Les Huîtres, La Dune et La Plage!

Yesterday, we went on our “excursion” to a small oyster town, Gujan-Mestras; the biggest sand dune in Europe, La Dune du Pyla; and the beach. All fifty of us got on a tour bus (which was surprisingly nice, especially compared to the dorms), and our first stop of Gujan-Mestras was about 45 minutes away. When we arrived, we were all kind of like, uh, what are we doing here? There was hardly anyone around, and the harbor was just boats in mud because the tide was really far out. We first went to the local oyster museum, where they talked about the history of oyster eating and the extremely long process of raising and harvesting oysters. It was interesting, but I had trouble understanding some of the specific oyster vocabulary they used.

After the museum, we went over to a nearby restaurant, where they gave everyone a plate of six oysters. Normally, I would have passed without a second thought, but the directors really wanted everyone to try one, so I managed to eat one. Kind of gross and slimy. But some people were really into it and collecting the uneaten plates so they could have like 20 oysters. I also tried un peu de vin blanc! I figured I should considering the Bordeaux region is famous for its wine. It was just okay; I think I’ll stick to water...

The meal was pretty French; after the oysters and bread, they went around and gave everyone some ham to eat, and then later we all got two little cheese cubes. Fromage du chèvre (goat cheese) seems to be pretty popular here. Lastly, they gave us a sort of apple tart thing which was good.

Next, we headed off to La Dune du Pyla, which is the biggest sand dune in Europe! The program directors and the people at Oysterville kept saying that, and I at least was like, okay well

how many sand dunes are even in Europe?! But it was actually really cool, probably my favorite part of the excursion! It’s about 350 feet high, and you can either climb to the top by the stairs or by going straight up in the sand. I decided to be semi-adventurous and take the sand route. It was hard! If you think walking in dry sand is hard, try climbing 300 feet! But the view from the top is spectacular! On one side, all you can see is a huge green forest, and on the other side, there's the very blue ocean and the beach way below. After taking in the view at the top, me and another girl in the program decided to run all the way down to the beach on the other side. Running down was so fun! You go really fast, and the sand makes you kind of half slip down. We had to be back at the bus in like 15 minutes though so we just touched the water, took a few victory photos, and started the long trek back up, which took way longer. We were breathing hard and sweating at the top, but it was definitely worth it.

Lastly, we drove over to the beach, so we could experience European lack of inhibitions a nice French beach on the Atlantic. By that time, everyone was pretty tired; some people went in the water, but mostly we just sat on the beach and relaxed. The water here is warmer than at home, but I’m not exactly a swimmer.

The ride back was pretty silent, and I think everyone fell asleep. Last night was pretty quiet. Everyone was tired, and the internet on campus wasn’t working, so everyone just sort of hung around and went to sleep.

Today’s a Sunday, so France is pretty quiet. Most stores close early or don’t open at all on Sundays in France. However, there’s a big outdoor market along the river downtown in the morning, so I went to that with some other EAP kids. It wasn’t too crowded. It’s mostly food vendors, so we all bought bread to eat later, and we split a sort of cake/dessert bread that had cranberries in it for breakfast. The river is really petty in the morning. A lot of people jog or roller blade or walk their dogs along it. (Disappointingly enough, I've not seen a single poodle yet!)

Right now, me and a bunch of other EAP kids are at McDonald’s for the free wifi. Un peu pathétique to be in France and at a McDonald’s of all places! I’m pretty sure almost everyone has been here today because we ran into a ton of people walking back when we were coming here. We American college students need our internet!

À bientôt!