Fifth former Silas Tai writes our travel journal entry for Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The day started with breakfast at the hotel before we headed out to explore more of Caen.
Our first stop was the Abbaye aux Hommes, founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. The abbey began as a church served by a series of buildings used by Benedictine monks for prayer and everyday monastic life. However, these buildings were badly damaged and could no longer house the monks, so they were eventually rebuilt. The reconstruction centered around a cloister that provided access to important rooms such as the Chapter Room, the Sacristy, and the Refectory. Today, these buildings form the setting for Caen’s City Hall. We also visited William the Conqueror's grave in the Abbaye. During the tour we also learned about the daily lives of the monks. One part I found especially interesting was the monastery garden. Since the monks did not eat meat, they relied heavily on the plants grown in the garden for food, and many herbs were also used for medicine. The monks also drank wine and cider, which were common parts of their daily life.
For lunch, we were free to explore the city center in groups. I went with Liam, and we ended up at a restaurant called Les Touristes. I ordered a steak haché, which is basically a French style burger patty, while Liam had a croque madame, essentially a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top. It was a simple meal, but really good.
For the other groups, after going around in circles, Ben bought pants in the ‘pants store’, while George and John bought souvenirs for their parents. Cole, studious as he is, bought a French history book on Normandy, while Kenny also picked up souvenirs for his parents.
After lunch, Liam and I walked around downtown Caen for a while. We stopped for gelato, and at one point I was very tempted to go into a nearby KFC, though I resisted. Later we grabbed coffee at Paul, a French bakery chain, before wandering through a small mall nearby. Eventually we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before dinner.
That evening we had dinner at Babek. The night then ended with escape games at Get Out Caen. We split into two teams, with one group doing a detective themed room and the other a pirate adventure. Despite our best efforts, both teams failed miserably to escape in time.
P.S. Laurie was under the weather today, hope he feels better.