Enjoying the Last of Summer

Arcachon 
My friend Todd and I took the TER to the beach on Saturday. The train was so packed. Even though you buy a ticket, it doesn't guarantee a seat. Todd and I were running late so we snuck into first class. We were living on the wild side.

We arrived without a problem. We ran into some Californians from our groups. We sun bathed. We took a dip in the water. We met some other international students. It was really nice.

While in Arcachon we went to an aquarium and museum. It was really small but pretty entertaining. We watching two little spider crabs fight for like 15 minutes. It was quite entertaining. The museum also had all these stuffed creatures and animals. It was really weird. (However, when I told my friend Edouard about it, he thought it was weird we don't have those in the U.S. To each their own I guess!) Then we had some ice cream and headed home.

 crazy-ass-yoga starfish

Farmer's Market and Park
Today I went to the Farmer's Market with Edouard. It was quite nice. After I went to the park to do some studying with Lauren, Marina and Bryan. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera all day so... sorry 'bout that.

This is how I feel about tomorrow being Monday

Saturday - Arcachon

[Sorry guys, I am at Mc Donald's today, which is about a 2 mile walk from my dorm. The internet is down on campus, so I am here trying to post my blog. The pictures aren't uploading, so I will try to do it again at another time.]

Arcachon

We were informed we were going to the beach today and having oysters. None of us knew that was at two separate places. So, you could imagine our horror when we stepped off the bus and saw this:

Luckily. We were wrong.

Oysters

Our excursion started today at the Oyster Museum. We had a tour and everything. Who knew there were people so enthusiastic about oysters! After the tour, we had lunch at a local restaurant, which consisted of oysters, white wine, bread and cheese. So French, I know. I honestly tried to eat an oyster. You know, when in Rome? I couldn’t do it. I tried to just down it but my reflexes kicked in and my throat closed while my tongue proceeded to launch the gooey sea creature out of my mouth. Luckily there were tomatoes and olives for the vegetarians. A really filling lunch as you can see. We finished with apple pastries while the tide finally came in. It was really pretty.

Dune du Pyla

We hopped on our bus to see the Dune du Pyla. It is the largest sand dune in all of Europe. We stopped and got ice cream at the base of the dune, but it was the beginning of my demise. After about a fourth of the way, I didn’t think I could make it. My legs were burning from the pain and the ice cream in my stomach was weighing me down. Then, a little farther than the halfway mark, just as I was about to give up and turn back, an old little woman passed me. I stood shocked in disbelief. That was all the determination I needed. Man, oh man, it was pretty at the top.

Beach

After the dune we headed to a public beach. The Atlantic was much warmer than the Pacific in the California region. However, it was only warm enough to put my feet in.