I think my travels have been jinxed by Murphy's Law- what can go wrong, will go wrong. (French translation:
« Tout ce qui peut mal tourner, va mal tourner. »)
I'll be returning to the U.S. tomorrow with a broken pinky finger. It is quite the embarassing story- I was riding a bike last Thursday with my seven year old Frech cousins in their neighborhood and fell. I was going down a hill back to their house, went too fast because I did not know how to work the gear on the bike, and before I knew it I was on the ground with a
doigt cassé- a broken finger. At least I didn't wait long at the emergency room! I have a cast around my right hand now, but luckily I'm left-handed so the cast should be minimally annoying. While my cousins were helpful and concened, as soon as I returned from the hospital they wanted to make sure we could still go to the movies that evening- which we did. Murphy has not gotten the best of me!
The very next day my newly-aquired cast and I met up with one of my good college friends in Paris for the weekend. One the the major highlights of the weekend was unexpectingly crashing two weddings on the same day. On Saturday, while we were waiting for our train to Giverny at the Paris Saint-Lazare station, we explored the nearby Saint Augustine church. We noticed that some nicely-dressed people were waiting outside the church, but we were still able to enter the sanctuary. As we finished our walk around the church, we finally noticed the wedding program and decided to sit/stand with some other tourists in the very back of the church as the bride entered. Then once we had arrived at
Claude Monet's House and Gardens later that afternoon, we saw another couple and their wedding party taking pictures around the property. What a beautiful idea! Fun fact: Monet prevailed in creating his Japanese-inspired water garden despite the objections of his neighbors to the garden (who were worried about invasive plant species).
Continuing on the Monet-inspired journey, we saw Monet's famous
Les Nymphéas (Water Lilies) at the Musée de l'Orangerie the next day and other impressionist works at the Musée d'Orsay. It was truly spectacular to go from the gardens at Giverny that inspired Monet to the museums that house his paintings. (Travel tip: Many museums around France are free the first Sunday of the month, but expect long lines!)
Here are the picture and video highlights of the weekend:
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| The Louvre at sunset |
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| Le Clos Normand garden in front of Monet's house |
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| Le jardin d'eau at Monet's House and Gardens |
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| Le jardin d'eau at Monet's House and Gardens |
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| Le jardin d'eau at Monet's House and Gardens |
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Monet's House
Video of the Eiffel Tower light show:
(Travel tip: The Eiffel Tower light show starts at 10 pm every night and only lasts five mintues, so find a spot to watch before it begins.) |
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| La Tour Eiffel |
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| View from the Arc de Triomphe |
I had a wonderful time touring Paris with my friend and we certainly left no stone unturned- We visited Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Monet's House and Gardens at Giverny, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée de l'Orangerie, and the Musée d'Orsay! We even managed to squeeze in a Seine River cruise!
Nonetheless, I am super excited to head back home!
À la prochaine France!
