monet

A couple friends and I decided to drive to Giverny, home of Monet one day. I'd been really anxious to see it before we left France but had heard that it gets really touristy the longer you wait. We were hoping on a Monday morning it wouldn't be too bad but even in the early hours after opening, it was pretty busy!

His home still sits full of furniture and paintings. I didn't take too many photos inside. I was more there for the gardens, but it was crazy to think that we were walking where the famous artist lived.

I could only think of my mom and Fokken while strolling through the gardens. It would have been a dream to be a groundskeeper here! So many and everything in bloom for the season.

I don't really know how I learned about Monet, but I can remember loving the water lily paintings and looking at it in a book. I think someone gave me a book of his paintings one time. Anyway, I've always really loved his work so it was surreal looking at the lilies in the water, listening to the frogs croak and thinking "this is where he sat and painted." It looked just like the picture.

best for last

Château d'Azay-le-Rideau looked really pretty. It seemed smaller than the rest but there was a small moat or pond that surrounded the chateau and pictures made it look like it was a must see. It was on our way back to Paris so we stopped...

and found this. The entire chateau was under construction; the other side mirrored this one. We were a bit bummed out and honestly, spent maybe 10 minutes on the grounds. It made for a good laugh!

We grabbed a sandwich at a café before heading back to the city!

chateau d'usse

Also known as Sleeping Beauty's Castle. This castle inspired the design for the movie and there is an extravagant setup in one of the towers highlighting the story. This was one of the two on the trip home we decided to pit stop at.

domaine de la tortinière

For someone who doesn't (or definitely didn't) like planning vacations, I've got to give myself a pat on the back because I've really been succeeding while living over here. I searched and searched for a hotel while Mark was away for work for us to stay at during the holiday. Obviously at last minute, most are completely booked. Somehow I lucked out with this one. Domaine de la Tortinière tucked away, out of the city.

There was a great restaurant on site that we ended up eating at both nights, a pool that we did not step foot in because of the cold temps, and large grounds to roam with trails off into the woods.

When I booked the hotel, I scheduled us to play some golf at a nearby course hoping that the weather would cooperate. Thankfully, it was the only day that rain didn't fall! Our first round of the year was a bit rough but the course was great!

Another successful trip in the books!

rain, sun, chateau

You wouldn't believe me if I told you that only minutes before I took this it was pouring rain. In order to get to the chateau and gardens, you had to walk up a hill and it was a rainy walk. We actually waited it out for a few minutes in the ticket office. But the rain came and went and it was finally sunny!

Château de Chaumont is well known for their annual Festival des Jardins, where you can find over 30 themed gardens with inspiration from around the world.

All the gardens were very interesting but I didn't snap too many photos of them.

loire getaway

I had already been to Le Val de Loire but Mark hadn't and given the May holiday schedule we decided to check it out. We made our way to a small city south of Tours after stopping at a few chateaus on the way. Our first stop was to Château de Chambord.

It's construction was ordered by King François I, but not for permanent residence. More for a hunting lodge. And he actually only spent a few weeks here until he left it empty for visitors.

After a short walk around the grounds (we chose not to tour inside), we were back on the road for our second stop, Château de Chaumont before getting to the hotel for the evening.



mai souvenirs

spring sprung... / Leila wasn't enthused that it was pouring rain outside

 Mark and I finally visited a rooftop bar we had heard about with a view of the Eiffel Tower /

I sat in Tuileries outside the Louvre with a friend after a workout class to soak up some spring sun

blue sunny sky / one lonely bloom on a walk

anniversary coupes de champagne / bleu blooms from a friend for my birthday

 we're spending as much time outside soaking up the beauty of summer before we have to leave