5/26
We made it to the all and mighty Versailles, wanting to know what all the buzz was about. Apparently, every other tourist thought the same.
Yes, the castle is amazing and has a lot of history. And I am very very glad that I went.
But we were packed like sardines in that monstrous castle- groups were everywhere, shoving and taking pictures. It didn't seem like anyone was sitting back and enjoying the beautifully gilded rooms..
We did out best but ended up only spending about an hour inside, and heading back to main Paris.
Our next stop was Notre Dame. I was the only one that wanted to go inside, so I walked through. There was a lot of stained glass, which I love. Also, it's turning 850 soon, which was made very apparent once inside. Old.
We then fulfilled our need to shop in the Marais district (it's known as the Jewish and Gay district). We went into a hippie store, bead store, a few boutiques, and a lot of vintage stores. Vintage shopping in Paris is so much better than in the states- I honestly could have spent all my money there. But instead I only bought a military jacket. We'll see how that fits into my bag...
We got some falafel and sat in the square, then headed to the Eiffel Tower, where we had fun taking ridiculous pictures and watching the street entertainment. Today there were people doing rollerblading tricks, breakdancing, and some guys putting on a breakdancing and comedy type show.
We sat and enjoyed the scenery for a few hours, then Greta and I split off from Ayla and Carol (another traveler, she's from Brazil but is living in London for the year and traveling...obviously...) and went back to the hostel. 14 hour day... That was quite enough.
Bad news for the day is something weird happened to my camera and every time I turn it on it says hat my "lens is in the incorrect position, restart camera" and then I restart it, and it's a vicious circle...
Looks like I'll be buying a new one in Madrid.
This morning, Monday morning, I traveled to Giverny to see the famous Monet's gardens. This was the first time I've traveled alone really, let alone planned something out entirely myself. Its stressful! I got onto the metro and got myself to the correct train station, where I tried to use a machine to buy my ticket to Vernon. Time was running out and my credit card wasn't working (turns out I needed one with a chip in the back, who knew) and I heard a woman on the machine next to me yell out to her husband in line "to Vernon, right?"
I got so excited, an English speaker going to the same place as I was.... I asked If they were going to Giverny and that my machine wasn't working. The husband bought my ticket for me because he was already in line, and we all sprinted to the train together. I can't remember their names, but it was a couple from Chicago who has been traveling around Europe for 6 weeks, and are heading home soon. I hope I'm like that when I'm older.
Once in Vernon I had to catch a shuttle to Giverny ( as did everyone else).
All that matters was that within the hour, I was standing in Monet's house. I literally had goosebumps. The entire house smelled of flowers, and was painted either light blue or yellow. I guess he was a fan of Asian paintings because he had a lot in each of his rooms. The kitchen was probably my favorite part- the walls were tiled with these great white and royal blue patterns, and his copper pots were still hanging over the stove.
The gardens have no comparison to any garden I've ever seen. There were flowers literally everywhere, arranged in rows through the backyard. The flowers were planted in a way that was organized slightly, but not too much... As if they naturally grew in clusters of complimentary flowers and colors around them.
I wandered to the water lily pond, which was also very beautiful.
Though there were many tourists there, (the vast majority over the age of 65), I was in a dazed happiness the whole time I was there- birds chirping, sun shining, flowers everywhere, standing in Monet's gardens.
No complaints.
I took the shuttle and then the train back to Paris, and realized I still had time to kill before meeting back up with Ayla and Greta at 4, so I decided to take a few extra metros and go to Champs-Élysées, the main shopping street in Paris. It was very similar to New York, but greener and the buildings had an older style. I looked in some of the stores, but knew both my wallet and my backpack could not afford any more shopping,
I enjoyed a blueberry ice cream cone while addressing the massive stack of postcards I mailed out today, and headed back to the hostel.
On our way to he train station to catch our night train to Madrid, my metro pass decided to stop working. I tried it literally 5 times while angry Parisians waited behind me. Finally a girl just yells "jump!"
So what's a girl to do?
My 35 pound backpack and I jumped over the turn dial.
It was a pulling and pushing effort, but I made it upright and in one piece.
And no one tried to stop me... Hmm.
The trains in Paris have been more monitored than the ones we experienced anywhere in German, so I thought this was strange.
Anyway, now I'm sitting on this 14 hour train ride, wondering what to do next.
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