Monday, March 2

Hogwarts in France




Things are starting to get back into a rhythm after vacation and I have been trying to get back into exploring Rennes. Last week my friend Lindsay and I went shopping and she discovered the most amazing pastry shop on a tiny street by the major’s building in Rennes, it was unreal. I also went tried a new bar on Friday night, it was a tapas bar! But the tapas didn’t even compare to what we had in Seville. The most exciting thing was that on Saturday, our program (CIEE) took us on a trip to St. Malo, Cancale, and Mont Saint Michel, very close to one another on the ocean about an hour north. One of our monitors (university students who led us during orientation) lives in St. Malo, and was very excited to show us around. There was a huge wall that went all around the small city, which was rich with history from WWII and battles between the French and the English. Next we went to Cancale, which I had already visited with Lindsay and her host family. We were there for just about an hour to have a small picnic and look around. I tried oysters for the first time!! If you are going to eat oysters in France, you are supposed to eat them in Cancale, as that is pretty much all it is known for. When you are at a fancy restaurant in Paris, sometimes you will see signs that say “Cancale Oysters” but eating them there was much more of an experience. Then, we went to Mont Saint Michel. It is literally a island with a HUGE abbey on top, and very small shops, hotels and restaurants all around it. It was build in the 7th century, and still houses monks and nuns. They are famous for a restaurant called “la Mere Poulard”, which serves fancy foods, but notably known for their omelets. The omelets go for 30 euro! It is very expensive and touristy, but apparently the best. When we pulled up I literally felt like I was Harry Potter coming back to Hogwarts, it’s beautiful. Because it was an island, and then they built a road for people to visit, everything is crammed onto one piece of land, and it is very steep with lots of stairs. I only got to go about a quarter of the way up, but one of our directors stayed with me and we walked along the beach and he told me a lot about Mont Saint Michel. It was a really long day, and I slept on the bus every time (surprise, surprise), but it was beautiful. I also talked to my friend Caitlin today, from home, and we just planned our spring break! So I will be off to Venice, Rome, and somewhere in the south of Italy in April – very excited. My fam comes in 10 days!

1 comment:

  1. Hi Emma - Your mom forwarded your blog address and I have had such fun reading all your news. Your trip sounds so incredible - Seville and Paris - oo-la-la - how amazing! It is really remarkable that you seem to find friends everywhere you go - especially when you need a place to sleep or eat or travel! It all makes the world seem so much smaller and friendlier. It will be fun to show your parents around - I know they are anxious to see you. If you ever get a chance to go to Normandy or any WW2 memorials, you may want to go to the village of St. James - on the Brittany/Normandy border. The American cemetery is beautiful - smaller than the DDay cemetery in Normandy but very special. My mother's brother is buried there so it is very emotional when family members visit. It is probably less then an hour from Rennes. There is also a cool castle in Fougeres- on the way to or from St. James. Hope you continue to share all your news - it is fun keeping up with your adventures. I used to follow the old ladies with the loaves of French bread - they always knew the best markets and bakeries! How do you like the croissants and hot chocolate? Take Care! Pam Russell

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