Our first day in Caen has been nonstop. Our guide, Ezzedine, in his endless energy, showed not only all of the items on our itinerary, but also extras that weren’t on our original agenda, such as the Bayeux Tapestry. I loved the Cathedral in Bayeux the most. It combined many different visuals, like the stained glass windows that feature World War II allied forces, and arches that implement both Arabic and Roman in design and structure. It was featured in the Bayeux Tapestry as the place Harold swore fealty to Duke William, so both incorporates and is incorporated in history.
The best part of the day, though, was our jaunt around the Caen Sunday Market. Every stall was filled with produce that looked like it belonged in the Shire, there were enough olive vendors to shame the Greeks, and there were enough spice booths and scarf sellers to take back bits of spice and silk for your lady love like some kind of Renaissance knight. It was another example of how Caen is a multicultural region, and if I’m gonna mention multiculturalism, I’m gonna mention food and not just buildings. Like the Cathedral incorporated bits of other cultures, like the arches and crescent shapes from the Romans and Arabs, the market incorporated many more. There were a lot of Moroccan booths selling specialty Moroccan pastries in addition to traditional croissants, and lots of vendors selling scarves and flowing dresses reminiscent of other north African regions.
My favorite moment here was when Ezzedine was explaining how early vendors had to begin working to make sure they had enough product and to get it set up. He motioned to one man at a Halal meat stall and said, “see, he’s not a lazy man”, to which the guy jumped in his stall and opened it for us going, “no, I’m a GENTLEMAN.”
