Giverny

Friday I woke up at 8 to get ready to go to Giverny. I wore a cute orange ruffley dress and my new sandals. It was me, Kara, Lynn and Attiya and we headed to the train station to figure out where we were going. The metro was pretty short so we got there with plenty of time but then we had to find the train that would take us to Giverny. We tried buying our tickets at a little kiosk and they wouldn't accept any of our credit cards despite the fact that there was a sign saying they take Visa and Master Card. We then find out that the ticket office isn't opening until ten because yesterday was a holiday. Our train was supposed to leave at 10:20 so needless to say we were nervous.

The office finally opened and we had to elbow our way past some grannys to secure a spot. We got our tickets but the guy working there seemed really confused and I wasn't sure he was aware he was at his job. He couldn't figure out the change. I gave you 20 bucks and the ticket is 19.80. Even Caitlin can do that kind of subtraction. He was strugglin. We got our tickets and got a little snack, I got a Diet Coke, and headed to the platform. We hopped on the train and it was so crowded people were just sitting in the aisle, on the stairs, on any available platform. We picked a set of stairs and met a nice mom from Philadelphia. There was some little kid screeching the entire time which was lovely. The train ride was about 45 minutes long and then we got to Vernon and had to run to get on this big bus to take us to Giverny.

We finally got there around noon or something and waited in line to go to Claude Monet's house. I was starving so I got a hotdog that was encased in a balloon. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen, but I ate it anyways. The bread was really good so that was nice to snack on. Lynn and Attiya are stupid and didn't bring cash with them and Giverny is a really small town so there were no ATMs. Not my problem. While standing in the long line in the hot sun we talked to this adorable old couple from Canada that has been all over the world. They are also a fan of Rick Steve's and knew the hotel that mom and dad are staying at. They were fun to talk to. I like old people. We finally got inside made our way through the gardens. It was really beautiful except that it hasn't rained in like 7 or 8 weeks and you could tell the plants were really thirsty. We walked through the gardens and then to the lily pad pond and it was very pretty. Even though it was packed with people it was still very peaceful. I took a lot of pictures of flowers.

Then we made our way into the house and you couldn't take any pictures but it was very quaint and had his artwork all over. The rooms have been preserved and they are in the same spots and positions as when Monet lived there. They had a few photos of him in the rooms and it was cool to see that they were the exact same. I loved the bedroom upstairs. It has these big windows that open to the gardens and it was so pretty. The dining room and kitchen area were also really pretty. The kitchen was where the stove and all the prep work would be done and it was this pretty blue and it also had a ton of natural light. The dining area was very informal because I think of it like a kitchen. It was yellow and had a little glow to it. It also had big door windows you could open up. The table was huge too it seated like 8 people. I really enjoyed going through the house. It was very calming and serene.

We walked around for a bit and just looked at the town. It is really small and the streets are really narrow. The old couple was telling us that ten or fifteen years ago, Giverny wasn't in any of the guide books or recommended places to go and now it is something you have to see. That was pretty interesting. We walked to this church where Claude Monet is buried, but there are a lot of graves there so I'm not sure which was his....they had a memorial for a British plane that went down and so they had a replica of a propeller blade to commemorate it. Lynn and Attiya had an attitude and any time I asked what everyone wanted to do and gave options they didn't say anything. It is really annoying dealing with people. We decided to just head back because everyone was really tired from being in the hot sun.

We got to the spot where the bus dropped us off and we had to wait a solid forty minutes for the next one and of course all the benches were in the sun. Some people lined up to wait for the bus and I'm like forget that I am going to run at that thing and make sure I get a seat. And that is exactly what I did. The bus took us back to the train station where we had to wait another fifty minutes for the next train. It was the dumbest thing of my life. The train finally came at five and we got seats this time and everyone fell asleep except me. We took the metro back and there was this creepy old drunk guy yelling at all the girls on the train. Shut up dude you're annoying. We got off and headed to trust Subway because I had coupons. I inhaled my sandwich and it was amazing. Then I Skyped with Anthony for a bit which was nice and then got ready for the night.

Gabby had talked to some kids from Negocia that invited us to go out with them. Um..we drank a little bit then had to leave and it took a solid hour to get there because it was like across the city. Gabby and Meredith had been drinking for like two hours so they were sauced up and Gabby was screeching and everyone in the metro was staring at us. It is really embarrassing to be associated with them. We get to the metro stop where the kids were at and of course we can't find them and it is some deserted old people area. After like twenty minutes of walking around we find the apartment and it was the dumbest thing ever. There were like 5 people there and it was awkward and we stayed for way too long and we kept asking when we were leaving. We didn't leave till like 1 a.m. umm I wanted to be in bed by then. At that point we find out we are going to a club across the city and I'm like no way I am going home. The metro was going to stop running and I'm not taking a 70 euro taxi home.

So were on the metro with everyone and half the French people get off and start puking in the metro station so they are gone. A few stops later the other half gets off and apparently that was the stop we were taking so we lost them. So we decided to just head back to Bastille and get food and go home. Gabby wanted to go to a bar to meet some dude and I'm like no. We got crepes instead and there were a bunch of weirdos out so I was ready to go to bed. I got turkey and cheese and it was delicious! It was really good and I would get it again. Attiya and Sallie kept stopping to talk to all the weirdos and it's like okay that's how bad stuff happens just keep walking. Whatever. Half the French people showed up at Bastille and we had to tell them we were going home. I didn't feel bad. It was stupid.

We got home at like 2:30 or later and I just got ready for bed and went to sleep. It was a dumb night because it was rushed and we had to go so far. Forget that. I am moving really slowly today so that's a good sign. I'm on my own schedule.