Toussaints

Next week is Toussaints (All Saints' Day), and as a result we had a week and a half break from school. Woohoo! As a result, I took a little jaunt up to Saint Malo and Paris.

To start my trip off right, I fell prey to the French train system. I was supposed to take a train from Albi to Toulouse, then at Toulouse take a train to Nantes (with a stop in Bourdeux), then take a train to Rennes, and finally take a train to Saint Malo, all in under 10 hours! However, once I arrived in Toulouse, I found out that the track in between Montauban and Agen (where my train needed to go) was having issues, so I was herded onto a bus and dropped off in Agen. I assumed there would be a

training waiting for us there, but, being France, we were just left there, with no explanation and no connecting train. Luckily, I was able to catch a train to Paris, wait in Gare Montparnasse for 2 hours, then take a connecting train to Rennes, grab dinner, and finally take a train to Saint Malo, with only 5 additional hours added to my trip!

Saint Malo was worth the additional 5 hours. By the time I got there, it was 9:45, so I couldn't do any sight-seeing, but the next morning, I woke up bright and early. I was planning on going to Mont St. Michel, but I missed the one bus going there. I'm glad I did!

I ended up visiting La Ville Intra-Muros, a walled part of the city right on the water. There are multiple small islands right near the beach,each containing forts built around the 17th century to protect from British and Dutch fleets. Some have paths going up to them, but others you can only reach at low tide. There were a couple that seemed to only be reachable by boat. I spent the morning exploring the islands, and just walking along the beach. Being from Southern California, I am used to having the beach around me all the time. I navigate by it, I watch the sun set over it, and I just generally feel better knowing that it's there. That has been one of the things I missed most living out here. As a result, the beaches of Saint Malo were a welcome

change from land-locked Albi.

One of them, Grand Bé, contained the grave of the author Chateaubriand. This wouldn't have been hugely of interest to me, if not for the sign. It means "A great french writer wanted to rest here to hear only the sea and the wind. P

asserbys respect his last wishes." There was something very beautiful to that sentiment, and as a result I think everyone visiting took it upon themselves to make sure his final wish was fulfilled.

Once I walked the length of the beach, I explored Intra-Muros. There was a beautiful cathedral (Cathédrale St. Vincent) with stained glass windows. That may seem par for the course in France, but this one had abstract glass windows, made of thousan

ds of curved pieces. As someone who has done stained glass, let me tell you, getting all those curved pieces to fit is HARD.

On my way back to the hotel, I walked on the beach again, and saw all these people standing around this inlet digging in the sand with these little rakes. At first, I actually thought they were digging for treasure, since Saint Malo is famous for being a privateer town, which would lend itself to buried treasure. However, as I got close, I realized they were digging for coquillages, which are like cockles. I actually one of the

old women to show me what she was digging for, and she is the one who told me the name.

The next day I went to Paris, and it was weird to be back there after living there. I visited my old stomping grounds, but it didn't feel the same as it did before. The whole time I was just waiting to go back home and buy a cup of coffee for half the price it was in Paris.

Overall, it was a pretty good break, but I am glad to be home and resuming my normal life.