Quicksand and Negotiations

Giverny is the town where Monet lived. It is about a 45 min train ride from Rouen, so of course I had to visit the home of this amazing artist. No pictures were allowed in the house, but they had replicas of his paintings and made the interior as authentic as possible. The kitchen had old pots and pans and a really old stove. Also, the dining room was probably the biggest room in the house and had an enormous table! Outside, the gardens and ponds were beautiful. I can definitely see why Monet was inspired.

Bust of Monet randomly in the woods

Bernadette, Andrea, Ryan, Greg

Monet's House

After Giverny, we went to Paris and had dinner at an adorable little Italian restaurant that played Italian music. I met up with Kara (from the U.S.) in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was my first time at the Eiffel Tower at night, and it was magnificent. Every hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for a few minutes. It was magical. We also had a traditional crepe. The night life of Paris is so active!

Kara and I!!!

Bonjour!

The next day was a school excursion to Mont Saint Michel. It is built on a hill and there are no cars inside the town. Quicksand completely surrounds Mont St Michel, so we didn’t do much exploring. Inside the walls of the town are shops, museums and a famous abbey. We took a tour of the abbey, and enjoyed the sights. The perfect weather made this an enjoyable trip.

Mont Saint Michel

Drawbridge to enter Mont Saint Michel

Inside the abbey

At the end of the day, we saw loads of rugby players wading through the water in the distance on their way to Mont St Michel. It was really bizarre, and I have no idea what they were up to. However, this spectacle provided entertainment as we waited for the bus!

Today I went to an outdoor market in a plaza near the school. (The market is there every Wednesday.) I looove outdoor markets. They have lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, jewelry, clothing, shoes, and many other items. I was looking for scarves, but couldn’t find what I wanted. 

For my international negotiation class our homework for the week is to attempt a negotiation and use some of the techniques we learned in class. I thought the market was the perfect place. At one of the booths, I saw some dresses/shirts that I liked, so I browsed around, trying to portray discontent upon viewing the price. Immediately the man lowered the price by 2 euros without me having to say anything. Knowing that it is easier to negotiate when purchasing multiple items, I found three things I liked and attempted to work my magic. I ended up getting a 15% discount, which I was pretty happy about. 

After the market I had quiche for lunch with a friend =) Then we went downtown Rouen and walked around while browsing the shops. I found a scarf - success!

This weekend there is a big festival in Rouen with people from all over Normandy giving demonstrations on French cuisine. Hopefully I’ll get to check it out!

A bientot!