Let me tell you about one of the biggest perks of being a semester student: the day trips. Throughout the semester, on St. John’s dime, as a program, we go on three-day trips. The first one we did was this past Friday to Saint-Malo, in the Bretagne region of France.
First thing, the only downside of the day trip was that I had to be at the train station at 6:45 am. Being the very smart individual I am, I also went out the night before for some fun beverages with my friends for one of my friends’ birthdays, so maybe that made waking up a bit harder than it would have been if I had made wiser decisions. However, that nap on the train saved my life. What I was awake for the train ride was also beautiful; it was a great way to see France. I am not used to living in Paris.
When we first arrived in Saint Malo, we took a little walking tour around the city. It was stunning; I did not expect to see clear blue waters in northern France, but they do exist. It’s also a cool place historically, with ruins of castles on the islands that are right off the mainland beach. The city portion of it was also sort of what I expected, with the architecture you see around France.
The next portion was, I think, the nicest lunch I have ever had at Le Bistro Autour Du Beurre. Maison Bordier owns this restaurant, which is famous for making butter and has many shops across France. So, of course, we started with a butter flight with house-made butters. My personal favorite was the onion butter, but other notable ones were raspberry, yuzu and chili pepper. All of them were, of course delish. Next thing we tried was apple juice, not just any apple juice, but vanilla apple juice. I think it is the best apple juice I have ever had in my entire life. The last of the starters I had was, of course, charcuterie; the cheese was amazing, as it is throughout France.
One common theme throughout French dining for me is the lack of vegetarian options, so when it came to ordering a main course, I was super limited. I ordered what I thought was a salad. It ended up being this warm lettuce and spinach puree with one slice of tomato and MUSTARD ICE CREAM. You read that right. I would say it is one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted. I may not fully understand fine dining. I would love to meet the chef who came up with this concept and ask what they were thinking.
Following the meal we had about two hours of free time. I used mine to get my souvenir, which of course is a magnet, and then met my friends at the beach. The water was surprisingly not super cold and was crystal clear. I didn’t bring a swimsuit, so I spent my beach time chatting with my friends and collecting sea glass to bring back for my aunt.
The last thing we did, and one of the best things I have eaten in France so far, was koign-amann. If you don’t know what that is, it is layers of buttery pastry with sugar on top and I got mine with Nutella, of course. I haven’t seen this at many bakeries in the U.S., and we should make it more popular. My mom and I always used to get them, so, as well as being delish, they made me a little homesick.