An Afternoon in Monet's Garden

Thursday, March 27, 2014 | Stamp in My Passport| , |

Thursday, March 27, 2014

For the majority of the country, spring is here to say (minus yesterday's freak cold snap). The azaleas are blooming, the pollen is in full force, which means my car will be completely yellow for the next few weeks. Also, my apartment complex's pool is officially open. If that doesn't say "spring is here," I don't know what does. Besides the miles-long waiting list to get a pedicure at my favorite spa. But that is neither here nor there. I said all that to say that the flowers awakening from their hibernation reminds me of that one half-hour I spent in Monet's garden in Giverny. Enjoy!

Towards the end of the semester, the group I was with decided we wanted to visit the beaches of Normandy before we left. So we planned a two-day drive north, stopping along the way at Monet's garden and Mont St. Michel.

To start this story off, I feel like I must admit that I am not an art fan. Yes, I enjoy looking at it, but it's not my favorite. I can't have conversations about how it makes me feel or the way the strokes give an air of melancholy. So the endless tours of museums in Paris was a little dull for me. That is, until I discovered the Impressionists. After visiting the Orangerie and the Orsay I fell in love with the muted palates and pretty subjects of Monet, Degas and Renoir. So you can imagine my excitement when I learned we were going to visit the scene that inspired Monet's water lily series.

And the visit, no matter how short, was delightful and breathtaking. I wanted to capture every inch of the space, so I viewed most of it through my camera, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

To get from Paris to Monet's garden in Giverny, take the train from Saint Lazare station to Vernon and then take one of the shuttle buses to Giverny and the garden. Since my group had a very limited time (i.e. the time inbetween one train from Vernon and our next train on to Normandy) we had to rush through the tour of the garden and the house. Despite the rush, I was so glad that I was able to make the stop and see all of my favorite scenes in person.

*this post was originally a guest post of Oak & Oats

12 comments:

Kaelene Spence said...

This looks like the secret garden and those flowers are beautiful!

Jess Hnatiuk said...

So gorgeous! Thank you! I've always loved Monet, and wanted to go there last year, but we just ran out of time.

Mar said...

Oh those tulips, so beautiful! If only spring would hurry up in my neck of the woods.

Setarra said...

This is on my to-do list for when I visit Paris this summer! can't wait :)

Jess said...

It is well worth the trip out there!

Jess said...

Awww...yes I hope spring reaches you soon enough. Snow covered branches are only pretty for so long.

Jess said...

It is so hard to fit everything you want to see into a trip. Maybe next time :)

Jess said...

It was so gorgeous! If it wasn't for all of the people looking around, it would have been such a peaceful place to spend an afternoon sitting and reading.

Jenn said...

I'm not an art fan either but I would love to visit these gardens :)

Sammy Dorn said...

Such beautiful pictures. I am not an 'arty' person, but whenever I hear someone talk of Monet, I can't help but think of Jack & Rose on Titanic, haha

Jess said...

oh my goodness! i totally forgot about the reference in the movie.

Jess said...

it doesn't take much to appreciate beautiful scenery :)