Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

The bad news is that it has been raining in Paris for the last 6 days straight (every once in awhile there will be an hour or so break, but that is it).  The good news is that  it's still Paris! There is plenty to do even when the weather is not cooperating.  Museums are still open and so are the stores (who end their semi-annual sales next week so shopping must be done now).  Last Friday (before the flood began) I went with our group on a walking tour of the Marais area in Paris.  This area was once a swamp but is now home to both the Jewish and homosexual communities of Paris. There are a lot of small, trendy, boutiques in this neighborhood as well as some of the only remaining wood-framed Medieval houses in Paris, and the Holocaust Museum. We got to see the oldest square in all of Paris as well as the home of the famous, french, author Victor Hugo (author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame).  Then on Sunday I saw some truly amazing sights! Our group had a bus trip to the palace of Versailles and to the village of Giverny.  Giverny is where Claude Monet lived for the last 40 years of his life.  This is also home to the water gardens where he painted his famous water lilies.

     Versailles was the most extravagant building I have ever seen. When I walked into a room I'd think "This is the most detailed, ornate thing I have ever seen,"...and then I would enter the next room and be proven wrong. It was very surreal to walk the length of The Hall of Mirrors where so much history has taken place. Definitely one of those experiences that sends chills up your spine. The palace itself was only the beginning. The gardens at Versailles were absolute perfection. The tall hedges with winding paths reminded me of the maze in the Tri-Wizard cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (yeah, I am that big of a nerd lol). On weekends during the summer, the palace coordinates their fountains with classical music.  It was very neat to see the fountain shows.  The rain even held off until right before we boarded the bus to leave. 

    After Versailles, we headed to the small village of Giverny. It was so peaceful! I completely understand why Monet picked this village to live.  The water gardens were incredible! It was so picturesque.  Although, it was a lot smaller than I imagined it being. It was simply a small pond with a lot of water lillies (obviously) and two very small, ornate japanese bridges.  It was so beautiful though and it felt incredible to be surrounded by nature after being in the city for so long.  I saw flowers that I had never seen before and it was very neat to imagine Monet sitting on a stool on the banks of the pond painting what would later become some of the most famous paintings of the Impressionist movement! We also got to go inside his house where almost everything is preserved as it was when Monet and his family lived there. We were not allowed to take pictures inside of the house.  This was a let down but understandable since the living room housed some of his private collection.  

       This week has been filled with rain and tests.  Not a very fun combination.  The rain always seems to bum me out and the fact that I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days is certainly not helping the situation.  I woke up this morning with a very severe migraine that kept me in bed until around 3pm. What a waste of a day! Very frustrating.  However, many doses of Excedrin later, I am feeling better and greatly looking forward to this weekend! Tomorrow is my last day of Phonetics class. I have learned a lot and greatly improved my accent thanks to this course, but being able to sleep in an extra hour every morning will be wonderful! Tomorrow afternoon I plan on going to the Cluny which is the museum of Medieval Paris. Then on Saturday we leave for a weekend in the Loire Valley of France! We will be seeing multiple chateaus as well as stopping at a wine cellar for a tour and tasting. I am excited to put my newfound wine appreciation class to the test.  It is crazy to think that I only have one free weekend left here in Paris! This weekend will be spent in the Loire Valley and next weekend will be spent in Marseilles. I am crossing things off of my Paris Bucketlist like crazy but I still have a lot to accomplish! As far as the rain goes, I just have to remember "Weather is a great metaphor for life-sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella." -Terri Guillemets