Unplug

Life in France is a little less plugged in. Obviously we still have internet and mobile phones, but we don't have a TV. We are more likely to enjoy a day at the park than inside a shopping mall or movie theater.

Lucky for us, parks are what the French do well.  Some are private while others are public.  Some are part of chateaus while others are just part of the urban landscape.

We finally had a beautiful day this weekend.  Thomas and I packed ourselves a little picnic lunch and headed to Versailles.  During the off season, the gardens are free. We spent many outings walking around the garden.  The park is a little less green and the statues are covered in the winter time, but it is still nice to wander around.  Weekends during the summer the fountains are turned on, but now there is an entrance fee.  Unfortunately for us, they stop the water during lunch time (from 12-3:30, the fountains aren't running).  Next time, we'll get there earlier to enjoy the water "show".Also during the summer, classical music is piped in throughout the garden.  As we strolled through the gardens on this beautiful summers day, I thought to myself that this is what I imagined our life in France would be like:  Thomas and I meandering through the park, walking through a maze of well manicured bushes of the formal garden, past marble statues while Chopin  played in the background.  Life is good.

Giverny- take two

Some sites are worth visiting a second time. Monet's garden in the village of Giverny is one of those places.  I visited the garden last June as one of my first excursions after moving to France.  The garden was a hobbyist photographer's dream come true, so I was eager to head back.  I really wanted Thomas to see it for himself, and I  wanted to see the garden during a different season.  Given that this place is popular with foreign visitors, we decided to make a trip Monet's garden this weekend to avoid the barrage that will descend on this tiny village in the coming months.

Visiting the Monet's house and garden in April rather than June meant far far fewer tourist.  Last June, touring the garden meant walking single file through the narrow garden paths- never stopping too long because of the 100 other people walking behind you.  It was so crowded last summer that the queue to enter Monet's house was two blocks long.  This weekend's visit, while a bit colder than the last, was much more pleasant because there were far fewer tourist around.  We could walk through the garden at our own pace.  We frequently paused to admire the colorful bounty of flowers, that the Monet Foundation gardeners masterfully planted to create a floral patch work showcasing nature's finest products.  Visiting the garden that was a source of Monet's inspiration will stir that spark of desire within you to become a great gardener or great artist or maybe both.

Last June's the garden was full of poppies and irises.  This month there were countless varieties of tulips and other bulb plants.

The water lilies, the inspiration of Monet's Les Nymphéas displayed at the Orangerie museum in Paris, are located in the Japanese Garden portion of the property.  The water lilies are not in bloom yet, but the frogs in the pond are quite vocal and provide wonder and entertainment to the garden visitors.

View of the garden from Monet's upstairs bedroom window.  You can understand how his garden could be a source of artistic inspiration.

The neighboring town of Vernon, is the closest train station to Giverny.  It has some interesting touristic sights of its own including a few enclaves of medieval buildings within the town limits.

In fact, you can take the train to Vernon and then bike 4 km (2.5 miles) to Giverny.  Once you cross the bridge, there is a pleasant bike path situated away from the main road.  It's a bit hard to find once you cross the bridge, but it's there and much calmer than sharing the road with the big tour buses.

Vernon's Gothic cathedral with a vintage Citroën passing by.

The interior of the cathedral.

Road warrior

Lesson for today: Never fake not knowing a language unless you are fully committed to playing dumb.

Today was my first attempt of bike commuting here in France. There have been several obstacles to me getting on my bike: 1) the weather - its been either cold or rainy or both; 2) the hill between home and the office.  The incline is only for a mile, but it's steep; 3) the patchy network of bike trails that appear and disappear with every other block.  

With the temperature finally reaching 70 yesterday, there was one less excuse for not riding to work. Plus all the wine, cheese, and croissants in which I've been indulging have made biking those hills an imperative.

The first part of my ride this morning was quite enjoyable. I left by 8am- way before the time parents started taking the kiddies to school.  The traffic was flowing and the park was calm.   

The atmosphere from one side of the bridge from the other, however, couldn't be more different.  One side of the Seine (the Garches side), my route took me through the Parc de Saint Cloud which consisted of trails and paths through the park with very few cars.  Once I crossed the Seine, it turned to city commuting.  On the other side of the bridge, the bike paths are not connected. You share the road with cars, buses and motos.  Traffic is usually pretty heavy so speeding cars don't seem to be an issue.  

I personally, don't think Paris is bike friendly.  Vehicles do give you space when you are on your bike, but don't even think of riding on the sidewalk.  Even though I often see motos and sometimes cars drive on the sidewalk to avoid traffic, the police were quick to stop me within  just two minutes of getting on the sidewalk.  I tried the "je ne comprend pas", hoping he would cut me some slack.  He quickly realized though that I understood. That only made him angry. Next time, when I fake not knowing French, I will have to commit to faking not know the language.

Paris is in need of a bike advocacy group.  If they had at least one route that went along the river  from the western suburbs to Paris, I think more people would ride to work.  It's not a long commute. It  is certainly faster than taking the bus.  It's just a shame that those of us who would like to bike to work have to act like road warriors. 

Got lost and ended up here

Daily Commute