It was all so beautiful and picturesque. Then we walked to the cemetery where he and his Brother were buried (after committing suicide).
Next we walked past his house and down small homes and fenced gardens. We met up with the rest of the group at a château where they have a museum of impressionism. It was a super fun museum (its kind of like a Disneyland ride with a fake café and fun train ride !) After that we got back on the bus and rode to Giverney (the home of Monet). It was absolutely breathe taking ! The sight of oceans of flowers swaying in the slight breeze could not even compare with the fresh, sweet smell hanging in the air. We walked through his cheerfully painted home and I couldn’t help but wonder, « had Van gogh lived in such a happy place would he have still ended his own life ? » I am not sure how he could.
Side track- I love nature. Paris is wonderful and I love the beauty of people and their marvelous creations. However at the end of the day – God’s creations just can’t be topped. I find a peace and joy that is unexplainable whenever I wander through His creations. Whether it be through the woods of Virginia, over the peaks of Philmont, or among the fleurs de Giverney, I am filled with wonder at nature’s beauty and God’s love.
Anyway after wandering through the flowers and the lily ponds stopped by a small café for some food and then made our way back to the bus. We then drove back to Paris. Sadly, I was supposed to bring someone their towel from Nice (but I had forgotten that morning) so I had to run back to my apartment grab it and then I met a bunch of people at Notre Dame. I didn’t really want to use another métro ticket to get to Notre Dame (b/c our Navigo no longer worked) so I just walked from bastille. It was a lovely walk and I realized just how much I am going to miss Paris. After giving Maddi her towel I headed with Mckenna, and Rachel to Shakespeare and Company (an old book store that is so fun ! It is very reminiscent of something out of Harry Potter – with books just stacked precariously EVERYWHERE !) Then Mckenna, Paul and I tried to find a hot chocolate place that is supposed to be SUPER good (Angelina’s) but when we finally found it – it was closed – not to mention pricy) Well then Mckenna and I raced back to our apartment for our last dinner. I was kind of sad that our last dinner was with Claude and her daughter (because her daughter tends to dominate the conversation –and I really love taking with Claude.) But – it was still really fun – and of course delicious! Then after dinner we Claude our gift of an old (1925) how to learn English book. She LOVED it! I was so happy I almost cried. It is amazing how much you can grow to love someone – even despite language, age, and religious differences – MAN I LOVE HER!!
Thursday : I woke up and went for my final run in Paris (word about my runs- they are seriously one of my favorite things I did because you get a quick view of large parts of Paris – plus you are filled with all those endorphins and…. Basically I just feel SOOO HAPPY!) Well, on this run I went to basically all my favorite spots including (Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, Pantheon, Louvre, Jardin de Luxembourg, Place de Voges, Latin quarter, along the Seine, and I saw the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, and all the marvelous bridges.) I stopped at a little café for an eclaire, and bought my favorite little butter knife thing at the market by my house. It was wonderful. Then I went home did last minute packing – exchanged bisous with Claude and left for the Gare. Then we took the train to Lyon – TGV baby! When we got there we had some crazy metro riding and bag lugging to get to the hotel but it just added to the amazing adventure. After that we walked around Lyon a bit – just to get a brief overview of the city. After walking around for a while we stopped for dinner at an AMAZING little restaurant in vieux Lyon. I had an amazing Lyonese salad, saussison, and crème fresh stuff for dessert. It was AMAZING! After dinner we hung around the river being super giggly on the bridge. Then we came home and watched Les Mis – well, really I just fell asleep on the floor.
Friday : In the morning we walked around the city. Prof Hudson took us into the courtyards in the buildings and told us about the renaissance architecture. We also went to two museums one about the history of Lyon and one about printing. The printing museum was the COOLEST. We learned about the evolution of languages and how printing effects our modern language. Then that night we went to dinner at the French version of Denny’s it was actually pretty good for being pretty cheap. After dinner we went to the Basilica at night. It was absolutely beautiful. The lights of the city reflecting off the river was wonderful. I talked to Sarah about our favorite views in the world – it was so fun to think about all the incredible things I have seen. Next we went to the area in front of the church and played the animal noise game – it was so funny! For the rest of the night we were all laughing, goofing around and being silly.
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