Bonjour, Paris! Part 1: Monet's Gardens

When I’ve told people that I’ve been traveling around Europe for the past few months, people will ask, well did you go to Paris?

Paris seems to be (in American’s minds) the ultimate European destination. Its full of romanticism and beautiful architecture. The movies always talk about how you can’t beat this place.

But when I would talk to people in my ward and I would ask how they liked Paris and they would almost always answer the same way.

“Yeah.. Paris is... Paris.”

“I liked it. Yeah I guess I liked it.”

But you have to go right? You can't come anywhere near western Europe and not at least grace the city with your presence.

So on a nice Sunday afternoon with my good friends the Stewarts, they tell me that they have family coming to Germany and they're going to Paris on a weekend. They just happen to have a extra seat in their car that a mooching 21 year old may take if she pleases.

So at 4 AM I jumped in a car and drove for four hours.

We didn't start in the city, we started in Monet's gardens.

I'm such a fan of the impressionism style so I was stoked to see it.

Overall, I enjoyed it but there were way too many people.

Also someone from my group fell in peony bush so that made it even better.

To be honest though I was just itching to get to the city.

And it was after that, and a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that we made our journey into the city of Paris..