Spring has arrived! (sort of)

      This last week has seen true signs of spring peaking out around the city.  I woke up the other day to find that the bare sycamores lining the streets below my window had gone from winter brown to young leaf green.  Trees I didn't even know bloomed are heavy with bunches of pink, white, and purple flowers thicker than I've ever seen.  Truly lovely and a welcome break from the drab colors of winter.  

      Today was unusually sunny and thus was perfect for your group trip down to Giverny to visit Monet's house and gardens.  There were flowers everywhere, but apparently what we saw was a "sparse" showing of what it will be in a few weeks time.   

The variety of bulb plants was just stunning, and in the bright sun the colors were spectacularly intense.

Daffodils by the lily pond

These bunches of little flowers smelled so sweet when you walked by that 

only the spines kept us from burying our faces in the plants.  

      After we finished touring the waterlily pond, gardens, and house, it was time for lunch.  I had packed my lunch, a lovely fresh fruit, goat cheese sandwich, and Perrier affair, so I headed off to find a place to eat while the others scattered to the various sandwich shops.  I ended up finding a bench under some flowering trees and sat down next to an elderly British lady having her coffee.  We soon struck up a conversation and an hour later we practically knew each other's life stories.  I got to hear all about her daughter who is a elementary school teacher in Spain, her dislike for driving on roads larger than one lane, her late husband's cooking skills, her sister and reclusive brother-in-law, her lack of general computer skills but mastery of Skype, and of course, her opinions of the Impressionists.  

      Dear Florence, what a kind soul.  She was quite encouraging of my pursuit of Art History and in general just seemed to be full of good advice and dry humor.  Our lovely chat was one of the highlights of the trip as no matter what new and interesting things you see, the new and interesting people that you meet are the part that you actually remember.  

All of these flowering trees with the bright sun and blue sky behind them made me 

think of Van Gogh and his paintings of cherry blossoms.

      After parting ways with Florence, I found a few folks from our group and we walked around for a while up the narrow streets before settling into some thick green grass on the side of a little hill all surrounded with stone fences and flower.  Carefree times in the sun, making daisy chains, rolling down the hill, and of course, a rowdy game of Would You Rather all topped off with a scoop of pistachio ice cream made for a lovely afternoon.

little blue flowers near Monet's tomb

This church had the coolest windows ever!  As you can see, they were in shades of 

blue and the whole interior was covered in blue speckles of light.  

      Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus for the short drive back to Paris.  Another lovely, sunny day with old friends and new friends successfully completed.  Unfortunately for us, it is supposed to drop below freezing next week, so be crossing your fingers that it doesn't kill the flowers or young buds.  I forgot to add that somewhere along the way I visited the Musee des Impressionists where they were having an exhibit of Signac's paintings and sketches.  I had no idea I liked Signac so much, and now he is one of my favorites!  Truly inspiring stuff.

All my love always,

Kate Alice