Today was another gorgeous day weather-wise (69 and sunny, with two more days of the same on the way, according to the forecasts), but an odd day other-wise. We’d decided to go and see the gardens and home of Claude Monet in Giverny, which is an hour-and-fifteen-minute train ride west of Paris. We’d never been, and our thought was that a day in the countryside would be a good change from the bustle of Paris. Unfortunately, although the countryside and gardens were beautiful, most of the day was spent dead smack in the middle of bustle: a crowded Metro ride to the Gare St. Lazare; a crowded train ride to Vernon, a crowded (if cute) ride on the “Le Petit Train Gevernon” to Giverny (it’s worth clicking the link to see the somewhat campy train; I fortunately avoided having my picture taken on it as Suzie threatened); an enormous line to get into the gardens (several hundred people, one single entrance, and one single ticket-seller); an even more crowded train back to Paris; and a crushingly super-crowded Metro ride from the Gare St. Lazare to Odeon, packed solid with youngsters dressed to kill (in whatever form each of them thought that looked like, which was very varied) and off for a night on the town; and finally a crowded walk back to our apartment. No the thesaurus wasn’t working for “crowded,” sorry.

Still, it was worth doing. We had an unexpectedly good, quick, and friendly lunch at the Impressionist Museum restaurant, where we sat outside in a semi-shaded spot and enjoyed the splendid day. Once we got into the gardens, they lived up to our expectations. We’ve seen so many paintings of this place; seeing it in person was interesting. The grounds were beautiful and somehow peaceful despite the number of visitors. The train ride back featured views down to the Seine Valley, newly leafed-out trees back-lit by the late afternoon sun.

And I bought a hat! As noted yesterday, the treatment I underwent last July has left me even more susceptible to sunburn than before, so Suzie suggested that I get a hat with a brim all the way around. On the way back to the train (the Petit Train, that is), we passed a store that sold nothing but hats. I bought a classic dark-green Fedora-like hat that the saleswoman said was made by hand by the last made-by-hand hat-maker in France, a company called Coustillères. I think it makes me look like an old farmer but Suzie likes it, and I expect I’ll get used to it over time, and who knows, maybe it’s even cool. Fortunately she hasn’t forwarded me the picture she took of me in it so you’ll have to wait on that one.

I put all the pictures from today in an album which you can see by clicking here. A few of my favorites, which give a sense of the place and the day, are below.

• Beautiful Day, Fun Lunch, Tired Feet, l’Eau qui Coule
• Us on Video; Brilliant Sunshine; A Manif Algérien; and a French Play

Categories: Blogging