their bike bags and panniers left on them. I'm sure they take their valuables, but it's just not something I'd even consider doing home. 

From Caen we retraced our steps and continued straight up to the coast at Ouistreham. It's just the ferry port, so we didn't hang around long as there's not much to see. 

Other pics from today: 

Château de Bénouville

Caen marina




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