DAY TRIP: BREATH OF FRESH AIR WITH MONET'S MASTERPIECE in GIVERNY

A field trip out of Paris originally planned by train to Giverny was replaced by a bus tour option due to timing and convenience. It was a great option since we didn't have to worry about luggage either. We also gained early access as one of the first tour groups to arrive at Monet's garden & home about an hour out of Paris. Overcast skies sprinkled on us en route but by the time we arrived, we didn't feel a drop until the end of the day.  

Giverny is a quaint town where Monet spent half his life creating his own canvas and never left to paint any where else. Its appeal is multifold for its guests whether one is an art lover to see Monet's inspiration, a gardener to enjoy the land scaping/ botanist discovering new species.




Monet was self taught, subscribed to Garden Life and threw himself into planning and executing 2 very different garden types.





First stop was the well known lily pond with flanking Japanese style bridges. The luscious greenery provides a cool and serene reprieve from a hot summer day.

Due to our early arrival the lilies were still pretty closed but a small sacrifice to avoid the masses of tour groups who would soon follow.

For his main flower garden Monet cleared the original pine trees himself for a symmetrical house garden with 65 sq ft beds bordered by irises and split down the middle by a grand alley flanked by lavender. Imagine 38 different colors of plantings.





Today, a crew of eight full time gardeners keep the gardens pristine for the thousands of guests who will visit during the spring and summer seasons.

These seasonal plantings offer interest and charming photo opportunities especially with the back drop of those rose covered arched arbors.

The irises and poppies were spent but we had the late July blooms of dahlias, mums, lilies, hollyhocks, and mimosa to name a few.

 

Monet's house itself was charming inside with window garden views from each room and  Japanese prints, photographs and his own sketchings donning its walls. He entertained friend artists in this country setting  dining in his warm, yellow dining room with a checkered red and white floor.

The kitchen walls were covered with Delft blue wall tiles (or are they called French Country Blue?) and an amazing stove.

                           

Chickens who provided the daily eggs were not far away outside the kitchen door along with a coop and yard. 

This guy added atmosphere crowing

The large gift shop area was the studio where he worked on his famous murals. 

Two million seeds created quite a palette for Monet's canvas. His masterpiece was not only a special place for him but for all of us as well...