Travel France ~ Destination: Giverny
Today I entered into the home of Claude Monet. Where he lived, painted, strolled, ate, this is Monet's world-- hidden in the small town of Giverny.
This is just a short 1 hour train ride from Paris St. Lazare, so it's doable for a day trip out of the city. However, this is a very popular amongst tourists so expect lines and waiting.
My friends and I missed the train we wanted to get on by just 1 minute because the St. Lazare train station is so packed with people trying to buy tickets. Then we had to wait in another line to get on the bus from Vernon to Giverny. Then the line to get into the gardens and house took an hour. And the gardens and the house themselves are overridden by tourists. So I would recommend going in the morning to beat the masses!
But that's what travel just looks like sometimes, you have to be prepared for the crowds, and try to enjoy it all, even when you spend so much time simply waiting. There is still so much to enjoy and be grateful for, even the crowds can't stop one from enjoying Monet's beautiful home.
Upon first glance of the gardens I was struck by the lush green and countless species of flowers. Every hue, every texture, all the biodiversity in one place is simply breathtaking. It surely makes me want to pick up a canvas to paint! (If only I knew how...)
The amount of work that goes into tending these gardens is amazing. Every singly leaf and petal is tended, and watered, and nurtured to blossom for all those that come to gaze at what Monet once used to admire. And seeing all the bees hard at work is also pretty cool, this must be a popular spot for them too!
Monet's house has been transformed into a museum, that displays many recreations of his work, while the furniture and decorations are some sort of representation of what his home looked like while he lived there. (Although no one knows exactly what it looked like because there are no photos of when he lived in it). One interesting part of the house was that many of the walls were filled with Japanese art. Frame after frame is filled with prints of Japanese impressionist art. The overwhelming amount of Japanese paintings in the house is a display of Monet's own art collection, showing that many European impressionists took inspiration from this style of art.
My favorite room in this house was the kitchen. I absolutely love the blue French tile all around the room, and the bright shiny copper pots and pans. It is my dream to one day have a kitchen like this to call my own.
I feel like I can understand just a bit of why Monet painted so much of his own garden, the view from his house is incredible. Before the advent of common use cameras, the next best way to capture the beauty was through paint!
And of course, the world famous water garden with the blooming waterlilies attracts crowds from around the world. Today I heard more non-French, than French being spoken!
Everywhere you look, you see what could be a painting. And the weather today was absolutely marvelous, it couldn't have been better.
After roaming the gardens and seeing Monet's home, a short walk down the town's main road leads you to Eglise Sainte-Radegonde, a humble church where Monet and his friends who made this attraction possible, are buried.
This is where Monet and his family are buried.
So if you find yourself in France, looking to see some of the most iconic paintings in real life, I would highly recommend taking the trip out to Giverny! A quaint town, with much to offer in terms of stillness, peace, and simple beauty, you will find yourself in awe of this little place that Monet called "home."
Check out UCLA IEO to start planning your own day trips during your own time studying abroad!