day 2: tres magnifique~! a-maaaazing!

all is well for the kim-sisters.

the tension from the previous evening that settled around us like a thick fog

begins to dissipate as the morning sun burns off the smear of clouds above paris. 

at the gare saint-lazare, 

we meet kit, our fat tire bike tour guide, and 20+ others who are also part of the group to giverny. 

[veggie soup in a cup! bonjour it is!]

our train ride out of paris into normandy sets into a rhythmic chug-chug-chugging

and i nod-nod--nod off...

et voila!

we are in vernon!

*le sigh*

quaint, peaceful, lush, and fragant...

we get our bikes - mine is named carla bruni :)  

i enjoy her music so it was a nice touch to the experience. 

and gather delicious treats for our picnic 

before heading off to see monet's water lily pond, garden & home, and grave. 

[the view from our picnic spot...how do you say 'wow' en francais?]

[our picnic spread...everything, and i mean everything, was just perfect...

except for the pommes fermier. yucky.]

[monet's garden]

[more poulet]

[monet's jardin]

[monet's jardin]

[water lily pond]

[water lily pond]

[water lily pond]

[more water lilies]

[bonjour spotty! spotty looks on from the 2nd floor window of monet's home]

we weren't allowed to take any pictures in monet's home - "pas de photographies!" we were told. 

so, here they are: 

[on monet's white sheets...living like a king]

[i tried to stop him...]

[allo!]

[allo again!]

[gina now wants a blue & yellow kitchen...at this point is when i found out about "pas de photographies"]

and then there was the exit through the gift shop. 

[does anyone else remember this children's book character?]

[reenactment of monet's water lily pond]

[he makes friends wherever he goes]

[glaces maison...oui, si vous plait! et un giraffe! merci.]

[oui.]

back in paris, we explore the st. lazare area:

[orangina is the drink of choice out here.]

[mostly a church]

et back in montmartre...

[spotty stayed back at the hostel to rest up...he wasn't up for a night out after our long trip to giverny]

we went to mirior,  thanks to ali's 7 page excel sheet of recommendations aka my personal paris yelp guide, but better (love your notes!).

you were right, ali - the dinner was superb...

[my first poulet pate. yup, ate the whole dang thang.]

[ma soeur had tender delicious beouf with lima beans and I had "seashells" according to the garcon]

[we annihilated this desert...i ate it all before i remembered to take a picture...

still, tiramisu from day 1 cannot be matched.]

we walked around to explore and...hello, nyc village, both east & west!

nightlife was bumpin'!

[after 2 very very long flights up stairs up, we found the sacre-coeur...]

[et l'eiffel tower in the distance...]

[and other coeurs...]

[et a sweet reminder of where my heart is...]

montmartre est tres magnifique~! a-maaaazing!