Day trips

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Planning a big trip is one of my favorite things to do - probably at least a little because, as Steve pointed out, it's putzing with a purpose: to putz some more! He will admit, however, that he had no idea how thoroughly I had planned for our honeymoon (11 days in Vienna and another 10 days seeing Salzburg, Mittenwald, and Prague before returning to Vienna) until we were there.

That said, I have come to realize that my wanting to see EVERYTHING usually means a trip that is full and exciting but completely exhausting. At least with a whole month I don't have to feel bad if I just hang out at a café one day, or, horror of horrors, don't leave the apartment! Unless I haven't done my research yet..!

So, it's been fun working on my potential day trips over the last few days:

CHARTRES. Since learning about Chartres Cathedral in Dr. Everett's Medieval Music class last year, I have been dying to go, so that will probably be my first stop. Parts of the building date from the 12th century, and it has incredible stained glass. While doing a project (warning for the motion-sensitive... it's a Prezi), I learned about Malcolm Miller, who has written several books about the cathedral and gives daily tours at 12 and 14:45. There's nothing better for the nerd than meeting someone whose work you admire!

Of course there's also Versailles... I'm wondering when will really be the best day to visit. I'd like to see the fountains (photos and advice on this blog post I randomly came across), but I'm not sure I'm prepared for the weekend crowds. Instead of going out on two different days, maybe I'll suck it up and visit on a Saturday, arriving as early as possible to beat the crowds in the security line for the chateau and strolling the gardens with the fountains in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet with my mom; I have a feeling she'll really enjoy that.

The curious art historian that's in me somewhere - I firmly believe someone should create an intro to art history course geared towards musicology grad students - is looking forward to a morning at Giverny followed by an afternoon in Rouen. I plan on taking the train to Vernon and renting a bike for the nice 30-minute ride to Monet's house and gardens. After lunch back in Vernon, I'll get back on the train to Rouen, seeing the Cathedral and visiting the Joan of Arc Museum. A long but fulfilling day!

Two other options are Reims and Chantilly. Since I don't like the bubbles of champagne, Reims might be a little expensive of a trip just to see a cathedral, so we'll see about that one. In Chantilly, it sounds like (well Rick Steves says) the house is boring inside but there is a nice horse museum that includes a stable tour and dressage demonstration. Apparently the prince who built the stables thought he would come back as a horse, ha. Anyone that has known me for more than an hour has probably heard me say how much I miss the horseback riding I did through high school, so it's unlikely I'll be able to resist that. (Yes, the tour of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna was one of my favorite moments of our honeymoon!)

Departure from EWR in 42 days!