Giverny

If you’ve visited Paris several times, I would highly recommend that you include a couple of day trips out of the city on your next visit. Although not entirely central, Paris is still very close to many must-see destinations. One of them being the home and beautiful gardens of Oscar Claude Monet in Giverny.When I lived in Paris as a young girl, my mom would bring me and my brother to Giverny with small blank canvases and paint brushes in tow. We would sit by the famous bridge to paint the waterlilies, and pretend we were impressionist artists. My poor brother accidentally dropped his paintbrush into the pond on one of our trips, and has never forgotten about it!Giverny was much busier, and filled with tourists when Azim and I visited in late June. We opted to sign up for a bike tour, which included a picnic in Vernon and entrance to Monet’s grounds. I would highly recommend this tour, if you don’t have access to a car or rental bikes! It was well organized, a lot of fun, and we learned a lot!We left Paris in the morning and rode on a comfortable bus out into Normandy, passing by the beautiful countryside until we arrived in Vernon. Once there, we wandered around the small town square to gather picnic supplies. Des sandwiches et des patisseries from the boulangerie, du fromage from the cheese shop, and we were ready to go! Our tour guide helped us to gather up our bikes, and once we strapped our picnic supplies into the bike baskets we were on our way.We had our picnic at a picturesque spot by the river, and as we shared our treats with new friends our tour guide educated us on the life of Claude Monet. The famous impressionist painter lived such a fascinating life (he drove a Rolls Royce, ok) and he was so unbelievable talented. I learned a few fun facts that I’d like to share:

• Monet lived through periods of great change. He was born when France was still ruled by an emperor (Napoléon III), was a grown man when the modern government formed, and died not long after the first World War. Although he was born in the mid 1800’s he witnessed the invention of the telephone, 4-wheeled automobiles, and even video - there are actually short clips of him and his family! What a time to be alive!
• He is referred to as the founder of the Impressionism movement, and unfortunately one of the few to find fortune and fame before death. Many of his contemporaries were rejected, and did not receive the recognition they deserved until after they died. Monet was able to make a living as an artist – rare even by today’s standards.
• Monet underwent surgery for cataracts, but back then it crudely involved removing the lens of the eye altogether, exposing the eye to UV light. It’s theorized that this is why Monet’s later paintings often have a bluer tinge!

After we finished our picnic lunch, we hopped back on the bikes to ride over to Monet’s home. I will always remember the beautiful path through the countryside. It was flat and easy to pedal without tiring, and as we approached his home there were more and more flowers everywhere. The air smelled so fragrant – it felt like a dream. I had to stop my bike a few times, just to smell all the different blooms.We parked our bikes down the road from Monet’s and then spent the next couple of hours wandering through his garden and then afterwards, his house. The whole place was restored after the Second World War, long after Monet’s death. It now very closely resembles the way it would have been when he was alive. As we walked across the Japanese bridges, I kept turning to Azim and saying “We are IN A PAINTING right now!! We are IN A PAINTING!” :)The house and gardens are truly a magical experience, especially after spending some time actually looking at Monet’s paintings. Biking through the country near his home, and strolling through his gardens really gave me an idea of how he was inspired to create the masterpieces that he did.Up next! Our adventure into the Loire Valley!