Since today was Saturday and the bakery down the street from us is closed Sunday and Monday, I knew it was my last chance to get more pain au chocolat and other deliciousness before we leave. Everyone apparently also knew this because the line was 15 people long and took nearly 20 minutes to get served. (When we passed by at the end of the day 30 minutes before closing, there was still a line and their shelves were nearly bare. We decided to get a few more of their jam tart cookies).
Next to the bakery was a produce shop with 'fruits of the season'. Grapes from France, clementines from Portugal. Both very good!
We decided to explore Caen castle grounds today. The complex was built by William the Conquerer in the 1000's with numerous expansions, reconstructions etc over the centuries. The whole complex was in a state of de/construction and some areas weren't open at all, so I didn't get a good idea of which buildings/ruins were newer or older. It was still impressive. The shear scale of the walls were something!
Delaney and I went inside the Normandie Museum and spent several hours. They had archeological exhibits dating back to the Neolithic period with pretty good samples of pots, bones, metal tools, coins, etc. I didn't see anything I wanted to take a picture of until we got to the more recent historical displays including this one that showed the tools used to make lace. The video of the process was mesmerizing. If you ever thought knitting or crocheting was hard, this looks much harder.
There were so many pretty samples and dresses.
I found the 'every day wear' hats totally ridiculous.
They would never stand up to the wind in Kansas.
The treasury building within the castle and the foundational remains of the original ducal rooms in the foreground.
Abbey framed through the window of the fort.
City view from the ramparts
These were the remanents of the dungeons that had been blown up after the Napoleonic wars and only recently had the foundations excavated. 
The castle walls were massive.
St. Pierre's church.
the organ looked much newer than the rest of the church. It looked like the whole structure was resting on the one stone point at the base, but I know it was bolted to the walls too.
After visiting the castle and the church, we decided a little geocaching was in order. There were three right in the area that we managed to pick up pretty quickly. They were all micros, so no chance to leave my travel bugs here. As usual, they took us to some very interesting spaces.
Loved this tavern: Public House for Mages and Muggles since 1633.
Looked like it would be very fun to visit.
We grabbed enough groceries to get us through our last day and half (not knowing what would be open on Sunday) and enjoyed 4 cheese pizza at our apartment for dinner and watched a movie. Early bed to make a church service in the Abbey tomorrow morning.
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