Fourth former Benjamin Young writes our travel journal entry for Thursday, March 5, 2026.
This morning, we checked out of our hotel in Caen at around 9 o’clock, and then drove to our first tour of the day, Fromagerie E. Graindorge, the cheese factory. The second we stepped off the van, we could smell the cheese in the air.
Inside the factory, we got to learn about the origins and process of crafting the traditional cheeses. We could see the machines in which the cheese was made, and watched the assembly lines go by. At the end of our tour, we got to test the four cheeses made there, Camembert, Pont L’Eveque, Neufchatel and Liverot.
Next we enjoyed a nice lunch at a tavern in the woods, and then headed off to our next destination, the Basilique Saint-Therese de Lesieux, a magnificent church, and probably the largest Cathedral we’ve seen on our trip so far.
For our last tour of the day, we visited Distillerie Pere Magloire, an Apple Cider distillery. This was a unique experience, as we walked through different rooms of the museum, watching videos on the history and the process of making their products. At the end, we got to try their apple juice, which was very good, and also learn more about their specialty ciders.
Next, we arrived at our AirBnB in Honfleur, where we separated into groups to unpack in the three houses. Afterwards, we drove to dinner, the L’Absinthe Restaurant, where we met back up with Laurie, who had previously been feeling under the weather and missed out on the day's earlier activities.
Shoutout to Pierce Meza in Costa Rica!