Giverny: Restoring the Passion, Part II

Me, Jesse and Heather at the breakfast table. Jesse cannot contain her excitment! (source: Robert's camera)

We continued into the house gasping at every turn as the caretaker pointed out room after gorgeous room. The kitchen was not only fully stocked but also quite high tech; there was a sitting room on each of the first two floors; a great living room with TV, DVD player, books etc; six bed rooms divided amongst the upper three levels, some containing double beds; about 3 or 4 restrooms (one was WC—a water closet with only a toilet and a sink room nearby and one was a huge bathroom with an enormous tub); a notebook computer with internet access and printer; a laundry room, irons, ironing boards—anything that you could possibly need was there. I don’t mean to sound redundant but it was amazing! We all just kept saying “This is like the Real World,” which is a reality television program on MTV that selects about eight 20-somethings and allows them to live for a few months in an amazing house or condo in some awesome city. It was like the first episode of the season and we were the new housemates entering the house for the first time and we were absolutely spellbound by its greatness. It was honestly just like that.

After settling in a bit, we went outside and enjoyed pastries, coffee and juice while planning how to divide the rooms. I didn’t really care where I slept, the number of rooms alone insured that there were enough beds and I was just happy to have the opportunity to stay in such a grand maison. With business out of the way, we took more pictures and gushed about the house and the garden so much that we were late to class.

The eight of us at breakfast Thursday (Heather's camera)

When we got to the building where our class was being held, the cameras began snapping again, even that building was beautiful! Every building, except for the actual museum and the church, is a large house and every house has its own garden. I imagine being alive in the late 1800s when Giverny was an artist community and living down the road from Claude Monet and his famous garden, surrounded by the beauty of the countryside and the Seine River was a completely enchanting experience. A small part of Monet's vast gardens.

For lunch, we went to the museum’s restaurant, which is quite fancy and quite good. Dinner was served at the maison. One of the chefs delivered it to the house and we ate under the light of the setting sun on the patio. After dinner, the eight of us stayed up for hours, playing Mafia, a kind of improvisational, role-playing game and enjoying each other’s company. It was so much fun. We really bonded that night and for me that was important because at U of C I don’t really feel like I have a community. Its not that it doesn’t exist but I just haven’t found it. Here, I’ve met some wonderful people who may very well help me finally find my place at U of C.

I selected the title “Giverny: Restoring the Passion,” because after only a week and a half, I had lost it completely. I was so disenchanted with Paris and the construction in our area and the monotony of going to class and coming right back to my room that I really wanted to come home. I think my blog entries reflected that melancholy. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything and that the glory of Paris didn’t exist as much in Paris as it seems to exist from across the ocean. Boy was I wrong!

After I returned from Giverny, with a bright new perspective on my journey and a drive to become fully acquainted with the beauty of Paris, the city readily opened itself to me. Since then, I’ve seen so much that didn’t seem like it was here three weeks ago.
For instance, last Thursday night, I went with a couple of friends to an area that I had never visited. I knew it was near Champs Elysée but when I got off the Metro and walked upstairs to the street, I saw l’Arc de Triomphe for the first time. I was spellbound. We walked to the massive arc and took photographs. Then, just as we were walking away, we saw the Eiffel Tower gloriously illuminated and anxiously headed toward it. We didn’t know exactly where it was but it was like our North Star, guiding us in the night until we reached it. At night, everything is so beautiful; you’d think that in the day time, it would be more interesting because you can actually see everything but the night time is simply enchanting. My attitude has completely changed. I love Paris so much, I know I’ll return. This is my home away from home.

I found a soulmate in this Chat European on my way to the church at Giverny. He looks like my cat, Blazer. (Robert's camera)