Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A Day in Giverny

Our day in Giverny to visit Claude Monet's
Maison & Jardins
last October
was unforgettable...
(I wasn't blogging then,
so I want to share with you now).

My husband & I
rode the train from Paris
to a very small town, Vernon.
We then rode a bus to Giverny,
consisting of only a few steets,
a hotel, a couple of cafes, a church, a graveyard,
a huge koi fish pond, a bridge, gardens & a few homes.

Happy me on the steps of
Claude Monet's charming Maison
Loving
the original pink and green
color combination
&
walls covered in ivy~
It is amazing, authentic
&
So Beautiful~

My sweet husband Larry, standing on
Monet's Japanese garden bridge
overlooking the koi fish~
Monet
painted on canvas...
A famous landmark to visit.

Monet's boat...

A surreal image of the weeping willows on
the pond...

Very old wavy glass windows
on this door in
Hotel Baudy is the
entry to the cafe!

This is the Hotel Baudy cafe where we ate.
We met an American woman sitting next to us
whom recently purchased a home in Giverny.
It wasn't just a home, it was the home
of her Grandmother~
When her Grandmother passed away,
years ago,
it had been sold out of her family.
One day she got a call that it went up For Sale.
She was very excited to be in a position
to purchase it!!
It was a real accomplishment & dream come true for her.
She has many beautiful memories here.
She told us a story that
when she was a little girl,
The family of Claude Monet invited them
to the Monet Masion for tea & cookies.
This was in the early 1940's.
She remembered being very small and
meeting Claude Monet's son & his family...
(Claude passed away in 1926)
she can still recall his painting room,
his paintings,
the vibrant colors and the smell
of the oil paints...
Can You Imagine?

Rue de Claude Monet...

Me smiling..

Our Goldfish pond at home,
inspired by Claude Monet~
xox's

26 comments:

  1. I stopped breathing for a moment when I read your recount of the lady reminiscing of Monet's painting room and his paintings. What a treasure of a story! Thank you for sharing with us all (and the gorgeous pictures!).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my goodness, what an absolutely gorgeous post, thank you!

    Claude Monet is far and away my favourite painter and I LOVE his series of Waterlilies paintings. I would love to visit Giverny, how beautiful it looks - that house, oh wow!!! So pretty!

    How nice to have met someone who had actually been for tea at his home.....and your goldfish pond is so pretty!

    Going back for another look, I am so envious of you - and so glad that you posted this!

    Simone :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Janet,
    The colors!!! Like living in a painting. Just fabulous. You and Larry look so chic. Just lovely to see your pretty face on your post. And your amazing pond. I love it. xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janet ... there you are ! So nice to see your beautiful smiling face. What a grand dream to have been there. P.S. Thank you for your recent purchase ! XOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. What beautiful photos you took. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So LOVELY Janet!

    His Garden's are one of my happy places on this oooh so BEAUTIFUL planet! What a place it is!!! I could spend forever there...and yes...I can just imagine him behind his easel in the freshest of air painting away! You just brought ME to one of the HAPPIEST IMAGES!!! I can smell the garden blooming, the bugs buzzing and the birds curping...ooooh...BLISS!!!

    ~Miss Kris~

    ReplyDelete
  7. One of my favorite trips!!! you show it beautifully, no surprise!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Janet,
    What an incredible photographic journey you brought us on today! Lovely to see a photograph of you and put a face to the blog! Another place to put on my list as you have made me want to go there now. I feel like I have been there after reading this....you take gorgeous photos. Don't you just love those unlikley conversations when traveling, the world can be such a small place. Hope you are having a wonderful week.
    XO~S

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for adding another place to visit on my dream trip to France. What a gorgeous spot to visit! It is lovely to see photos of you and your handsome husband~
    Thanks for sharing my friend,
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Janet,
    What a handsome and chic couple you and your husband are!
    There is a small chance that my husband and I may go to Paris this fall, most likely in October. We have never been to Giverny and want to go so badly! I am going to show him this post when he gets home!! Have a wonderful day, mon amie!

    ReplyDelete
  11. so lovely .. thnkas for sharing !!! I just love GIVERNY , this beautiful place is si inspiring and peaceful .

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a fantastic post!! I can see how Monet was inspired to paint, his surrondings are stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Life changing n'est pas???
    I adore the charming tale of your coonverstaion with the woman sitting enxt to you. This is why I embrace chatting with tota strangers. My best friends in the entire world were met this way.
    Thank you so much for sharing & I love the pond. The crab is such whimsy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. These images are magical....my daughter and I went to London a few years back- biggest regret was not going to France...we were sooo close.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a wonderful Post!!! Thank you, thank you, or Merci, Merci...Iv'e always wanted to go and I will...best to you
    kate

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Janet,
    Gorgeous post! It is like walking in a painting. So beautiful and surreal! I love that you shared this with us!
    xoxo
    Judith~

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good Morning Janet,
    Thank you so much for sharing the beautiful pictures and experiences from your trip! It is one of the places we considered going when we went to Paris, but didn't go. I know we will have it on our list for the next time we visit! How magical it is to see pictures of the places we've all seen in his paintings!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Betty

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lovely images - isn't Giverny a beautiful place? I loved the bright yellows and the Japanese prints in the dining room - and Monet's studio, as well as the gardens, of course. What a great story about the woman being able to purchase a family home! xo

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wonderful photos! Giverny is a captivating place and definitely worth the visit!

    ReplyDelete
  20. SUCH A GORGEOUS POST! I HOPE TO VISIT SOMEDAY! WHAT A WORLD, WHAT A PLACE, WHAT A MOMENT! YOU TOOK MY BREATH AWAY~... AND A PLACE TO STAND AND FEEL THE ENERGY... YOU & DAD LOOK SO HAPPY! I LOVE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THESE.

    MAUHH

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for posting your trip, I enjoyed the post very much...love your fish

    ReplyDelete
  22. what a wonderful story! The photos are lovely too. I spent the day at Giverny on Tuesday (June 2nd) and took loads of photos of the Hotel Baudy & both gardens. I wish I could have photographed the amazing perfume of all the roses. http://domaine-du-president.com/giverny_monet.htm
    Your pond is great!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. all so charming -pictures are so beautiful -I have not made it yet to Giverny but hope too!

    ReplyDelete
  24. My husband and I were there about 2 years ago. As an artist it was a real thrill to be able to see where Monet created his masterpieces.

    ReplyDelete
  25. wow i never realised the house was so beautiful! no wonder he was inspired...

    ReplyDelete