If you happen to be in Paris in the springtime, I wholeheartedly recommend that you visit Monet’s house at Giverny – and it really makes no difference if it isn’t spring; every season has its own charm (except in winter when it’s closed).
Giverny is located 80 km from Paris, in the Normandy Region, at the border with the Île de France, and the trip there is absolutely wonderful. You can take the train to the city, and I’m sure it’s lovely, but on this occasion, I drove there, following the beautiful rural roads where I was able to fully appreciate the stunning countryside with its grey-stone houses and the dense forests along the way.
After enjoying this beautiful scenery for approximately an hour and a half, I arrived at my destination: Monet’s house. This was almost like a pilgrimage for me, and I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to be able to see “first-hand” the wonderful colors of the flowers that saturate the canvases of the great master.
Never have I seen such an abundant variety of iris!!! Standing in this magical garden, it felt like I was being drenched by all the amazing colors… There are countless types of flowers, all wonderfully tended… The feeling of awe and marvel was beyond description – roses of so many different varieties, along with other flowers that I cannot name because I wasn’t familiar with them. And the wonder of it was that they all seemed to grow exactly as they pleased, although the truth is that there are a great number of specialized gardeners, landscape artists and volunteers who are constantly working to maintain the garden in the lovely condition that we have the privilege to enjoy during our visit. An absolute delight for the senses…
Walking through the garden you reach the water-lily pond and the Japanese bridges that are the subject matter of the series of paintings housed at the L’Orangerie Museum in Paris, as well as in many other paintings by Monet. It was amazing to be actually standing in the same place where the master used to sit for hours studying the reflections of light on the water…
Monet’s house is also very beautiful. It has been wonderfully maintained and you almost feel like a welcomed guest or friend of the family, and during the time that Monet lived there – 43 years – it was always filled with family and friends who have left behind all their good sensations. I was particularly delighted by the dining room and the kitchen. The first room is painted bright yellow, with windows that open up to the wonderful garden outside and the second one is also a very bright room, and the walls are covered with lovely blue ceramic tiles made in Rouen.
Visiting Monet’s house has been an experience that I will never forget. It has filled my soul with beauty and color. All I can do is to give thanks to life!
Nora's Blog... Sixty and Still Going Strong!! 