#!!!! its finished and all posted !!! if u saw shini make this post earlier no u didnt ghjdfks i was too hasty by far my bad

[marwankenzarisgaylittleearring]

can’t you help it, thinking of me? by GayLittleEarring, captainsthve chapters: 3/3 (now completed!) word count: 31538

summary: Joe’s life was going pretty swell. He had an education that was mostly fun, a supportive, loving friend group, even several big career opportunities in his near future. The only thing that was missing was an insufferable Italian-American baker Joe could let drive him fucking crazy. On the other hand, Joe could simply let Nicky fuck him crazy, too. 

 OR: Joe is a tired art student and Nicky di Genova Brooklyn is the most insufferable man he’s ever met. He’s hot, though.

[wanderlustwonderlots]

Paris - Day 4 (Giverny)

Today wasn’t really a Paris day, but in fact a day trip to Vernon/Giverny, to see Monet’s gardens!  I did this on my last full day in France on my last trip, but I actually never blogged about it, because I was exhausted after arriving back from my trip and never got around to it.  Not to worry, I’ll wax on about this year’s trip here!

It was a slightly early rise and a quick trip to the train station to catch the train to Vernon, about an hour and a half ride.  Had we missed this we would have been in trouble, with only one train in the morning and one in the evening! We got there with time to spare but it was a very full train so ended up not sitting all together.  I spent the ride writing up my last blog post on my phone, so it was time well spent.  I suppose I could have been looking out at the scenery, but I’d already done the ride once before and landscapes are just landscapes after a while.  Since I was well occupied, the ride flew by and soon enough we were in Vernon.  Right after walking out of the train station we came upon the “Petit Train de Giverny,” an adorable little car with multiple segments done up to look like a tiny train.  We could have taken the bus from Vernon to Giverny, which takes the same time and is only a few euros more expensive, but I knew the petit train! I took it two years ago and it was so funny and cute so I had been talking it up to my parents.  We got our tickets, hopped on, and drove past the line of suckers waiting for the shuttle bus.  The petit train takes you through the town of Vernon, and there’s an audio tour broadcasted through the cars that tells you about the history and significance of the town.  I couldn’t tell you much about it because a lot of the time historical information flies right out of my head, but it was a town tossed back and forth between the English and the French during various wars, it had a beautiful cathedral and remnants of an old mill and castle. The guide also of course had lots to say about the artists that loved Vernon and nearby Giverny.  

It was an overcast morning and I was most definitely not dressed for the weather so I was mighty chilly on the ride over (in just a t-shirt and skirt), but shortly after we arrived in Giverny, 20 minutes later, blue skies had begun to start appearing.  Our plan was thus to start with the Musée des Impressionnismes and after that move on to Monet’s gardens, hoping that it would be sunny by then.  We walked up through the town and were greeted by gorgeous hedged gardens outside the museum.  As I read on a sign later, the gardens were actually designed by an architect, I believe the same one that designed the museum, though I could be mistaken.  Designed in 1991, the gardens are arranged by monochromatic plots, retaining their colour schemes throughout various blooming seasons.  One of the gardens was entirely herbs and aromatic plants, including thyme, basil, chives, mint, basil, rhubarb, greens, you name it!  We could run our hands through the plants and smell them after to take in all the different herbs.  It was nice to already be surrounded by nature, just walking around the town.  Even the residents’ small gardens, rose trees, and flowers lining the streets were beautiful.

In the museum was an exhibit on Japanese-inspired impressionism, showing pieces of Japanese art such as prints, sketches, and paintings that inspired French impressionists, as well as their works that followed these “exotic” styles.  As much as I love impressionism, I don’t know much about its history, so had no idea that Japanese art was such a big influence on some of my favourite painters - Monet, Van Gogh, Caillbotte, Pissarro, Degas, to name a few.  I just find the style to be so enrapturing.  Seeing this side of French Impressionist history was really interesting.  

At the end of the museum was a special exposition on Hiramatsu Reiji, a Japanese artist who was in turn inspired by Monet’s paintings and his water garden.  He saw Monet’s art in a museum in Paris and decided to plan a trip around the countryside that Monet painted so much.  The pieces in this exposition were of the water lilies, through a definite Japanese eye.  I thought it was fascinating to see the inspiration come full circle, and Hiramatsu’s work was stunning, with so many bright colours and patterns, and vibrant, shiny golds.

