SMALL KINE HIPPIE

After a brief stay in Belgium, all we wanted to do was see a castle. It turns out that France – and most of Europe – is chock full of them.

Almost every offramp? Castle. Every mile or so? Another sign for a freaking castle. Castles and castles and more castles. My Dad was so excited he was almost hyperventilating.

Since we didn’t have too much spare time between our long drive from Paris to Caen, we could only stop at one – a crumbling, half-standing foundation that was currently being rebuilt with the original stones.

When we got into the countryside around Caen (a pit stop on the way to Normandy) our ricketly little hotel was literally across the street from a huge mideval castle! In fact, Caen Castle is one of the largest enclosures in all of Europe. That should show you just how many freakin castles are dotted across the continent.