Chartres and Giverny

On our way to Paris we drove through Chartres and Giverny. Chartres is one of the most magnificent cathedrals in the world. It has some of the most beautiful and largest stained glass windows and a nave that seems to reach the heavens it is so tall! The city of Chartres is absolutely surreal as well. It seems to take you back hundreds of years with every step closer to the city center. 

Gorgeous little medieval streets wind up a large hill to where the city square and cathedral are set. 

On our way to Giverny, we picked up probably my favorite thing in France - yogurt! Oh but this is not just any yogurt. And to even compare it to what we have in the states would be blasphemy! In order to describe just how amazing this French cuisine is, I have to first give a little breakdown of French Yogurt. French yogurt has a hierarchy you can determine by its packaging. And as opposed to much of our perspective in the states, what is more modern in packaging is actually of lesser value. More modern yogurt is made quickly and packaged cheaply in plastic cups like what we have with Yoplait and Dannon so that it is economical to consume on a regular basis. It is still better than anything you would find in the states but it is at the very bottom of the yogurt hierarchy. After plastic comes glass.  Glass jars of yogurt maintain a little more of the artisan crafting of yogurt but still with a modern sense of production. They are so delicious and keep you wanting more and more. But at the very top of the hierarchy is the most prized French yogurt packaged in beautifully hand crafted ceramic dishes. I swear this yogurt uses the same processes the French used to make yogurt when they first discovered they could.  And I'm sure the cows that make this yogurt graze in pastures with ruins of roman castles and feed on french baguettes all day (well maybe not baguettes...) Anyways it is the most divine culinary experience indulging in these little jars of yogurt and if you ever go to France, I promise you it is a must!

Giverny was a stop we made just for me. I passed on the extension trip to these gardens when I was on my study abroad in France and regretted it ever since. Giverny is the home of Monet's gardens and where he painted his infamous water lilies.  To walk among his flowers was like walking in his paintings. The colors were as bright, as captivating as beautiful as every one of his brush strokes. It felt too beautiful to be real. We saw his studio, his little house and of course we spent hours walking up and down his gardens. 

This is the famous bamboo glade. 

And his water lilly pond. 

And in the distance you can see the famous Jade bridge. 

I loved every minute.