the hunt for one French baguette.

So, you'd think it would pretty easy to find a baguette in Paris.  I mean, it's Paris . . . right?  A bakery on every corner, at least.

Well, go to Paris in August, on a Catholic holiday, and you'd be wrong.  Thursday morning Bethany and I set out for the day, planning on picking a fresh baguette on the way for breakfast.  But, we made it all the way to the d'Orsay without any luck . . . so we ate a few cookies and hurried into the line-less museum and rushed up to the impressionist section before it got too crowded.  

After four or so lovely hours, we decided we would fall over if we didn't have lunch soon, so we reluctantly left.  Again, searching for a baguette to no avail, we ended up getting salad at an open-air cafe (so not a shabby alternative).  We decided to give up on the baguette, and instead search for some ice cream while we wandered for the afternoon.

Turns out it was just as difficult to find ice cream as it was a baguette.  Every once in a while we'd see someone with a cone, so we thought we were close . . . but it was still a beautiful afternoon.

We finally made it to our evening destination.  We were planning on going to mass at Notre Dame, and came to find that it was the 850th anniversary of the cathedral.  So we were able to see a big event as well.

After mass, we met up with some friends (who were able to lead us to ice cream . . . . and we walked past 5 other ice cream shops along the way).  We walked along the Seine as the sun set, chatted, laughed.  I mentioned that I wanted to have a chocolate crepe before I left France . . . and so another hunt ensued.  Two hours and a few kilometers later, we realized that chocolate crepes no longer exist in France--only Nutella.  So we got waffles and sugar crepes instead and stared at the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.  So . . . pretty much the perfect way to say goodbye to France.

We realized that it was going to be a bit more difficult to get to the airport . . . and even though we paid quite a bit to take a taxi to the airport, it was well worth it.  Maybe we shouldn't have taken a taxi though and just stayed in Paris instead.

I would have been just fine with that.

a lesson learned on skinny dipping.

After spending a few hours at Monet's Garden, Bethany and I decided to walk back to Vernon from Giverny so that we could explore the countryside.  This involved a lot of talking, singing, wandering, and more singing.  At one point, we decided to try to go swimming in what we thought was a creek along the path.  But, on our descent, Bethany sunk knee-deep into mud.  It was a deceiving little oasis.  We took some time to figure out how Beth could rinse off, and finally continued on our way.  So just a note to all of you: test the ground first before attempting to swim/wade in a pond.

Once we got back to town, we bought some bread, cheese, grapes, and chocolate for lunch . . . and then explored the town for a few hours until heading back to Paris.

We rested for a bit once we got back to the hotel, and then walked down to the river to take a boat tour.  While we waited for the boat as the sun set, we ate a kebab on a bridge and people-watched.  

. . . So pretty much a perfect day.

monet's garden

When I was younger, I made a list of 21 things to do before I turned 21.

Going to Monet's Garden was at the top of that list.

I made it there while I was 21, so I think that counts for something.  Anyway, I love gardens and I love Monet, so I batted my eyelashes at Bethany and asked her if we could take a day away from Paris to work on my bucket list.  And . . . of course I took a ton of pictures.  So that's all that is below . . . a lot of pictures of flowers and the lovely Miss Linton. (In case you're not interested in looking at pictures of flowers, you can stop here.)  I am definitely planning on having a garden like this one day . . . somehow.