Wednesday, August 3, 2011 Giverny, France Monet House and Gardens

Just returned from Claude Monet's home in Giverny (pronounced Jee-va-nyee), France about 80 km (50 miles) from Paris. His gardens must have every flower that can be grown in France plus the ponds and the lily pads. He is famous for his paintings of the Japanese bridge over the ponds and the pond with lily pads. It is really beautiful. To be able to see The Japanese Bridge and the Pond of Water Lilies was truly spectacular.  The Monet house is unique, and the quaint villages of Vernon & Giverny are so beautiful.

Clock at the train station Gare Lazard – What time is it???

We just decided to do something a little different so we did a Train/Bike Tour. There were about 20 people and a guide. We met at the train station, Gare Lazard, to go by train through the beautiful wheat and sunflower fields of Normandy to the village of Vernon in Normandy area of France about 80 km (50 miles).

From the Vernon train station we went to the Fat Tire Bike Tour storage barn to get our bikes.

After all bikes were assigned we went in a group to the village market plaza to purchase some picnic supplies.

      

After getting our supplies (sandwiches and wine) we rode across the Seine Bridge to lunch along the river in a beautiful park near a marina and the old flour mills.

      

Finally, after eating and visiting with the group, we got on the way to pedal down a bike/walking path to Monet’s Gardens.

               

Map of the Monet House and Gardens    Check out the street name Rue Claude Monet.

When we arrived we were “on our own” for a couple of hours to spend the afternoon inside the most gorgeous landscape in Normandy.

     

              

Area before the Pond is a little stream.

      

At the Water Lily Pond

    

To the Japanese Bridge:

   

 

  Looking at a boat through the bamboo

  

Finally we arrive at the huge Gardens.  The flowers are arranged by color as if looking at an artist’s pallet.  There are hundred of flowers and colors.

             

Looking out at the Gardens through window in the house.

Monet’s House – I think I could even paint in a place like this!

 

This is the gift shop but it was originally Monet’s room where he painted. It has a glass ceiling to let in natural light. It is very much like the “Musee de L’Orangerie” Museum in Paris where it was chosen and arranged by Claude Monet to showcase his masterpieces.

We met at the bike parking rack.  While waiting we had a little refreshment.  A local French beer.

.Hotteterre Bier Artisanale - a French beer brewed La Couture-Boussey, France, just a few miles from this area. France can brew some good beer also.

We all arrived and road back to Vernon. The actual bike ride was about 10 km (6.6 miles) which was just enough to get some good exercise.

  View of the area from the bike path looking toward Vernon.      A marina and the remains of an old bridge on the Seine River.  Taken from the bridge to Vernon.

We put the bikes back in the storage and walked to the Vernon train station and arrived about 20 minutes before the train arrived. We did a little “napping” on the ride back to Paris arriving about 6:30 pm in Paris. After the long day we didn’t do much anything else for the rest of the evening.