A Hike By The Seaside and My Upcoming Solo-Travel Plans

I was drawn to Saint Malo by a book that made me cry, which wouldn’t be too shocking to anyone who knows me. I read All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr a few years ago and watched the mini-series based on it on Netflix that came out in 2023. I fell in love with not only the story but the setting as well. The story takes place in the walled city of Saint Malo, which was one of the most heavily bombed areas during World War II and reading about it’s destruction made me curious about what it was like before that and what it must be like now. 

The first thing I did when I arrived (after playing with the adorable cat in our Airbnb) was hike to the tomb of the classic French romantic writer Chateaubriand, who I had studied in my French literature class a few weeks earlier. The friend I was traveling with needed to get some work done so I walked by myself. The tomb is on a small island off the beach and it can only be reached at low tide, the hike is beautiful and offers what is, in my opinion, the best view of the city. It was supposed to rain all weekend but that day it was sunny and lovely. I had forgotten my airpods at home so I went on this fairly long walk with only my thoughts to keep me company, which is pretty rare for me if I’m honest but I really enjoyed it. I heard birds singing and waves and snippets of French conversation that I would have otherwise missed. 

I’ve always travelled with friends or family, but I really enjoyed exploring the city on my own that first day. I had a great time later when my friend joined me but there was something peaceful about seeing a city for the first time on my own. So I’m excited to say that after my program ends I have plans for my first solo-trip in Amsterdam (yes, also a trip inspired by a sad book). Traveling by myself was one of my goals during my semester abroad, but if I’m honest I was pretty anxious to commit to it. I’ve learned during my semester in Paris that if I always wait for someone to do something with me I’ll miss out on a lot of really wonderful things. 

I took a train to Versailles one day on my own when my friends were busy, showed up to excursions without checking that someone I knew was going too. Those things might not seem big but the idea that I might have missed them because I was scared to do them alone is really sad. I’ve missed out on a lot of things that way, my first year in college I’d miss meals because I didn’t want to go to the dining hall alone. I don’t want to do that anymore. So if there’s something you want to do this is your sign to do it, the only way to find out what’s out there is by being brave and doing it.