A Literal Day Trip

     Today started at 5h30 am. Our train left Gare Ste. Jean at 7h27 and my host family had told me it would take at least 45 mins to get there by tram. I was out of the house by 6h05 and the day was en route. At the same time, Lea, Adrianna, Sandy, Alina and Coral were braving the same -4 degrees C morning from different corners of Bordeaux to go to Bayonne--a small town in Basque country, 11km from the Spanish border.
     As we boarded the train and got settled, the sun began to rise and the first set of laughter exploded. I had just bitten into my banana muffin and found...an entire banana cooked inside. Now, normally, the banana in any sort of baked good is at least mushed up a little, but no, not in France. There was a whole cooked banana in my muffin. Tons of disruptive laughter ensued as everyone tried it.

     We got to Bayonne around 9h30 and it was frigid. I don't think I've ever seen my breathe as white as it was this morning. We had heard that Bayonne was famous for 4 things: mayonnaise, chocolate, ham and walking sticks. The first three were true--the walking sticks, however, were less prevalent to our day.

    After the most advanced conversation in Franglais I've ever had with the woman in the tourist office (simply because neither of us cared what language was spoken), we had our agenda set: wander to find the ham museum, tapas/sangria lunch, and chocolate factory.
     During our wandering, the now-dubbed Tour-guide Sandy taught us about the old chateau (and the new one), the churches and the royal tennis courts (that we never actually saw...). We stopped at a patisserie because the ham museum was closed and had freshly baked chocolatines (The south-west French version of chocolate croissants) and less-freshly baked Basque cakes and cookies. Best. Warm. Chocolatines, Ever. I'm glad the ham museum was closed or else I would have never tasted the euphoric deliciousness that was those chocolatines.

    We went to an outdoor/indoor market, when a choir showed up on the top floor and busted out in perfect harmony--complete with a cello. It feel like a flash mob--French church style...
     We then saught out a restaurant that fit our needs: warm, tapas and sangria. We found one that had patient waiters that put up with our confusing order of 3 appetizers and 2 entrées for 6 people--and 2 pitchers of sangria. This meal was amazing: native ham, salad, asparagus with native mayonnaise, salmon and an array of meat. Topped with the best sangria in the world. Nom nom nom.

     With satisfied stomachs and a ton of laughs, we set off for our dessert at the chocolate factory. After walking for 20 minutes, we finally found the factory in Sketchville, France. But man, was the trek worth it. We learned about how to make chocolate--from bean to bar and got to sample as much as we wanted--ending with a pepper chocolate (weird..). Food coma has never felt so sweet.
    We boarded the train around 5h50, or dusk (hence the title: a literal day trip--we were only in Bayonne when it was light/daytime), and were excited to get out of the freezing air and relax for the two hour train ride back to Bordeaux. Coral and Adrianna were seated in another car while the adventure for Lea, Sandy, Alina and I just got better. While we were eating Alina's hazelnut butter on bread, two older French men and one older French woman were opening beer bottles on the train tables. As we (non-discretely) stared at their skill, they started a conversation that ended with them giving us each a bottle of San Miguel Spainish beer and us giving them hazelnut butter. Fair exchange in my book. Needless to say, Coral and Adrianna missed out. Best train ride yet.

    And honestly, best day here so far. We got out of Bordeaux and back for less than 30e, ate our weight in chocolate for 5e and had a delicious meal for 11.50e. Job well done ladies, and Basque country-- see you for ham week 2011!