Giverny and Monet

Hi everyone!

If you don't like flowers I would suggest not reading the blog today, because all the photos are going to be of flowers! But after the beautiful flowers I saw today, I don't see how anyone wouldn't like them!!

This morning Troy and I split up for the day. He set off to do the main things in Paris (Louvre etc), but seeing as I saw them four years ago and still remember them very well I left to go somewhere I've wanted to see for a very long time - Giverny and Monet's Garden. 

I walked to the Gare St Lazare which took about 25 minutes. It was amazing because all you could smell was bread being baked - I took lots of deep breaths to soak it all up! It was raining though which was annoying, and it continued to for the whole day. But I can't complain, I've been very lucky in that regard. 

No one at the station ticket office spoke English but when I said "Monet?" they knew where I wanted to go and gave me my ticket. It cost me $45 Aussie return - yikes! - but i did the same as Bayeux and hadn't realised I had already paid for the hostel, so had some room to move in my budget. 

The train took 45 minutes and there were signs from the platform to the shuttle bus so it was super easy. Got the shuttle bus for about 10 minutes and then walked to Monet's House and Garden. It was unclear where the entrance was but me, a Canadian girl and a Danish girl found it eventually!

As most of you should know, Claude Monet is a famous artist and is considered an impressionist painter. I've always loved Impressionism and Monet thanks to Mum taking me to lots of exhibitions when I was little at NGV (and more recently in June 2013 when a Monet exhibition was on!). Monet was born in 1840 and in 1883 he moved to Giverny where he bought his house and garden, later extending and buying the secondary garden across the road as well. 

I spent the next few hours wandering around the garden. Firstly I headed to the Japanese bridge because I had arrived just after the place opened and figured later on there would be lots of people. I have a copy of a painting by Monet in my cupboard at home for when I have a house one day (don't hold your breath Mum and Dad, sorry!) and it's of this bridge. It was so beautiful! It may have been raining but I think it added to the beauty of the place. The flowers were all covered in raindrops and all you could hear was the pitter patter of rain and birds chirping. 

I continued into the main garden which - like the Japanese bridge garden - had thousands of beautiful flowers of all different shapes, types and colours. It was stunning! By 11am I had already taken 100 photos (oops) and I just couldn't help myself - everywhere you looked was so pretty. I particularly liked how there were grids of flower beds and all the colours alternated - you'll see in the photos!

I also had a look through Monet's house. It was furnished as if he were still living there, and his studio and bedroom (where he passed away 26 December 1926) were restored in 2013 using photos he had taken so it felt like he was still living there! There were even works by other artists on display like Manet, Renoir and Cezanne. Even though I took a lot of photos today I made sure to walk the garden twice and take everything in, and I took my time in the house. Everyone passing me took 2 photos and kept going. Too many people do that these days, more worried about their selfie sticks and capturing a moment than actually living it. Kind of sad really! Oh well, at least I'm not one of them. 

I went back out into the garden and really wanted a photo with the house but I was alone. I asked an Asian couple to take my photo, and I definitely picked the right people! All too often you ask for a photo with something and people completely stuff it up. The lady today took about 6 photos of me and got such nice ones with me, the tulips and the house. After she had taken my photo about 6 times she wanted a photo with me! So I said yes because she had done such a good job!!

I did another lap of the garden and was still discovering flowers I hadn't seen on the previous times. So much colour and beauty!! Then I headed back out into the town. There were historic information points scattered about so I followed them. I saw cute little streets and buildings and the church (Sainte Radegonde) and graveyard where Monet is buried as well as Gerald and Florence Van der Kemp who were the two responsible for the opening of the house and gardens to the public in 1980. There was also a memorial commemorating seven soldiers who died here when a plane crashed during WWII. Everyone I passed on my walk looked me in the eyes and said 'bonjour' - a very friendly town!

The information points helped me to learn a little about the town. A lot of impressionist painters (Cezanne for example) moved here but many left during WWI, especially American ones. Locals opened their homes during the war to house injured soldiers, and other locals such as Monet donated fruit and vegetables from their gardens to feed them. I came across the path along the former Gisors-Vernon Railway that was hit by a bomb in WWII and gradually disappeared over time. Originally my plan was to walk from Vernon (the station the train went to) to here but due to the rain I got the bus and just walked the section around Giverny. It was peaceful and leafy, really nice. There was a paddock along the way that had emus in it - random!!

I went and did something most unusual for me after this - I took myself out for lunch! Went to a self serve place and had a bowl of vegetable soup and a sandwich which had eggplant, cucumber and a few other things in it. It was yummmm! Then I walked back to the bus station and ran into the Canadian girl again. We got the bus and train back to Paris together and then said our goodbyes. Turns out she lives in London - in Ontario, Canada!!

Now I'm back at the room getting some things done and tonight Troy and I are going to the Moulin Rouge! I'm very excited. It's my last night of being a tourist so it'll be a good way to end this part of the trip! I'll post tomorrow before I head back to london. 

GO PIES! Will be thinking of my family at the footy tomorrow. Hope we smash Carlton and Mick loses it ;)

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox