I got up at 6:30 this morning to make the bus for our excursion at 7:45. I walked to the Bastille in the dark to find that the bus hadn't arrived yet. However, there were some very drunk men who wanted to hit on me. It was a little early for thank, but thanks for the cigarette offer anyway. After what felt like forever (it always feels like forever when you can't escape creeps) the buss arrived. It was the nicest bus that I've ever been on! Wood floors, behind the seat trays with a hole for your cup, reclining, and a foot like a real recliner!! A.mazing. A girl from Santa Barbara that I still find slightly annoying sat next to me so that she could be near girls she knew. Whatever. After awhile we started chatting and everything was fine.
We got to a rest stop to get coffee, and I started chatting with Leila. She's in my pop class, and I really like her! I ended up changing seats so that I could sit next to her. We chatted the whole time. It's so nice having a partner in crime. I've missed having a campanion. After about an hour and a half we arrived in Rouen.
Rouen is such a cute town. It is exactly like Disney, but in real life. First we saw the market square where Joan of Arc was burned alive. There's a plaque to denote the exact spot with red flowers around it, and a statue of her is nearby. We then walked to the famous clock of Rouen. Today I learned that the days of the week in French are named after the planets except for dimanche which is named after something else (a god?). Next we went to the Cathedral of Rouen. It's an amazing gothic cathedral like I've never seen before. The stonework is so delicate and complex you wouldn't believe that it has lasted since the 1300s. There's a part called the wall of butter because it was paid for by indulgences people bought so that they could eat butter during fasting. There's also a newer part from the 15th century.
Where Joan of Arc died
The clock
Rouen's half-timbered houses
The Cathedral
The inside of the church is just as amazing as the outside. There are new paintings of the nuns and monks with gold backgrounds inside of all of the side chapels. The stained glass was the best part. It was so colorful, and the huge rose window was amazing! Lining part of the church were some of the limestone statues that have been brought in from the facade. They are all weathered and are missing parts, but they are still amazingly interesting and lifelike. We then saw the altar that is, of course, covered in gold and a huge painting.
A chapel inside the Cathedral
the inside of the cathedral
We stopped in front of another church before heading to a plague cemetery. You know how much I was looking forward to that. The bodies are gone now, and have been replaced by a green square in the center of the courtyard. There are is still a carved, wooden boarder depicting skulls and burial tools. Freaky.
The plague cemetery
Then we breaked for lunch. Leila and I looked at a few shops before deciding to split a margarita pizza. Then we walked back to a patisserie we had passed. I got a small tartlet with custard with raspberries and strawberries all held together in this perfectly hard crust that had powdered sugar on it. Divine. We walked around for a bit longer before going back to the bus to leave for Giverny.
my tartlet
In Giverny beore I got on the buss
Monet's garden
Monet's garden
We toured his entire house. I stood in his kitchen where he stood in a photograph that hangs in his house. I was in his footsteps. I nearly died. The house was oddly paintied; one room was baby blue with darker blue on all the trim. I loved his bedroom because it had flower print everything. His collection of Japanese prints were on every wall of the house. He also had a few Cezannes and a Gustave Caillebotte. I had never seen a Caillebotte in person before, and I was stunned. They are the most iconic Paris pictures from the impressionist era. Holy cow I was in front of one! We also saw his drawing room downstairs where tons of his paintings hang. Best day of my life.
The Caillebotte painting looks similar to this one.
And then the day got better. I saw his water lilies. That's right. I was on the Japanese bridge looking at the lilies. I have pictures of the lilies. Can you have too many surreal moments in a day?
The only negative of the house and gardens was that there were people everywhere and the paths were really small. Who cares when you're at Monet's house. It's Monet's house. Appreciate it.
Leila and me in front of the water lily pond.
Monet's water lily garden
After two hours there we got on the bus for the hour's drive back home. We drove right past the Eiffel Tower. It still never gets old seeing it upclose (but not so upclose that I'm in the square beneath it). This was my first experience in Parisian traffic. It took forever to get from the 16th to Bastille that we could have taken the metro faster. Lame. By the time we got home it had started to sprinkle. I'm hoping it doesn't rain tonight.
Oh, and I figured out where Saint Antoine goes. If you keep following it farther than where I normally go (Saint Denis) you get to Hotel de Ville right across the street from Notre Dame! I can't believe that has been hiding within walking distance this entire time.
I'm heading out for Nuit Blanche in a bit, but I'll give you a quick explaination before I go. It's an all night art festival. Paris comes alive at night with tons of lights and art exhibits in every quartier. We're going to start at Hotel de Ville and then work our way to the Louvre.
Oh, today's title comes from a jar that was in Monet's kitchen.
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