Rouen and Giverny

Okay so this weekend I got to take a day trip to Rouen and Giverny, not too far from Paris. The trip started out pretty interesting: our bus got hit by a vespa at place de la Bastille. Needless to say somebody had had a little bit too much fun on friday night and didnt quite sleep it off before vespa-ing (which is now a word) around Paris. There was lots of yelling in French followed by police and fire coming to the scene. All in all, we only left 45 minutes late.

Rouen has an interesting history. It is home to France's tallest cathedral spire, which survived the bombing during WWII without too much damage. An entire has been reconstructed but considering that, it has definitely survived the test of time. It is a beautiful cathedral which is easy to find from anywhere in Rouen. Not far from the cathedral is the spot where Joan of Arc was tried as well as the spot where she was burned at the stake. Though the girl was kind of crazy, she accomplished more before she was 20 than I did, so therefore she is a badass in my books.

looking at the cathedral from where Joan's trial took place

From Rouen we traveled to Giverny, home to painter Claude Monet. We got to visit his house and gardens, where he painted many of his most famous paintings, including the water lilies. Touring his garden was like a dream. I have never seen so many beautiful colors in one place! And the lily pond was incredible. Somehow even surrounded by tourists, it felt like a tropical oasis. I can understand why he wanted to live there so badly. His house itself was even full of color, each room painted in a different hue.

Part of Monet's house

The most beautiful pond in the world

It was really nice to get out of the city for a while, but it was definitely a nice treat to get to ride in the bus along the Seine on our way back passing the mini Statue of Liberty, the bridge from Inception and the Eiffel Tower. I then got dinner with a friend before making my way to la Grande Arche for a fireworks and light show to the words of Le Petit Prince. Magical. It was such an amazing experience. The mom in my homestay can't figure out how I find so many fireworks in Paris. Obviously she doesn't know me that well

So now that I've quickly updated about my weekend, I need to go to sleep because I have a french test tomorrow. Proof that its not all fun and games here in Paris.