Field Trip

Yesterday IES organized a day trip for us to visit Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel, which are a couple hours north of Nantes and on the English Channel. When I left the house at 7am, it was gloomy and rainy, but it by the time we arrived at St. Malo, it turned out to be a perfectly beautiful day.

St. Malo is a gorgeous port city and the most visited place in the region of Brittany. We walked all the around Saint-Malo on the ramparts, the wall circumventing and protecting the city. From the Great Wall of St. Malo, we were able to peer down on a traveling carnival, hundreds of creperies & seafood restaurants, and the ocean. I still can't believe this is actually my life. 

François-René de Chateaubriand's tomb in the background

After circling the whole place from above, we were able to roam the city freely in search of lunch. Despite the fact that Saint-Malo has one of the highest concentrations of seafood restaurants in all of Europe, some friends and I decided to skip on fish and went for crêpes instead (Yes, again. I'll never get sick of them!). We must have been a bit early for lunchtime, because we were the only ones in the whole place. After eating, we headed down to the beach to frolic on the sand and touch the ocean. The water was frigid, but I'm proud to say I've felt the English Channel between my fingers.

Skipping along the beach

We then rode the bus about an hour east and found ourselves at our second destination for the day: Mont Saint-Michel. This island city used to only be accessible at low-tide, but thanks to modern technology and common sense, a causeway was built enabling tourists to visit regardless of the water level. 

It's pretty much an unwritten study abroad rule to take a
jumping picture in front of every cool place you visit

According to Wikipedia, 41 people live there year-round, which is strange to think about considering there is one skinny road up to the top which is constantly teeming with tourists. This street is also lined with eateries and souvenir shops--one of the guys in my program bought a fully-functional crossbow there! 

Reaching the pinnacle was quite the workout, but the strong sense of accomplishment and stunning view were well worth the muscle fatigue. 

Now it's time to snap out of tourist-mode and get back to studying and doing homework for my classes tomorrow. Have a great week, and happy Valentines Day!