The Thankful Project: November 4th

Thankful Project: November 4th: An experience

"For there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to rebuild,
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

This passage always soothes my soul and reassures me that 'this' is just a season. When we're experiencing pain, sadness, pain or upheaval I am reminded that God promises peace and hope (Jeremiah 29:11) and that this too shall pass (Ecclesiastes 3). Sometimes you don't know you're in a season until you look back. Every experience, every person we've encountered was orchestrated by God. I believe that God doesn't do coincidence. Our experiences shape who we become, God uses them to build us up and mold us into the men and women of His Kingdom.

I think one of the experiences I'm most thankful for is my time overseas. God had a plan for me and He had to send me thousands of miles away from home for it to come to fruition. My time in England changed who I was. I was shy my whole life. I was quiet and reserved. England changed that for me. God had to draw me out of the familiar and into the unfamiliar and I had to 'get comfortable with being uncomfortable'. Know what, it worked! I'm not saying I'm this loud and outgoing life of the party but I gained a new confidence while in England that has greatly affected my life. There's something about living in a foreign country and being completely on your own that changes a person. I learned to adapt to new situations, I managed to figure out how to navigate the UK rail and bus system effortlessly, I figured out how to cook on an oven that wasn't much larger than an American microwave, I learned how to fix a water heater, I managed to make new friends, finish school and travel the country without getting utterly lost (except for that one time). Ha. I gained a new confidence, I danced, I stayed out too late, I wore high heels that I look at now and probably would've snapped my ankles. I ate greasy pub food, I learned to love hard cider, I learned to speak another language...I learned about myself and what this blondie was made of!

God orchestrated my move to England, He set things in motion that could only be through Him. He sent angels along the way to protect me and guide me, and even though I didn't realize it then, looking back I see His protective arms around me that whole trip. It has been years since I returned to the States but I am so thankful for the experiences and the life lessons God taught me on that journey... I would've trade it in for all the tea in the world.

Voyage a Giverny

Today we had a change of scenery and a change of pace and tried something we’ve never done before: a bike tour. Mom, Kelly and I booked a Fat tire Bike Tour to Monet’s gardens and the town of Giverny. I honestly don’t think we coul’ve asked for a better day. It was cool and a bit gray in the morning when we took the Metro to the train station (Gare St. Lazar) but by the time we arrived in Vernon the sun had decided to part the clouds and shine down. The town of Vernon was quaint and this is where we stopped and had a bit of time to shop for our picnic lunch later in the day. In charming French fashion there were fromagerie, boucheries and boulangeries s we stopped in to gather supplies for our déjeuner. We filled our bike baskets with freshly baked and still warm baguette, cold cuts of meat cut straight from the boucherie, an assortment of wonderful cheeses, a bottle of pink and crisp rose and a small box of sweet treats from the boulangerie…probably more than we should’ve ate in one sitting!

After spending a bit of time we met back up with our small group and we collected our bikes; cute and adorable red and blue cruiser bikes with oh-so-cute baskets to carry out bottles of wine and baguette. Packed up and ready to roll, we took off through the town of Vernon, our guide stopping occasionally here and there to point out a historically significant cathedral or building. The town has an interesting mix of Tudor-style buildings and traditional French country-style buildings. We biked thru town for a bit before climbing over a bridge and up onto the other side of the Seine River. Biking through a small park we stopped by an old Tudor bridge and parked there to have a lovely afternoon lunch on the Seine River.

Our picnic along the Seine was absolutely perfect, there was a slight breeze, birds were chirping, the temperature was perfect and our lunch was simple and so incredibly French. We laid lazily in the grass along the Seine and enjoyed our meal and wine while our guide talked about Impressionism and the impact Monet had on the artistic world. I think all three of us would have been just as satisfied to lay here the rest of the afternoon but we had to move on towards Giverny and Monet’s gardens. We packed up the remainder of our food (which was just some cheese and sweet treats at this point) and got on our bikes again to continue our ride to Giverny.

The bike trail to Giverny was so beautiful. It rolled through the countryside with little Tudor-style homes, cows and wildlife grazing in the grass and wildflowers. No wonder Monet lived out here, every few feet you could stop and create a painting (or take a photo in our case). Eventually we made it to the town in which Monet lived and grew his now-famous and breath-taking gardens. Charming doesn’t even accurately describe it; I don’t think photos can even capture it either! Little open-air art galleries dotted the main street that led up to Monet’s house. Cute café and shops were here and there…mom and I wanted to stop in every single one.

Made it to Monet’s garden and home and it was just like walking into one of his paintings. His paintings are so realistic it really does feel like every step is a moment to be captured by a paintbrush. Just mesmerizing. The lilies, the weeping willows, the little row boat in the water- perfectly staged for an artist to capture a beautiful French country moment for people to adore for hundreds of years to come.

