Giverny I

I’m splitting this blog in half so I can get pictures in without boring you with a long narrative.

Off we go to Giverny! It was the one place besides St. Malo and Lyon that was not negotiable. Was I ever glad (and relieved) when Mary enjoyed it as much as I did!

We rode the train to Vernon then took a bus the rest of the way, with every seat filled and people in the aisle. Several tourist buses had already arrived in the parking lot, so we expected Disneyland-esque crowds.

Everyone who has been to Monet’s town and house and loved it, raise your hands! It looks unanimous. Oh, wait, someone in the back is shaking his head. He says it’s too crowded in the middle of tourist season. What did you expect? A private tour?

Even at the first of May, it was crowded but there seemed to be room for everyone. I figured out two reasons why. First, no pictures were allowed inside the house, which kept people moving. I had only a split-second of sympathy for the Japanese tourists who were in camera withdrawal, forced to look at what was there instead of capturing it on film. The second reason is that permeating the house and gardens is a spirit of joy.

Even with the crowd, you don’t feel rushed. If you want to stop and admire the Japanese prints on the walls, go ahead, no-one will push you along as at Versailles. Want to pause in the bedroom and gaze out at the gardens as Monet did? No problem. He’d rather you didn’t sit down at the long table in the yellow kitchen for a gabfest, but there’s plenty of room outside for that.

If you’ve ever watched the BBC comedy “Keeping Up Appearances,” you’ll understand that while I was inside the house, I saw Onslow and Daisy. (The picture of the couple in the garden is them.) We were all told on entering that we shouldn’t have food inside the house, but there he was, big belly and all, munching an apple with all the insouciance (first time I’ve ever used that word!) of Onslow with Daisy standing by, a sweet smile on her face. They talked loudly in a rough sort of English accent, but were genuinely interested in Monet and had some good comments, so maybe they were cousins and not clones of the originals.

Monet must have been a happy man because other artists flocked to the town just like tourists do now, gathering at his house and at the Baudy Inn the artists made famous. The Inn is still there. In fact, my friend Laura stayed there one night, having arrived too late to see the gardens.

The gardens are spectacular. Pictures tell the story, not words. Monet loved to paint in his garden. Some of his most popular ones were done right there, often with women and children.

After looking around, we wanted our picture taken just like everyone else, so enlisted a French gentleman for the task. After that, we took pictures for two women from Tasmania!