Unlike most stops on this trip around Europe, our group would only be spending one night in Bordeaux. By the time we arrived at the hostel, the sun was already down. Thus began our one night in Bordeaux!

Bordeaux felt very similar to Paris. Everything was very cute and the streets were beautiful. Our tour manager took us on a small walking tour around the city centre, where we made a necessary stop to buy some canelés de Bordeaux – delicious vanilla rum cakes. They definitely warmed the soul as we continued our adventure.

When we all decided it was too cold outside to continue, she let us split up for dinner. There didn’t seem to be much open on the day we happened to be there, but a few of us ended up finding a cute restaurant called Le Cajou Caffé where we sipped on mulled wine and I tried French veal.

It was so nice to sit down after a long day on the bus, drink some wine, and chit chat with the girls over dinner.

*Mulled wine with orange and a sugar stir stick*

Once we’d finished eating, we headed towards the Houses of Parliament English pub we’d be meeting everyone else at for a trivia night!

A lot of the trivia questions were music-based – they’d play a song and we had to write down the title and artist. Then there were some multiple choice politics and science questions, and back to music. They also had a round where one person from each team had to fold and throw a paper airplane for bonus points – which was very fun to watch as halfway through the contest, everyone was at least a few drinks deep.

I think our team did pretty well, can’t really remember. Winning wasn’t important – it was all about the Guinness, the music, and the laughs. I don’t even know how late it was when I snuck back into my hostel room and fell asleep.

The next morning, our tour manager had a surprise in store. On our way to Spain, we would make one last stop in France at the Dune du Pilat – a large, quite random sand dune in the middle of France that has a wonderfully beautiful view of the ocean.

What I didn’t anticipate was that it would be so hard to climb.

*Top of the world views of the Dune du Pilat*

Of course it would be hard to climb – have you ever walked in sand before? There’s no such thing as getting your footing, when the ground is literally sliding beneath you.

The hike up the hill seemed to take twice as long as it should have. Bundled in my coat, scarf and hat to protect against the wind, but sweating from all the work. I was panting the whole way and definitely paused to consider if I would be able to continue. My legs felt like jelly. I’m not a particularly active person.

But I made it, and man, was it worth the effort!

The views were beautiful, both of the sand and the ocean. That morning I woke up having no idea that I’d be climbing a sand dune in France, but there I was.

I think that was my favourite part about this kind of group trip – the spontaneity. If I had planned every detail myself, I’d have stuck to a schedule and anticipated every turn. But with someone else calling the shots, I’d be surprised a few times by the activities we’d be doing.

We’d hit up a restaurant I never would have thought to try, we’d walk down a neat alleyway I wouldn’t have chosen to venture down, or we’d end up hiking to the top of a very tall sand dune.