Day 10: Monet's Gardens at Giverny
Rose: The spontaneous evening walk around Paris with a few tour members and Graeme.
Thorn: It was our last full day of the tour! :(
The alarm clock rang at 5:50 A.M., which was too early after a sleepless night. The tour group departed for Giverny and eventually Paris. We were extremely grateful for everyone's help with Susan's ankle. Graeme informed us about the French school system, tax system, and social system as well as the French Revolution on the three hour bus ride to Giverny. Time sure flies by when we are listening to our tour guide's informative talks!
Monet's gardens and home at Giverny were stunning! The flowers were so vibrant and colorful, and I loved seeing the water lilies and picturing Monet sitting and painting them. Susan and I skipped out on Monet's house because her ankle was bothering her and ended up going to an early lunch at a self-serve café nearby. Then it was a two hour bus ride to Paris, our final stop of the tour! Walter, our amazing bus driver, gave us the perfect "welcome back" bus ride tour of Paris before we checked into our hotel. We saw the Eiffel Tower, La Défense, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and the Sorbonne University. Our hotel, the Mercure, is right across the street from the Sorbonne.
Following a tearful goodbye to Walter (you really establish deep connections with people on the tour - including the bus driver and tour guide), Susan and I revitalized ourselves with a quick snooze before our "farewell dinner." At the farewell dinner, we ate one of the best meals of the trip: duck confit. Both Susan and I thought we would NEVER like duck, but it turns out that it is wonderful! Yum. The tour group also shared memories, toasts, and pictures before Graeme offered a spontaneous evening walk around Paris. This was definitely the highlight of the tour for me (Susan decided to go to the hotel and ice her ankle). I was speechless the entire time. Walking around Paris at night was unbelievable. I noticed so many things that I didn't notice the first time, specifically at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The weather was absolutely perfect (no rain for once!), and the walk with my fellow tour members was unforgettable. It helped that the number of tourists greatly decreased too. Au revoir Paris! I will return soon!
Thorn: It was our last full day of the tour! :(
The alarm clock rang at 5:50 A.M., which was too early after a sleepless night. The tour group departed for Giverny and eventually Paris. We were extremely grateful for everyone's help with Susan's ankle. Graeme informed us about the French school system, tax system, and social system as well as the French Revolution on the three hour bus ride to Giverny. Time sure flies by when we are listening to our tour guide's informative talks!
Monet's gardens and home at Giverny were stunning! The flowers were so vibrant and colorful, and I loved seeing the water lilies and picturing Monet sitting and painting them. Susan and I skipped out on Monet's house because her ankle was bothering her and ended up going to an early lunch at a self-serve café nearby. Then it was a two hour bus ride to Paris, our final stop of the tour! Walter, our amazing bus driver, gave us the perfect "welcome back" bus ride tour of Paris before we checked into our hotel. We saw the Eiffel Tower, La Défense, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and the Sorbonne University. Our hotel, the Mercure, is right across the street from the Sorbonne.
Following a tearful goodbye to Walter (you really establish deep connections with people on the tour - including the bus driver and tour guide), Susan and I revitalized ourselves with a quick snooze before our "farewell dinner." At the farewell dinner, we ate one of the best meals of the trip: duck confit. Both Susan and I thought we would NEVER like duck, but it turns out that it is wonderful! Yum. The tour group also shared memories, toasts, and pictures before Graeme offered a spontaneous evening walk around Paris. This was definitely the highlight of the tour for me (Susan decided to go to the hotel and ice her ankle). I was speechless the entire time. Walking around Paris at night was unbelievable. I noticed so many things that I didn't notice the first time, specifically at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The weather was absolutely perfect (no rain for once!), and the walk with my fellow tour members was unforgettable. It helped that the number of tourists greatly decreased too. Au revoir Paris! I will return soon!