Monet and Giverny

Fifty miles west of Paris lies Giverny in the Normandy region of France, Oscar Claude Monet's home from 1883 to 1926.  Monet was, of course, a famous French painter and a key figure in the initially scorned impressionist movement.  Impressionism centered on the ability to capture light and atmosphere in landscapes.  One of his most well known paintings in that vein is "Water Lilies".

As beautiful as that work and his many others are, Monet was reportedly not a very nice guy.  The locals disliked him as he gained fame and money because he used it on self-centered projects like diverting the local lake (used for drinking water) for his own purposes, and re-routing the railroad so it made less noise on his estate.

Today we took the RER (French railroad) for about 75 minutes from the northwest part of Paris to
Giverny to see his home and beautiful gardens.  Although the village of Giverny has existed since the fourth century, it was Monet who brought it to fame.  And, from the hordes of tourists descended on this small town, I'm not sure the locals would be happy with what it has become.  Still, the gardens at Monet's estate were simply gorgeous.

We were here in 2009 in September, and the water lilies were thriving on the pond.  The massive flower gardens were a bit tired from the summer heat.  Today in the springtime of 2025, it was the exact opposite.  There were no water lilies in sight as, apparently, they must grow throughout the spring and summer into the fall.  The flowers, on the other hand, were plentiful, beautiful, and of a rainbow of colors and types.

Our visit there began with a slow excursion around the gardens, and each of us couldn't take enough pictures of the beautiful flowers.  The house was next, and Aaron, Melissa, and Chloe went in for the tour of it - a single file line stretching quite a ways, not withstanding.  Cheryl and I sat in the sun and enjoyed the people watching.  The magnificent gift shop was, of course, in the path to the Sortie (exit) and some minor dollars were spent there.

We rode the train back to Paris and Cheryl and I split up from the kids to go home and take a respite.  They stayed in the area the train let us out and did some shopping before returning for home.  Tonight we enjoyed a lovely French meal at Le Grande Coulbert, our third trip there on this month long vacation.  We've been eating in a lot of French cafes and bistros, but this was a true, first class French meal for the kids as we wind down our vacation.

Our final day here is tomorrow.  Cheryl and I plan to walk down to the Seine near the Ile de Cite and to the far side of Notre Dame where we can revisit our month here and restate our undying affection for each other.  The kids are wrapping up their week - we all leave Saturday morning - with a visit to Musee d'Orsay and some other stops.  More on that tomorrow.

Bon soir!