Who knew a silly little border between two countries could make such a difference. On Friday I went to the Pais Vasco in France with our University. We went to the same basque country that is in Spain but in Spain and the people are so different there and really look french with the little hats and all even thoguh they are both considered the same "country" in the south of France and the North of Spain. They each speak french and spanish in addition to Euskera, the native Basque language. The bus ride was about an hour long, again always an adventure putting 35 twenty and twenty one year olds on one bus!
We went to a little ocean side town that smelled of fish and fresh air called Saint Jean de Luz. We saw a church and the beach, where you can see spain far to the left. We also walked downtown on the cobblestone streets and I can honestly say I had the best croissant of my life! I went to this little bakery and 2 of the 20 french words I know are chocolat and croissant so it was perfect.
Since the north of Spain is hugely developed since the idustrial perios in the 90's the cities are very different. In France, they are much more pristine and white. We went to a ritzy beach town next called Biarritz. A lot of the building, house and hotels were white with white fences right on the beach. We went to an enclosed market with the best looking cheese and fresh fruit and pastries everywhere! Then we walked along the boardwalk to a natural pier. It was very windy and beautiful with a great coastline view. Everyone has their cameras, so you can imagine 20 people at one time taking the same pictures, so I tried not to take that many, it is a little embarrasing when everyone around you is starting and it is not like Americans have a good reputation with the French or with anyone internationally already! We also made a very long stop at a pastry shop known as one of the best in Europe according to one of my professors.
Next, we headed to to the Basilica de Loyola and la Casa Torre. This was the birth place of Saint Ignazio who founded the Jesuit order, and is a huge deal. Next to his house was the church where it all started in the 1500's. It was pretty amazing to see everything in the old condition in which he lived. I was rainning when we arrived and there was fog and mist inbetween the mountains, it was beautiful. I am one of those people who loves rain!
So I am not very religous, but it was so interesting to learn about the Jesuits since USF is Jesuit and has all of the names of the buildings named after Ignazio and Pedro Arrupe and important people like them. So I felt a close connection to my school and understood a lot more about the motives behind the order. I learned a lot about Ignazio and his religious life and it was actually pretty interesting for the first time.
Well then we were on our way back on the bus in the rain on the highway and I hear a POP! ohh crap, what is that...hmm well a flat tire! Ya so 35 people on this bus in the middle of the mountain in Northern Spain with no transportation and no one around! We had to wait for another bus to come get us of course from Bilbao, about an hour away. So we waited an hour, on the bus- we couldn't get off cus it was rainning, in the dark- since the bus wouldn't start, in the cold with no food. No but it was fun, we talked and hung out. Not too horrible but definitely unexpected! I definitely want to go back to France, maybe Paris, but with a translator! I have this friend Antoni, who is French and would be perfect for that job!
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