When can I move in?

This weekend six friends and I rented an apartment in Biarritz (French Basque Country), and spent a relaxing time exploring the picturesque beach town, and of course indulging in the three French staples: cheese, bread, and wine. Even though Biarritz is only 11 miles north of the Spanish-French border, it felt great to have a change of scenery. Everyone knows it, but let’s just hammer home the stereotype: France is just so damn charming. Adorable (and mouth-watering) patisseries, quaint architecture, specialty cheese shops, and street signs that I can’t pronounce but that sound so romantic. France actually has a very similar English-assistant program, and just being there for 48 hours made me want to study French and apply for that position a different year. (Except French lattes are twice as expensive as Spanish ones!!)

First French meal was a raging success.

Chelsea, me and Taylor

Our apartment rental through AirBnB.

Renting an apartment through AirBnB was a great idea. We had the one-bedroom flat to ourselves, and although it was cramped (we squeezed 7 people in!), it was great to have our own place to relax, cook, shower and play endless card games with wine in hand. The only hiccup during our stay was that the owner forgot to tell us that the entrance code to the building changes at night–we were locked out at midnight in the rain for an hour, and eventually had to enlist the help of the local police to make our way back in. Still though–thumbs way up!

About The Author

Jenny

Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.