On to Paris-via Giverny

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Friday – Day 18

We got an early start today to try to complete our agenda. Our first stop was in the small village of Giverny. Jackie had the home and garden of Claude Monet on her ‘bucket list’ for a long time. It was his home for 43 of his most productive and creative years, from 1883-1926. I took many photos in the garden. I know that it is impossible to capture the beauty in this blog but I’ve tried by including more photos than usual.

After the stunning tour of the gardens, we programmed the address of our hotel in Paris in our GPS and headed that way. The drive went well until we got to the famous Arc de Triomphe. If you have been there you know that there is a circle around the Arc that must be 10-12 lanes. There must be about that number of exits as all streets of Paris seem to lead to this circle. Jackie convinced me that I should just stay in the outer most lanes while I circle to the 7^th or 8^th exit. Bad idea! We did not have an accident and no one was hurt. But I do not know why. Cars and busses zipped by us in every direction. Even a motorcycle flew by as I was saying my second prayer. But we made it through on towards our hotel without incident.

We were staying in the area of Rue Cler, near the Eiffel Tower, and found the hotel without a problem. The staff was very pleasant and welcomed us. We unloaded our luggage and headed now to the drop location at the Chas DeGaulle airport. Now, you can guess that our route took us right back to the Arc de Triomphe. This time I drove quickly into the inner lanes and stayed there until time to exit. Then I just sped out with my eyes closed. It worked!

We caught some heavy traffic on the way to the airport but were able to reach the drop point before the scheduled time. We took a few photos of Jackie’s baby and were then dropped off at the subway station at the airport. It took only a while to learn the subway system and we had a pleasant ride back to our hotel.

It seemed strange to be without the car but also a relief. I was able to relax for the first time while sightseeing. It will take 6-8 weeks to be shipped back to Georgia.

After settling into the hotel, we walked over to see the Eiffel Tower. It was not our first time but it brought back good memories. On our first visit, with the kids, we did not see the tower at night. This was a nice surprise as I believe that it is more impressive then.

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Photos

Monet Garden
Yes, I was there too.

Monet Garden
I guess ole Claude loved his Chic-Fil-A lunches.

Monet Garden
Leaving the garden for drive to Paris.

Chas DeGaulle Airport
Jackie says goodbye to her new baby.

Comments

[Dianne]

Great Blog!!
I loved the blow by blow of your trip! I also love your new car and know that Jackie will enjoy talking with her about the trip to pick up up for years to come. I hope you have your coffee table book ready soon. Can't wait until I can enjoy seeing it all put together! Thanks so much for the sharing. Love, Dianne

[TED46]

Book
Thanks, Di. It is nice to know that someone is reading along on the trip. I'm home now but will finish the blogs to translate into our travel book. Great way to remember.