Bonjour,
My program hosts occasional day trips to places outside of Paris. A couple days ago, I attended a trip to Giverny, where Monet’s famous house and garden is.
I started out the day with a baguette on the bus. If you eat a baguette on the bus, the French look at you like you’re an animal. Despite this, I still highly recommend you try it some time.
After reaching the IES center, we boarded our coach bus. I figured out that the seats recline, so I napped most of the way to Giverny.
Our first stop in Giverny was the Museum of Impressionisms. The current exhibit is a comparison between two artists: Monet and Auburtin. They have differing styles but painted some of the same locations around France. It was super interesting to see the similarities!
After the museum, we had some free time to explore. There were a bunch of beautiful gardens all around the town, and there were even some paints on the ground that were free to use.
I made my way up the hill behind Giverny with my friends Chase and Rachel. We saw these goats going about their business. I can’t be certain, but they’re probably milked for goat cheese, which is very popular in France.
Hiking is one of my favorite activities. There aren’t many hills in Paris, so it felt great to be able to climb up a tree-filled hill for a while.
After returning to the group, we made our way to Monet’s gardens. The pond pictured here is the same one painted in Monet’s famous work, Water Lilies.
Inside Monet’s house, we saw a glimpse into his life. The house was pretty large, and it had a great view of his gardens. It also housed many of his paintings, as well as photos of him in the rooms we were standing in.
That’s the extent of my excursion to Giverny! If you’re ever in Paris for longer than a weekend, I highly recommend visiting. Be sure to try and find some goat cheese while you’re at it.
Au revoir,
David
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