Giverny

This week I visited Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and painted most of his famous Impressionist works. The gardens are open from April to October and are just a short train ride from Paris.  

the water lilly pond with the japanese foot bridge in the distance 

ahhh, so refreshing to be outside of the city in nature 

I guess this is the next best thing to seeing the wild flowers of Texas on the side of the highway  

a view of Monet's house from the foot gardens 

"is that a space capsul?!"

This is a typical public toilet you see on the streets of Paris. When I arrived I named them "space capsuls" and swore never to use one...who knows what could happen once you pay and the automatic door closes you in?! Well...today the word "never" came back to haunt me when I needed to go so bad and after blocks and blocks of no possible places to go except the gutter (which unfortunately some people do use)...I actually was very excited to see this space capsul in the distance. A few things you should know before using...IT only takes exact change, it costs .40 euros, so a .50 euro coin will not be accepted and if that is all you have you must go and get change before you can use IT...also, you only have 15 minutes inside before the automatic door will open on its own so that it can "self-clean" for the next customer. You better keep an eye on the time and get your business taken care of in a timely manner to prevent public exposure(this did not happen to me, but is noted on the outside as a warning) For more information on how one uses the public toilets of France you can click on the title for an article that further explains 

Things I learned (the hard way) this week...

a)if you buy something at the Harley Davidson store you may not return it for a refund, but they will gladly exchange it for another size b) when offered a lit cigarette by a strange man on the bus, you must look him in the eye and say "NO" twice before he understands and stops trying to share c) when a bird poops in your hair, and you don't have a tissue, it is okay to find a piece of paper on the ground that looks relatively clean and have a friend do what they can to scrape it out d) you have to keep an eye on the guy who sells strawberries at the fruit market...make sure the ones that you get were from the pretty display, not the squishy ones that leak through the bag on your way home e) when "reclining" on the floor to observe the Passover sadder meal, make sure to sit on a pillow or you will regret it when your backside goes numb and you can't concentrate

Maroon 5...

is coming to Paris June 7, and I will be there with my friend Josh L!!

Afternoon tea...

Saturday I went into Paris with some ladies for a nice spot of afternoon tea. The salon de tea we found was cute with big windows that overlooked the Pompidou center. What a relaxing way to spend an afternoon :) 

 

Today I was on a crowded bus and there was a guy close to me listening to an MP3 player. After a few minutes I noticed he had closed his eyes and started to get into whatever song he can hear, he begins to sway and move his head around a bit, not out of the ordinary...but before too long this guy is full out dancing on the crowded bus. Moving his feet, hips, and hands...bumping into everyone around him…completely lost in his own world. It was great. At first I was a little embarrassed for him, but then I was envious...he was having a great time, free to express himself and do what he wanted. It made me smile, how refreshing to see this in contrast to the silent self absorbed people I normally squeeze in next to on the bus. It reminded me of the following song...

Dance by Caedmon's Call

And I wanna dance / I wanna snap my fingers all night long and dance / I wanna move around the room just like a woman in a trance / All night, I wanna dance / I wanna wrap my arms around your neck and dance / I wanna listen to the music that's been ringing in my ears / And one day I’m gonna dance my way right outta here / I'd marry you, if you could dance, that's what I said / Cuz where I'm going they'll be dancing everyday

Click here to visit Mariage Freres

anyone like tea? This is the place for you...this tea company has existed since 1854 and currently serves and sells over 200 types of tea. We had afternoon tea there a few weekends ago and it was quite an experience. For a pot of tea and a chocolate muffin it was about $20, good thing it was tasty and had a nice atmosphere...next time we talk ask me to tell you a funny story about my day here :) 

I was walking down this street and looked to the right...what a great view of Place de Madeline, and then Sacre Coure in the distance 

this is the inside of Hard Rock Cafe, Paris...normally I am a cynic of chains like this, but we all have to make exceptions for things like free refills, ice, nachos, well cooked beef, and some classic tunes  

hmmm, something doesn't quite fit here...what is it...oh, maybe its they guy with peace symbol necklace instead of a shirt? 

Chateau de Vincennes

This past Sunday afternoon some friends and I visited a chateau on the eastern side of Paris. It was built in the 15th century and was the predecessor to Versaille. We decided to take the guided tour since it is the only way one is permitted inside the chapel and would be a good way to see the grounds. It was supposed to last about 45 minutes, and though in French I figured I could concentrate and catch the gist of it...right. This guide talked and talked and talked, really really fast. When we finally made it into the chapel, after staning outside on the grass for 30 minutes, he talked so loud that it echoed and not only did I not understand him the first time...but the second time I heard the same words it was even harder to detect. So, you can imagine that after a time we stopped paying attention and looked like the typical annoying tourists who are just there for the pictures. We finally decided after an hour that we were going to bail...only to realize that he had locked the door behind us when we entered, very sneaky. Needless to say we lived through it and when finally released from the chapel we ran and played in the grass...so glad to have survived!

The grounds of the chateau and the cathedral from the outside 

part of the original wall...the ground in front of it was the moat, but is no longer a big deterent to visitors :) 

the chapel was beautiful...small, had big sunny windows, a beautiful vaulted ceiling, and was build in the early gothic period...and in hindsight enduring the tour to see it and get some pictures seems worth it :) 

what a cool statue 

guess where I am? and don't mind the child coming out of the R, she was having fun :) 

today I explored a new part of the city (and took the liberty to dress like a tourist)...more pics to come, but I wanted to show you this beautiful park 

 

"rain comes at the beginning of spring to make all the flowers appear on the trees.." (a line from my 3rd grade play, yikes I have a scary memory!) This is a tree down rue Lehot close to my house :)