Day 8: Venturing out of Paris

As the morning sun graced the sleeping travelers, the boys room was filled with the sound of Vincenzo's alarm going off.  I, who was having peaceful dreams of rainbows and fields, suddenly found myself in the middle of a nuclear reactor that was melting down. (Vinnie's alarm is a klaxon, go figure).  After that experience, everyone dragged both their luggage and themselves downstairs one last time for our final morning in our AirBNB. After a heartfelt goodbye to our home away from home (actually, everyone just walked out the door, so much for gratitude).  We took the metro to our next great adventure..... Renting a car!

 When we got to the car rental place we had to wait a bit while Amy got the car sorted out. We took an elevator down 6 floors to find our van! ....parked in the wrong spot..... and being more a hatchback then a car.... you know what they say, life's an adventure. With that in mind, we tried to pack ourselves into the "van" only to find out that there was 2 seats that popped up in the trunk to make a total of 7 seats. now some basic math shows that 7 passengers + 2 things of luggage each + 1 extra for 2 of us + 1 small car-like-thing = not going to work. So Amy went back up 6 floors (thank you Amy!) to get us a bigger "van." When she came back we had been upgraded!  We had gained a full 8 inches more!  We truly felt like royalty as we folded ourselves and our luggage into that car like human origami. After that adventure was over, it was time to head out onto the roads of Paris. and just a hop and a skip and a 30 minute nap later we where at our destination, Monet's Garden.




 Monet's Garden was beautiful.  Everything from the sun not cooking us alive today (thank God for that) to the beautiful garden (Nature!), Monet's garden was an unforgettable experience. There was even a chicken coup that supplied material for a few chicken jokes (and puns), but I will spare you as they were all foul. :)  After wandering around the gardens for a while, we ended up at the gift shop. We did some light shopping, wondered out onto the streets back to our car from some lunch, (Mmmm, crapes) and were back on the road again.

~ Jonathon

Gathered in Monet's Garden

When we finally got to Giverny, we walked through a quaint little town to Monet's Gardens.  It was truly beautiful, and pictures definitely do not do it justice (regardless, I still took about 200).  We spent most of our time wandering through the rows of flowers in front of Monet's Mansion and then walked through his house.  Lastly, we made our way around the paths to the back where we could take in the gorgeous ponds that inspired Monet's Waterlilies.  As I stood on the bridge and looked out, I wanted to stand there forever.  The bridge overlooked the waterlily-laden pond with trees and hanging flowers around the outside, bursting with colors.

If you look carefully on the bridge you can spot Vincenzo and Hope!

Later, after waiting way too long for some crepes, we piled back into the car for another two and a half hour drive to Normandy.  We walked through the memorial and eventually outside to the cemetery on Omaha Beach.  My favorite part was the chapel by the cemetery that had a really intricate mosaic on the ceiling inside and paid tribute to the soldiers.  It was such a special experience to be able to see footage and gear from the war and it made history "come to life."

Engaging History

Omaha Beach Memorial

To end the day, we drove another 30 minutes into the country (and admired some beautiful scenery) where our hotel for the night was.  Our rooms are walking distance to the beach and, because we're Minnesotans, the freezing water didn't scare us.  We waded around in the water for a while (some of us more than others) until our legs were numb and then came back to relax for the night.

 ~ Nicole

Playing in the Chilly Channel

A highlight for Janie and me was getting a chance to speak with a local woman, Isabel, who check us into the hotel. She told us about the artificial bay that still remains by the village of Arromanches (where we are staying) after it was placed by the allied on D-Day and about how every year veterans from D-Day return to the town and march in formation through the town as the French people cheer and clap. As she said, while we have many differences, the Allies will always have that connection. She also revealed that many in France grew up with, and love, Little House on the Prairie (or Meadow, as it translates here). Our talk with her was a highlight of our day.

~ Amy

Photo Credits: Amy