This morning we woke up to Giverny! It was the home of Claude Monet for the last 23 years of his life. We had a guided tour of the house and gardens in the morning so we had to get up early! By the time Monet moved to Giverney, he was successful painter and could finally afford a house to fis fancily of 10!
There's no parking close to the house, because Monet lived very close to town. So we walked about 2 blocks through town to get to the museum. We started our tour in the gardens, just as it was starting to warm up. The water lily gardens were first, the lilies were just starting to open in the morning. Did you know that Monet had the stream diverted specifically to create his ponds? They were created specifically to his hone and for hin to paint. We were told Monet was inspired by the Japanese gardens when creating his lily gardens. While he never visited Japan himself, he had excellent relations with the Japanese. Many Japanese come and make a point to visit his gardens. We were overtaken by one such tour group while in the gardens and had a really hard time escaping them!
After the lily gardens, with their beautiful bridges, we moved on to the more traditional flower gardens. I can't even imagine the army of gardeners then and now that have to be employed to keep that garden looking so pristine. The colors were absolutely amazing.
The tour then led us into the house. I want to decorate my house like Monet! His house looked so normal on the outside, bit painted with such beautifully bright colors on the inside, in combinations I'd be too nervous to paint myself.
The wonder of being in the painter's house was marred only by the Japanese group pushing their way through the house and jumping into photos. I had a hard time getting pictures without a million people in them.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart
We are in Paris! It is a beautiful city, straddling the river Seine. Everywhere we went we saw cafés, bridges, and lots of people! I'll take our whirlwind tour day by day.
Day 1
We arrived in Paris jet lagged after a 7 hour overnight flight. After getting to our boat, we were informed that we would not be able to access our cabins until 3pm, it was only 9:30am then. So we after lunch we set off down the river to see the Eiffel Tower! It was a 15 minute walk to the base of the tower, which can a be seen from anywhere in the city. The tower is massive. It is impossible to get the whole tower in one picture if you are standing anywhere near it, Underneath the tower it was crawling with people. Some were waiting to climb the stairs, some for the elevator, and many, like us, were just there to take it all in. There were sidewalk vendors everywhere as well, but not as pushy as some I have met. They say the Eiffel tower is repainted every 5 years. I'm guessing it takes 5 years to paint a it once.
When we got back we checked out our cabins, cozy but comfortable. very much like my SAS cabin. Dinner was a sit-down affair with the whole ship, and 7 courses later they rolled us back downstairs.
Day 2
We began our second day in Paris bright and early with a bus tour of Paris. It's a rather spread out city, due to the massiveness of the palaces and mansions that stretch out for blocks. We crossed back and forth over the Seine at least 10 times on different bridges as we wound our way to thee famous monuments.
Our first stop was the Hotel les Invalides. It's the military hospital with a enormous ornate dome. Our tour guide explained that the dome was constructed to decorate the entrance King Louis (can't remember which one) used to visit his soldiers through. We drove past the Louvre, with it's contrasting 18th century architecture and modern entrance. The Arc dr Triumph was next on our list, as was the square Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI lots their heads. The middle of the square boasts a massive obelisk, a gift from Egypt thanking the French for decoding the Rosetta Stone.
Our last stop on ten bus tour was the beautiful Luxembourg gardens. Walking through the perfectly manicured lawns and trees, you could imagine fashionable men and women of another age strolling the same paths with ease. It is also where the 3rd Statue of Liberty stands. It turns out there are four statues of liberty, the one in New York, and three in France. The smallest is the artists model, which sits at the Louvre.
We left the tour when it headed back to the boat and opted to remain in the city center. Our goal was to make it to the Notre Dame cathedral, but hunger got to us first. So we had our first French cafe experience. It was so-so, as we speak little French and the waiter spoke little English. But with our hunger abated we moved on, pausing on the key bridge. To take in the view. The bridges of Paris are all unique, but hid bridge has iron mesh rails. It has become tradition for couples to write their names on a small lock, attaching it to the bridge, and throwing the key into the Seine, signifying t heir everlasting love. The bridge is covered in these locks and has a very romantic feel.
We finally made it to the Notre Dame cathedral. It was unforgettable. Set in the middle of an island in the middle of the Seine, it is the centerpiece of Paris. The architecture is starting to wear after centuries of weather and wear, but it does not diminish its majesty. The windows are beautiful, I tagged along on a tour group for a few stops to learn about the rose windows.
After walking all through Notre Dame, we parted ways with Grandma, Papa, Aunt Patti and Kurt and headed off to the Louvre. We walked through the gardens and made our way to the the pyramids. It's amazing when you see something in the movies or in a picture and go to see it and it's just as you imagine! The pyramids, both outside and inside are spectacular, clear and reflecting the architecture surrounding it. We went into the annex of the Louvre which flows into an underground shopping mall! I of course had to stop at the Apple store!
We walked back outside and through the Tuillerie garden, the statue gardens outside of the Louvre. The statues ranged from classical to modern and were framed by landscaping. My personal favorite was a statue of a man with his head in his hands. When we walked by a pigeon was sitting on his head and it looked like it was really upsetting him. The French man walking behind me thought so too!
After searching for a cab for a while we finally made it back to the ship for dinner, but not without a stop to see France's Statue of Liberty. This one is about a quarter of the NYC one and was given to French by the people of New York as a thank you. It bears the same inscription on her tablet with a French translation underneath.
On to Giverney!
