The Gift of Giverny
Bonjour mes amis,
Though it was brutally hot, a long train ride followed by a shuttle ride, Giverny is a gift of beauty, peace, and art history worth all the effort to get there. There were plenty of folks but not the mobs we have encountered in the past. Claude Monet is probably the premiere French painter of Impressionism, best known for his water lilies. I had prepared the Tysons that the blooms on the lily pads might be spent for the season as they bloom mostly in July. But we were not disappointed and saw their magnificence. And on this our third time to Giverny, I believe the entire garden was the prettiest we’ve ever seen. Of course, we missed the roses at their peak but everything else was splendid.
I found this comment on the website: “Claude Monet did not like organized or constrained gardens. He married flowers according to their colors and left them to grow rather freely.”
There’s nothing my words can convey better than the photos.
Enjoy the lovely scenes. What you will miss are the scents of lavender and the buzzing of all the bees!
Gotta run,
L & B
August 3, 2022 @ 11:27 am
Your dress was perfect for the garden! Loved the tiles in the kitchen.
August 3, 2022 @ 11:34 am
Absolutely stunning. Oh the geraniums!!!! In spite of the heat, I’m sure it was a treat!
August 3, 2022 @ 11:47 am
What a lovely assortment of photos depicting the house and the garden. I love the mixture of colors! Now plan more activities in air conditioned spaces and avoid the heat as best you can.
August 3, 2022 @ 11:51 am
Such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your visit with us.
August 3, 2022 @ 12:01 pm
Thank you for the lovely pictorial tour. I adore that place and would love to revisit it. Also, thoroughly enjoyed Monet’s comment about his preferred gardening style.
August 3, 2022 @ 1:22 pm
Thank you for a walk down memory lane. My favorite painter by far. When I visited Musee de l’Orangerie years later, I thought I had gone to heaven. All so lovely.
August 3, 2022 @ 2:33 pm
I had not thought of Monet as an actual gardener until your comment about him not liking ‘constrained garden’. Here is what I found on Google:
Who planted Monet’s garden?
With the help of his family and six gardeners, Monet planted, nurtured and composed his garden — a world of flowers made up of yellow, pink and red roses arrayed on the ground and draping over metal arches; patches of bright red geraniums; pale purple lavender; deep purple pansies; irises; impatiens; peonies and more.
He had spent his entire youth moving from town to town along the river Seine. But wherever he lived, he planted flowers. He justified his obsessive garden-making on the grounds that flowers gave him a subject to paint while he was indoors
Thank you for the visit to Giverny
August 3, 2022 @ 2:44 pm
Thank you for the great extra information!
August 3, 2022 @ 3:09 pm
Thanks for this lovely virtual visit to Giverny. I can tell we need to pal. A trip back there again!
August 3, 2022 @ 3:50 pm
Gorgeous
August 3, 2022 @ 8:22 pm
What beautiful pictures of a lovely garden! Thank you, Linda, for sharing your adventures.
This spot is still on my list of places to see.
I hope the weather cools off soon for you and your friends.
August 4, 2022 @ 5:06 am
What a stunning day!
August 4, 2022 @ 7:02 pm
What a treat for the senses, even if we are missing the sound of the bees and the smell of lavender. Lovely inside and out, especially the yellow dining room and those geraniums! Thank you for making this come alive for all of us! Enjoy and I wish you cooler weather!