Leaving the museum we finished exploring the surrounding gardens and headed down the picturesque road to Monet’s property.  Thankfully at the museum we had bought a combined ticket and were able to skip the long, long line to get into Monet’s.  Th town and its tourist points were SO much more crowded than the last time I was there!  Granted, I had gone in mid-August, and this had turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in May on a long weekend, so people had come from all over.  To be honest, the crowds spoiled the experience slightly, but I really can’t complain even a little bit when I’m in one of my favourite places that I’ve ever been to. Besides, the more people that get to experience the magic of the place, the better.

We started with the water gardens.  It was too early to see all of the water lilies, though I think we found 3 total that had bloomed! Last time I was too late, and this time too early, so I’ll just have to come a third time to catch them.  The lily pads were still just as amazing to see, strewn across the pond in their little floral flotillas. I got to explore the surrounding gardens like they were new to me because so many different flowers and trees were in bloom.  There were explosions of colour everywhere, making every ten steps a new scene of smells and sights. I took so many photos and still nothing can come close to showing how calm and enchanting the waterscapes and landscapes are.  Pinks and purples and reds around every bend, wisteria like streamers overhead, tall bamboo rustling and clacking together, foxglove and lupins vibrant among other flowers, lush greens brushing against your legs, willows so long and graceful, blowing in the breeze and nearly skimming the pond.  And amidst it all, birdsong carrying over the hum of people, a reminder that this spot is a celebration of nature herself.  

Being in this place makes me so happy that I could cry.  Seeing what Monet envisioned, brought to life, and then painted gave me goosebumps and put the most serene smile on my face. I took my sweet time despite the constant stream of people going through the gardens as well, and spent as long as I wanted to taking it all in, looking at all of the blooms and the bees working hard to pollinate them.  I’ll be damned if I’m going to be rushed through this.  After we felt we had experienced the water gardens to the fullest, we crossed back over to the gardens outside Monet’s cottage.  

The most striking thing about these gardens was the amount of irises they contained.  So many different varieties, each seeming to smell sweeter than the last.  A deep, silky purple that was near black; pale blue with a dark stripe down the middle of each petal; sunny yellow so joyful; pure white, and white with rich purple petals; soft lavender.  There were also more types of poppies than I have ever seen! My mom was so happy to see both of these abundances of flowers, two of her favourites.  The many different roses added even more sweetness to the air.  All the colours and smells in the hot, early summer air could almost transport me away from the throngs of people around me. These gardens are so well cultivated and maintained, and I have a lot of respect for the groundskeepers that make this place the slice of paradise that it is.  I really consider myself blessed to be able to come here twice now, and feel completely content, absolutely full of wonder.  I don’t know that anything will ever compare to how I feel when I’m in these gardens.  Maybe that sounds like an overstatement, but it’s true. I hope that the way I write about it helps to convey exactly how dreamy the gardens are, and how much they mean to me.

We decided not to go into Monet’s cottage, as the line was extremely long, and we wanted to have lunch before making our way back to the petit train and Vernon.  There was only one train to Paris, so we absolutely had to make it.  The benches around the core part of the town were in high demand and we wanted a shady spot for lunch, so we settled on some grass beneath a nice thicket of trees to eat the baguette and cheese we packed.  We had some fruit earlier in the day, after the museum, but this was a much needed respite from the people to sit down in the shade and recharge.  A bird was watching us for most of our little lunch, and my mom kept tossing it tiny morsels of bread and cheese so it could join us.  I know, not the best thing to do, but it was so cute and came so close to us!  We finished our lunch with the bird, packed up, and headed back to wait for the petit train.

The trip back to Vernon was a bit stressful because we were damn close to the train’s departure, and both the petit train and the big train back to Paris were packed full, but we made it.  After getting into Paris we picked up some ravioli and salad to have for dinner at home, to which we invited Etienne.  It was a lovely supper at home after having a lot of meals out, which I appreciated.  We had a nice red wine to drink, along with a crisp cider, and a few beers to finish.  Quite the lushes!  Mostly we were trying to finish everything we had in the fridge before our departure to the south of France.  In any case, it ended up being a great evening, concluded with a board game of course.  We said goodbye to Etienne until next weekend (when he’ll kindly pick us up from the train station in Dijon to go to his parents’ house), and packed up our things for our flight the next day.

It was a wonderful day to wrap up our short time in Paris, and another experience I won’t forget.  I hope you enjoyed reading about today’s adventure, and got a glimpse into how I feel about nature and about Monet.  Next up is the south of France!