Today our gang of four met up early. We were all eager to see Giverny, the estate we’d grown to love through Monet’s paintings. We grabbed our jackets and headed to the Gare St. Lazare, where you catch the train to Vernon.

Alas, the schedule we’d been given was wrong: The next train wasn’t for almost two hours. We killed the time over tea at a café.

The train ride to Vernon was effortless. What wasn’t quite so easy was waiting in line for the shuttle bus to Giverny. Then, waiting for lunch. And after that, waiting in line to buy tickets to Monet’s garden.

By the time we actually arrived at the gardens, we only had one hour before we had to catch the shuttle for the last train back to Paris. I tried to absorb as much of Giverny as I could in the time I had.

In the evening, we’d planned to go to the Tour Montparnasse. I wanted a shot of the Eiffel Tower with the full moon as a backdrop. The skies were clear of clouds and smog—and the moon was supposed to appear very low on the horizon—so I was eager for this rare opportunity.

But the guys were hungry. So we set off in search of dinner.

We had an incredible meal at a couscous restaurant near the Tour Montparnasse (La Table du Maroc, 14 avénue du Maine). Sadly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have on any other night: As I watched the hours drag by and the moon rise overhead, I knew I’d lost my shot. And to boot, the spicy meal gave me indigestion. Sigh.

Oh, well. Tomorrow is another day.