Giverny and Versaills

  Giverny, France
Saturday, July 5, 2008

Paris day 4 June 5th.
It's almost 11pm and I'm getting tired, it has been a long and eventful day. Breakfast at 7am and the off to catch the coach for our big day out. I had got dressed in nice summery shorts and a small top, but by the time we had breakfast I decided on wearing longs instead, and to be on the safe side we took rain coats too.
As we headed off towards Giverny it started to rain, the drive was over an hour. Glad to say by the time we got to Giverny the rain had stopped and it was looking a little brighter. First we had a look through Claude Montes house, a pink long narrow two story house. The rooms were quite colourful, but we weren't the only people who had decided to go there today.

Monets House

Monets Garden - boat

The gardens even without the sun were lovely. The Japanese garden with the bridges and water lilies were quite inspiring.

Monets Garden - japanes bridge

Monets Garden water lillies

Monets Garden - artist

Monets Garden

Monets Garden - stream

Monets Garden - me

The French garden was also beautiful, but probably past it's best, would no doubt have been more colourful a month ago.

Monets Garden the house

Monets Garden

We decided to have a coffee before going back to the bus,

Giverny - morning tea

as we started to walk towards the café it started to rain, and it didn't stop, so we had to walk to the bus in the rain, we got soaking wet despite the raincoats. We could have bought an umbrella in the souvenir shop, but 20.00 Euros seemed a bit much, even with copies of Monet's paintings on them.

Versailles our guide

Versailles

Next off to Versailles and by the time we got there the rain had stopped. It was lunch before the tour, we sat with a nice couple from Salt Lake City, musicians from the Salt Lake City Symphony orchestra.

Versailles

The tour of the apartments were amazing, so opulent, our guide was also very good, but so many people, so it was hot and crowded. Still it was well worth while.

Versailles

Versailles

Versailles Hall of mirrors

Afterwards we were free to walk around the gardens, Peter and I had been in the gardens before but really didn't see much then, having just got off a plane that time. The gardens like the inside of the palace were 'over the top' beautifully done, so many fountains there was also music playing which added to the atmosphere.

Versailles Hall of mirrors

Versailles - happy girl

Versailles - garden

An amazing day, full of so many impressions.

Versailles

Versailles fountain

We were dropped off by Jardin Tuileirs

Tuileirs - boy

And decide to have a walk around and catch the Metro at Concord instead.

Tuileirs - couple

Weather had really cleared up, and it was lovely and warm.

Eiffel tower and and Oblisk

By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted. Around 9.30pm we thought we'd better go out and at least buy a sandwich, we walked up to Place Pigalle, which is very lively at that time of night, some very interesting people.

French girl

Tomorrow morning we are catching a train to Lyon. Paris has been wonderful and I'm sad to leave
. It's noisy, horns and sirens and people, so busy. I get excited every time I walk around a corner and get a glimps of The Eiffel Tower or Sacre Coeur, but I'm also excited about heading to new parts. During our bustrip yesterday seeing the forests and fields and the old houses I saw 'France' and am looking forward to seeing more.