🇫🇷 Normandy Discovery: Caen, More Than Just Beef Noodles! 🍜✨

🚂 An Unplanned Stopover Turned Gem Our Normandy-Brittany coastal adventure hit a snag: expired driver’s licenses forced us onto painfully slow public transport. ⚠️ PSA: These regions are stunning but fragmented – rent a car if you can! Caen wasn’t on our itinerary, but a missed connection made it our overnight pitstop... and what a happy accident! 🏰 Surprise Highlights 1️⃣ Château de Caen Built in 1047 by William the Conqueror 🏰 Once Normandy’s "Western Capital," nicknamed "City of 100 Bells" 🔔 2️⃣ WWII Scars & Resilience 80% destroyed in 1944’s Battle of Caen 💥 St. Pierre Church: Gothic spire toppled by bombs, rebuilt in 1957 ⛪ 3️⃣ The Leaning Tower of... Caen? St. Jean Church (16th-century) tilts like Pisa – blame the swampy! 🏗️ 🍜 Local Legend Yes, Caen has a famous Chinese noodle shop (holy grail for homesick students), but dig deeper: • Try: Tripes à la mode de Caen (offal stew, William’s fave!) • Sip: Normandy cider at a canal-side café 🍏 #FranceTravel #HiddenGems #NormandyHistory #WWII #SlowTravel