Mon Dieu, je suis fatiguée….It takes a lot out of a girl gallivanting around France visiting medieval cathédrales and the home of a certain famous French painter. Maybe it had something to do with staying up until 1h30 last night at a soirée dansante (dance party!) on a boat that was supposed to croisière sur la Seine (cruise on the Seine)but never actually left the dock because there were 200 people too many on board…super planning by Le River’s King company. It was an event sponsored by Club International des Jeunes à Paris (CIJP), a group for les jeunes (young people) that our program recommended we join. I had fun with my friends but I was ready to leave by 1h30 so I could conveniently grab the last metro home. I’m still a little nervous to take the Noctilien (night bus). I’ve been told it can be a little sketchy….
(Note for all future visitors to the Paris night scene: Middle school French teachers LIE. Nobody calls clubs les discothèques anymore. I have received strict instructions to call it a boîte de nuit. Nobody wants to be unhip, right?! )
Today was our Monet day! We visited Giverny and continued on to Rouen for the afternoon. We had a very interesting start to the day, to say the least. It started with me yelling into my phone “run, run!” to a friend who was late for the bus but standing on the sidewalk less than 500ft behind us as we were moving (but she didn’t see our tiny bus). Long story short, it was very amusing to watch as our bus driver got off the bus and tried to chase down our friend (she was walking in the wrong direction), who, when seeing a strange man chasing her and telling her to “Viens!” (Come!) began walking even faster away from him. She finally made it onto the bus and we were on our way!
Giverny was absolutely wonderful. Even though it is mid September, les fleurs and les jardins were still spectacular. Le jardin d’eau (the water garden) was actually smaller than I expected. In my head, I imagined that there would be pond after pond filled with les nymphéas (water lilies), Monet having to search for hours to find the perfect spot to paint his next chef d’oeuvre (masterpiece). It wasn’t nearly quite this big but I can’t say that I was at all disappointed.
After leaving Giverny, we drove to Rouen. I think it took around 40 minutes but I’m not exactly sure; I was too busy staring out the window at le paysage français (the countryside) to pay attention to my watch. So, we get off the bus in Rouen in front of a beautiful Gothic cathedral, so of course, I assumed that it was the Rouen Cathedral, the cathedral in the famous Monet series. There I was, snapping away with my little camera, bugging my friends to take my picture in front of the cathedral…..later in the day we figured out that Rouen has not one, not two, but three cathedrals! The Rouen Cathedral in the Monet series is actually le Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, the third cathedral we found during our exploration of the town. Good thing we kept treking instead of plopping down in a cafe! I know, I know…. I probably should have known this beforehand but wouldn’t you assume too that if you get off a bus in Rouen in front of a cathedral next to the Office de Tourisme that it’s the Monet cathedral?! Well, I have certainly learned my European cathedral lesson: Never assume that the first cathedral you see is the only cathedral in town!
Ok, I must get to bed. This weekend is Journée du Patrimoine (heritage weekend) so there are tons of free tours tomorrow that aren't available at any other point in the year. No rest for the weary when you are in Paris!
À bientôt
(Note for all future visitors to the Paris night scene: Middle school French teachers LIE. Nobody calls clubs les discothèques anymore. I have received strict instructions to call it a boîte de nuit. Nobody wants to be unhip, right?! )
Today was our Monet day! We visited Giverny and continued on to Rouen for the afternoon. We had a very interesting start to the day, to say the least. It started with me yelling into my phone “run, run!” to a friend who was late for the bus but standing on the sidewalk less than 500ft behind us as we were moving (but she didn’t see our tiny bus). Long story short, it was very amusing to watch as our bus driver got off the bus and tried to chase down our friend (she was walking in the wrong direction), who, when seeing a strange man chasing her and telling her to “Viens!” (Come!) began walking even faster away from him. She finally made it onto the bus and we were on our way!
Giverny was absolutely wonderful. Even though it is mid September, les fleurs and les jardins were still spectacular. Le jardin d’eau (the water garden) was actually smaller than I expected. In my head, I imagined that there would be pond after pond filled with les nymphéas (water lilies), Monet having to search for hours to find the perfect spot to paint his next chef d’oeuvre (masterpiece). It wasn’t nearly quite this big but I can’t say that I was at all disappointed.
After leaving Giverny, we drove to Rouen. I think it took around 40 minutes but I’m not exactly sure; I was too busy staring out the window at le paysage français (the countryside) to pay attention to my watch. So, we get off the bus in Rouen in front of a beautiful Gothic cathedral, so of course, I assumed that it was the Rouen Cathedral, the cathedral in the famous Monet series. There I was, snapping away with my little camera, bugging my friends to take my picture in front of the cathedral…..later in the day we figured out that Rouen has not one, not two, but three cathedrals! The Rouen Cathedral in the Monet series is actually le Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, the third cathedral we found during our exploration of the town. Good thing we kept treking instead of plopping down in a cafe! I know, I know…. I probably should have known this beforehand but wouldn’t you assume too that if you get off a bus in Rouen in front of a cathedral next to the Office de Tourisme that it’s the Monet cathedral?! Well, I have certainly learned my European cathedral lesson: Never assume that the first cathedral you see is the only cathedral in town!
Ok, I must get to bed. This weekend is Journée du Patrimoine (heritage weekend) so there are tons of free tours tomorrow that aren't available at any other point in the year. No rest for the weary when you are in Paris!
À bientôt
Wow, my 69 year-old host mother was right. I was calling it a discotheque and she was like "oh in my day we called it a boite de nuit". I was like, yeah ok little old lady whatever. I should listen to her more often, shes more hip than I am...
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