Over the Border: Francia

Friday, the CIDE program had planned trip to the south of France, so we all piled onto the bus at 7am (some had more trouble than others) and headed to Bayona (Bayonne). The visit wasn't so much a guided tour as it was a do-whatever-you-want sort of thing, which I liked. A group of us found a pastry shop that was TO DIE FOR, and I made sure to get my fruit tart fix. I still dream of it...

The best fruit tart of my liiife.

Then we went into a chocolaterie, because this particular town is well-known for its chocolate. Though I was full from the pastry, the hot chocolate was amazing- essentially a liquid chocolate bar. After exploring a bit, we got back into the bus and crossed the border back into Spain to stop at a small restaurant for lunch. Three courses later (I'm still trying to figure out the type of meat from the second dish), we went to Hondarribia, a town in Spain bordering France.

In Hondarribia, we walked through Old Town, and it really felt like walking through a movie. I can't believe people actually live in towns like this- and if anyone has seen Chocolat- it felt like I was in that town. We visited the Castillo de Carlos V, which was slightly unimpressive, and the Iglesia de Santa María. My favorite part, though, had to be the town itself rather than the important buildings.

Friends at Hondarribia