I can’t recommend this trip and tour enough. I’m not a huge planned guided trip gal, but Fat Tire Bike Tours did such a great job to make it laid back, casual, and let you really make the trip what you wanted it to be for you. Some people napped, others went to the house and gardens, some people shopped. My only complaint: I wish we had another 8 hours to spend exploring the town and eating another meal by the Seine. But I think that is what France does, it awakens your taste buds to life and makes you come back for more. La vie est belle!

After returning by train to Paris we decided to try our luck at getting up to the top of the Eiffel Tower as we hadn’t been able to do that yet. We got there and the line was long but not too terribly long so we decided to tough it out and wait in line. Well we did make it up to the top, and the view was wonderful by night but man oh man was it freezing up there. We were so unprepared for the weather and how cold it was that it was almost comical. I’m a little disappointed to say we didn’t even go all the way to the top because it was that miserable up there. However at least I can say I went up the Eiffel Tower! Next time I am going to bring a much thicker coat, gloves and a thick scarf because who knew that even in late May, Paris can still be freezing at night. Brrr!

Voyage à Versailles

I was beyond excited to go and visit Versaille. It's a place I've always dreamed about, read about and studied and now I was actually going to visit. We left Paris quite early in the morning to get to Versailles when it opened, we arrived about 15 minutes after opening and there was already a line snaked through the courtyard. When you're looking straight on at Versailles, there is another building to your left. Stop in here for a map and also to schedule a private guided tour. I would recommend doing this ahead of time if you can (you can go online and reserve your spot). There's usually a tour in the morning and one in the afternoon. We did the private tour of the Kings apartments at the 11 o'clock slot. Pick up your tickets and then spend the morning in the gardens while you wait.  

We started off our day in the gardens and you'd think that by the end of May it would be hot but it was freezing! Luckily my cousin let me borrow her coat (note to self: pack a coat for springtime in Europe, always)

The gardens are just absolutely stunning. They are so large and vast, you'd have to spend the whole day there just to see it all. 

However, start at the top and at least walk down the main garden walkway towards the canal. There are gorgeous statues of marble flanking each side and as if on cue, classical music started piping through the trees and rocks as we walked through the labyrinth of gardens on this brisk May morning. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the flutter of laughter, swishing of dresses and soft nickers of horses in the distance... okay, maybe that's just in my head.

There is a little cafe about half way down towards the canal, so we stopped there to get a cup of hot coffee just to keep our hands warm in the shade. The cafe is tucked back into the grove, hidden by the tall hedges, entangled with the trees and shrubs around it. Soft turquoise chairs sat scattered in the little courtyard and it would be a lovely spot for an afternoon snack when it was a tad warmer out.

Continue your walk down the long aisle of perfectly manicured grass and grand white statues until you ready Apollos fountain. Its at the end of the walkway before you start a long walk down the grand canal. You'll probably recognize the golden fountain, and if you visit during the summer months, the fountain will actually be flowing. 

Appolos fountain. An engineering wonder that it exists from the 1600s. 

From here, I would recommend heading towards the right and you'll see an opening between the hedges that leads you into the labyrinth of more gardens. In here, you can walk straight back to the top of the gardens. However, make sure you stop at the smaller gardens on the side alcoves, they're just as fascinating. One of my favorites was the "rock garden". 

As we were walking past, a choir burst through in angelic song. We had to go find where it was coming from. Sure enough, it led us to this beautiful rock garden. They had Amazon statues carved from treess, lattice in a circle formation, and of course a large golden fountain right in the middle. The choir ended up not being people at all, but a sick surround-sound system within the trees.  

After touring the gardens, make your way back to the top of her garden. Go back to the main courtyard and opposite of where you bought your tickets for the private tour, there's an identical building that is there start of the tour. You'll need to get there about 10-minutes early to get your headset before the small group (we had maybe 15-20 people) sets off to tour the private estate of King Louis. 

The tour lasted about an hour or so and the best part was, because we had already gotten admission tickets (we had the museum pass for 4 days), our guide was able to bring us directly into the main building and completely bypass the line. 

We picked up a free audio tour guide at the desk and started a self-guided tour of the rooms in Verailles. Be ready for large crowds, tons of cameras everywhere and the occasional selfie stick almost smacking you in the face. 

Plan for at least 2-3 hours in the estate, it's large and grand and there's so much to see. The audio guide is great and gives you lots of background information about history and artwork and the King and Queens life. Definitely worth it. 

At this point it was well into the afternoon and we were starving. At the very end of tour, you walk down a long black and white checkered floor hallway. There are wins for Angelina's cafe & tea room. We stopped here for a lovely afternoon meal and tea (uhh or champagne). 

We split a bottle of rosé wine along with our lunches. But really what we were waiting on was the delicious desserts. 

Angelina's is famous for their Mont Blanc,  the dome-like chocolate pastry. Definitely get a few desserts and share them-

That's the best way to sample some of their delicious treats.