Day 1
We arrived in Paris jet lagged after a 7 hour overnight flight. After getting to our boat, we were informed that we would not be able to access our cabins until 3pm, it was only 9:30am then. So we after lunch we set off down the river to see the Eiffel Tower! It was a 15 minute walk to the base of the tower, which can a be seen from anywhere in the city. The tower is massive. It is impossible to get the whole tower in one picture if you are standing anywhere near it, Underneath the tower it was crawling with people. Some were waiting to climb the stairs, some for the elevator, and many, like us, were just there to take it all in. There were sidewalk vendors everywhere as well, but not as pushy as some I have met. They say the Eiffel tower is repainted every 5 years. I'm guessing it takes 5 years to paint a it once.
When we got back we checked out our cabins, cozy but comfortable. very much like my SAS cabin. Dinner was a sit-down affair with the whole ship, and 7 courses later they rolled us back downstairs.
Day 2
We began our second day in Paris bright and early with a bus tour of Paris. It's a rather spread out city, due to the massiveness of the palaces and mansions that stretch out for blocks. We crossed back and forth over the Seine at least 10 times on different bridges as we wound our way to thee famous monuments.
Our first stop was the Hotel les Invalides. It's the military hospital with a enormous ornate dome. Our tour guide explained that the dome was constructed to decorate the entrance King Louis (can't remember which one) used to visit his soldiers through. We drove past the Louvre, with it's contrasting 18th century architecture and modern entrance. The Arc dr Triumph was next on our list, as was the square Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI lots their heads. The middle of the square boasts a massive obelisk, a gift from Egypt thanking the French for decoding the Rosetta Stone.
Our last stop on ten bus tour was the beautiful Luxembourg gardens. Walking through the perfectly manicured lawns and trees, you could imagine fashionable men and women of another age strolling the same paths with ease. It is also where the 3rd Statue of Liberty stands. It turns out there are four statues of liberty, the one in New York, and three in France. The smallest is the artists model, which sits at the Louvre.
We left the tour when it headed back to the boat and opted to remain in the city center. Our goal was to make it to the Notre Dame cathedral, but hunger got to us first. So we had our first French cafe experience. It was so-so, as we speak little French and the waiter spoke little English. But with our hunger abated we moved on, pausing on the key bridge. To take in the view. The bridges of Paris are all unique, but hid bridge has iron mesh rails. It has become tradition for couples to write their names on a small lock, attaching it to the bridge, and throwing the key into the Seine, signifying t heir everlasting love. The bridge is covered in these locks and has a very romantic feel.
We finally made it to the Notre Dame cathedral. It was unforgettable. Set in the middle of an island in the middle of the Seine, it is the centerpiece of Paris. The architecture is starting to wear after centuries of weather and wear, but it does not diminish its majesty. The windows are beautiful, I tagged along on a tour group for a few stops to learn about the rose windows.
After walking all through Notre Dame, we parted ways with Grandma, Papa, Aunt Patti and Kurt and headed off to the Louvre. We walked through the gardens and made our way to the the pyramids. It's amazing when you see something in the movies or in a picture and go to see it and it's just as you imagine! The pyramids, both outside and inside are spectacular, clear and reflecting the architecture surrounding it. We went into the annex of the Louvre which flows into an underground shopping mall! I of course had to stop at the Apple store!
We walked back outside and through the Tuillerie garden, the statue gardens outside of the Louvre. The statues ranged from classical to modern and were framed by landscaping. My personal favorite was a statue of a man with his head in his hands. When we walked by a pigeon was sitting on his head and it looked like it was really upsetting him. The French man walking behind me thought so too!
After searching for a cab for a while we finally made it back to the ship for dinner, but not without a stop to see France's Statue of Liberty. This one is about a quarter of the NYC one and was given to French by the people of New York as a thank you. It bears the same inscription on her tablet with a French translation underneath.
On to Giverney!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Morning In Paris the City Awakes
Good morning! right now we're flying over England on our way to Paris. Our day started with lots of last minute packing at the house and saying goodbye to Cooper. Now we're 6.5 hours into a 7 hour flight and I'm starting to get really excited!
So how did we end up on a plane to Paris with the whole family? Well it all started with my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. They that instead of a party to celebrate this big event, they enacted to take the whole family away together!
So we all got our thinking caps on to dream up fantastic places to travel to. We looked at Ireland, but the deals we found seemed a little too good. We researched Germany, but half the family had already been there. A Baltic cruise was scheduled, but after looking at the itinerary we realized we wanted to spend more time exploring than cruising. Paris was chosen because we found this great cruise and no one had been here before.
As I'm finishing this post, we have arrived at the boat and are currently waiting for lunch. It's fairly cool here, probably in the low 60s right now, but since they use Celsius here I just know I need a sweater!
We passed the Eiffel tower on our way here so I think that will be one of our first stops after lunch.
So how did we end up on a plane to Paris with the whole family? Well it all started with my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. They that instead of a party to celebrate this big event, they enacted to take the whole family away together!
So we all got our thinking caps on to dream up fantastic places to travel to. We looked at Ireland, but the deals we found seemed a little too good. We researched Germany, but half the family had already been there. A Baltic cruise was scheduled, but after looking at the itinerary we realized we wanted to spend more time exploring than cruising. Paris was chosen because we found this great cruise and no one had been here before.
As I'm finishing this post, we have arrived at the boat and are currently waiting for lunch. It's fairly cool here, probably in the low 60s right now, but since they use Celsius here I just know I need a sweater!
We passed the Eiffel tower on our way here so I think that will be one of our first stops after lunch.
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