As the title suggests, these past three weeks have had some of my best memories thus far on this trip! It's the happiest I've been. Wishing I didn't leave them all to just one blog post.
2 weekends ago, I decided to do a bike tour of Giverny, France. I needed a break from the city, and, since most of my friends were in Marseille, I was looking forward to having a fun day to myself. The tour group met at the train station I arrive in everyday, then we took the train to Vernon, France. When we arrived in Vernon, we walked to a local market held every Saturday and picked up picnic supplies for ourselves. Apples and Camembert cheese are the town's specialties, so I got apple cider, cheese, and a half of baguette. We then got our bikes and rode with our groceries in our baskets. We stopped at little spot along the Seine where we set up our picnic and sat down to listen to our tour guide's short lesson about Monet and his art. It was so relaxing being in the countryside with a beautiful view, English speakers, and a short art history lesson. Life doesn't get much better!
Once it was time to leave, I quickly learned that the apple cider I had been chugging was actually hard apple cider (no wonder it popped like a bottle of champagne), but I didn't feel that bad considering all the adults in the group had finished almost a bottle of wine each during the picnic. Just made the bike ride a little more interesting. After the picnic, we rode to the bike path that connects Vernon to Giverny. Not too far of a ride at all, and absolutely beautiful. The rolling farm hills were so colorful with the Autumn leaves, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. When we arrived in Giverny, we were let loose to explore the small town and walk to the main attraction- Monet's Garden. I think it might be my new favorite place that I've visited (even though I tend to say that about every new place I visit). It was so incredibly gorgeous. There are two parts to his garden: the flower garden and the Japanese-style water garden. I need a front yard like that! I highly recommend the trip to anyone who is coming to Paris or France. Totally worth it.
2 weekends ago, I decided to do a bike tour of Giverny, France. I needed a break from the city, and, since most of my friends were in Marseille, I was looking forward to having a fun day to myself. The tour group met at the train station I arrive in everyday, then we took the train to Vernon, France. When we arrived in Vernon, we walked to a local market held every Saturday and picked up picnic supplies for ourselves. Apples and Camembert cheese are the town's specialties, so I got apple cider, cheese, and a half of baguette. We then got our bikes and rode with our groceries in our baskets. We stopped at little spot along the Seine where we set up our picnic and sat down to listen to our tour guide's short lesson about Monet and his art. It was so relaxing being in the countryside with a beautiful view, English speakers, and a short art history lesson. Life doesn't get much better!
Once it was time to leave, I quickly learned that the apple cider I had been chugging was actually hard apple cider (no wonder it popped like a bottle of champagne), but I didn't feel that bad considering all the adults in the group had finished almost a bottle of wine each during the picnic. Just made the bike ride a little more interesting. After the picnic, we rode to the bike path that connects Vernon to Giverny. Not too far of a ride at all, and absolutely beautiful. The rolling farm hills were so colorful with the Autumn leaves, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. When we arrived in Giverny, we were let loose to explore the small town and walk to the main attraction- Monet's Garden. I think it might be my new favorite place that I've visited (even though I tend to say that about every new place I visit). It was so incredibly gorgeous. There are two parts to his garden: the flower garden and the Japanese-style water garden. I need a front yard like that! I highly recommend the trip to anyone who is coming to Paris or France. Totally worth it.
The following weekend, I saw a total of 7 friends from school who were visiting Paris. They are all studying in Florence and were on their 10 day Fall break. Seeing so many familiar faces was a huge breath of fresh air. I think I mentioned before how much I've been missing people from my school, so seeing them was exactly what I needed. Made me very happy.
That Saturday, I went to a Paris Saint Germaine soccer game. It was INSANE! I knew Europeans love their soccer, but being in a real European stadium was an amazing cultural experience. At the beginning of the game, the announcer said the players' numbers and the whole stadium shouted their name. They memorized their numbers! Very impressive. It was a very physical game with a lot of red cards and 2 penalty kicks. I was sitting right next to the Bordeaux fan section (our opponents), so I got to see all of the very aggressive words and hand gestures being thrown their way. They're ruthless here. I am really happy I decided to go to a game rather than just watch them on TV because it was a different side to the culture that I hadn't been able to see yet. PSG won 3-0.
That Saturday, I went to a Paris Saint Germaine soccer game. It was INSANE! I knew Europeans love their soccer, but being in a real European stadium was an amazing cultural experience. At the beginning of the game, the announcer said the players' numbers and the whole stadium shouted their name. They memorized their numbers! Very impressive. It was a very physical game with a lot of red cards and 2 penalty kicks. I was sitting right next to the Bordeaux fan section (our opponents), so I got to see all of the very aggressive words and hand gestures being thrown their way. They're ruthless here. I am really happy I decided to go to a game rather than just watch them on TV because it was a different side to the culture that I hadn't been able to see yet. PSG won 3-0.
The next day (Sunday) was our last chateau visit for the semester. We went to Vaux-le-Vicomte, only about an hour outside of Paris. We had teachers visiting from each school represented in our program, and they joined us on our visit. The teacher representing Elon was my French teacher which was a nice surprise. It was great seeing and catching up with her (especially since she promised me a spot in her very small class this spring). I am always surprised at how much I enjoy these chateau visits. I would never choose to visit so many, but they're all so breathtaking that I am thankful our program makes us go to them. They always end up being some of my favorite memories. This one had a huge garden with a statue of Hercules in the very back, so it was the goal to make it to Hercules. Another beautiful fall day. I have gotten so lucky with my weather this trip; it's been perfect.
This Saturday, I went to DISNEYLAND PARIS woohoo!!! They were having a special Halloween celebration where the villains take over the park, so I dressed up like Cruella Deville. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go because my dad, sister, and I are going to Disneyworld this December, but I'm really really glad I did. It was adorable. It was also really funny hearing the characters speak both French and English on the rides. They did a really good job at combining the two. There was also a Ratatouille ride which they do not have in the States. The best part was at the end of the night when they had an AMAZING light show on the castle. They alternated between singing the songs in French and English, and it was so funny to hear the translations (for example, "Be Our Guest" in French was "C'est La Fete", meaning "It's The Party"). It was a really great day.
(Sorry, not sure why all the pictures are sideways)
(Sorry, not sure why all the pictures are sideways)
That's all for now!!! I'm going to Barcelona and Ghent, Belgium this weekend for my fall break! I am meeting up with 3 of my best friends and I couldn't be more excited. Oh yeah, on top of all of that greatness, it's MY BIRTHDAY THIS SATURDAY woohoo!!!! (Cousin Mark, if you're reading this, happy almost birthday to you too). Lots of excitement ahead and I only have 26 days left until my first final / 5 weeks until I leave. Going to fly by! Maybe I should think about going into the Louvre one of these days....
A bientot!
Bisous,
Claire
A bientot!
Bisous,
Claire