Day Eleven - Brest, France

Day Eleven – in Brest, France

This morning we landed in Brest, France!! I didn’t really know what to expect in this city that is located in the northern hemisphere of France and to be honest I had no idea what we were going to do today! Caitlin, Sam, Caleb, and I took the shuttle and got off at a stop where there was a humongous old military fort. I later learned from Mark that this is a fort in which the Germans camped out during World War II and they refused to leave until finally the Allied Forces forced them too, and when their Commander came out of the fort, he refused to surrender because the Forces had sent a lower rank general to negotiate with him…and the German commander said “I don’t see your merit…where is your worth?” And the Allied Forces commander pointed at his troops and said “THEY are my worth.”

Sorry to get off on that tangent I just thought that was a really cool story…seeing all these places has actually greatly increased my interest in history. I’ve always liked American History but never been much for World History until seeing some of these, places, honestly. I feel like I need to go back to every country I’ve ever been to because I would appreciate it so much more now.

So anyways, after wandering around the fort for a bit, we managed to locate some wifi and connect with everyone back home temporarily before we met up with Eric, Mark, Taylor, Tyler, and Alex. We ran into them at a local street market that was taking place in one of the avenues in this city. They had some beautiful spices, vegetables, and a little bit of everything else out. It was like heaven just to walk through it. I ended up getting some food a little bit later but I sadly don’t remember the name of it – it was basically the French equivalent of a chicken ranch wrap and it was heavenly.

After we walked up and down the market a couple times, we toured the city and found lots of pretty gardens and parks. These areas were very kept up and manicured but most of the city was very dirty and had lots of littering. We’ve also noticed a lot of graffiti in France so far…but from what I remember, Rome is worse.

We walked down JFK Drive and FDR Road which I found very interesting…and Caleb and Tyler found a park to throw the Frisbee in for a bit. Then I had to do something disgusting. I had foolishly made a comment the night I was seasick that as soon as I got on land I would kiss the ground because I would be so happy to be on still land and then I shook Sam’s hand in agreement that I would actually do it. So to keep my word, I had to kiss the nasty French ground. Ew. Don’t worry, the proof is documented on video.

After that wonderful experience, we went and found the American monument. This was a beautifully erected monument over looking the water that had the following engraved on the side: “Erected by the United States of America to commemorate the achievements of the naval forces of the United States and France during the World War.” I absolutely love going to Washington D.C. and seeing those sights but there’s just something even more special about seeing something from your homeland in a foreign country.

After having that splendid American experience, we had a very FRENCH experience. We ran into a couple typical French guys (while we were in a huge group of guys and girls – so dad and Austin don’t worry) who invited us to have lunch with them across the road in a little diner. So we sat there and talked with them and let me tell you they are your stereotypical French 20 year olds. Picture a young French man…with his arrogance, love for alcohol, and heavy French accent…and that was these two guys. They were hilarious. They taught us some funny French words and definitely enriched our French experience.

Following that, Mark, Sam, Tyler, Taylor, and I went and got some lunch and headed back to the ship. A couple of us watched the ship take off from the dock and it was one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever watched…little white sailboats in the distance, mountains filling the background, and a deep blue water like you’ve never seen before.

Then our whole group went to watch Caleb, Tyler, and Eric participate in the speed rockclimbing competition! Caleb took home a medal and all three guys did a great job.

After that it was dinner time and then more importantly: FLASH MOB TIME. I finally achieved one of my life dreams to be in a flash mob and it was SO much fun! It was really fun to do it with the older crowd too…I had a few people come up to me today and say what a treat our younger group was. They said normally younger kids are loud and obnoxious and make them feel old, but we were a treat to have and were very well behaved. I could not have asked for better shipmates in this older crowd if I had planned it myself J

After the flashmob, I witnessed the most beautiful sunset of my entire life. I took a picture but there is no way it does it 1/100^th of the justice that it deserves. The sun set right over the water and it literally took my breath away. I’ve seen many beautiful sunsets but I’ve never seen anything like this.

That image was hard to top that night so a lot of us just hung around and talked and then hit the sack. Tomorrow is another day at a port in France so it’s time to rest up!

Until next time,

MC