Monet Giverny Foundation

Monet’s Canvases Come to Brilliant Life:

Visit the enchanting gardens and estate that inspired one of history’s great painters, founder of impressionism Claude Monet. Drive with your guide into the countryside to Giverny, the village that Monet called home from 1883 until his death in 1926. At the Monet Foundation, you will explore the artist’s home and gardens, now a museum dedicated to the great painter. The house with its pink, crushed-brick facade and green shutters is furnished as it was when he lived here, and contains his precious collection of Japanese engravings. Stroll the gardens to see firsthand the landscapes that grace Monet’s paintings, including the Japanese bridge and water garden shaded by weeping willows and teeming with water lilies.

We cast off from La Roche-Guyon at noon and sailed to Vernon, where we arrived for our shore excursion to Monet’s Giverny. Because of limited docking spaces, boats frequently must stack immediately adjacent to one another, and that’s what happened to us today. I guess we’ll keep our curtains closed since we’re only a few feet away from someone else’s windows!

I Guess We'd Better Close our Curtains

Of all the excursions on this cruise, I was most looking forward to this one. I love gardens, especially in the spring, and I love the paintings of Claude Monet – a perfect combination. The only negative to the day was the hordes of people who also thought a Tuesday afternoon in mid-May would be a perfect time to visit this very popular site.

Tim and I started our excursion with a visit to Monet’s home, where he lived from 1883 to 1926. We joined the long line of visitors, inching our way through the house in single-file, and tried to imagine what life may have been like for Monet’s large family.

Monet's Home

The Interior of Monet's Home

View of the Garden from a Second Floor Window - Notice the Line to Get in the House!

Monet had a passion for gardening and color, and here at Giverny, he cultivated his flower and water gardens and painted some of his most famous works. Monet conceived both gardens as true works of art. The Clos Normand adjoins the house and is planted with a colorful profusion of flowerbeds. The Water Garden is planted with weeping willows and various plants found in Japan and is best known for its Japanese bridge and water lilies.

Flowerbeds and Arched Trellises in the Clos Normand

Tim and Sarah in the Clos Normand

A Profusion of Colorful Flowers in the Clos Normand

Wandering though the flower gardens was a true delight, and the colors and mixture of flowers were simply incredible. Just as beautiful were the flowering trees, especially the lavender blossoms of the Paulownia, or Empress tree.

Lavender Blossoms of the Paulownia, or Empress Tree

I was even more thrilled when we moved to the Water Garden and saw the wisteria gracing the Japanese footbridge and the arbor. If I had to choose, wisteria would likely be my favorite flower. That the lavender wisteria was blooming at the same time as the lavender Paulownia was a very special treat for me.

I Loved all the Lavender Wisteria in the Water Garden

We circled the Water Garden, and I was happy to see that some of the water lilies had already started to bloom. Tim and I would see Monet’s Water Lilies at the Musée l’Orangerie and his Water Lily Pond at the Musée d’Orsay when we visited Paris after the cruise.

Scenes Across the Water Lily Pond

Monet's Water Lilies and Water Lily Pond  

My Water Lilies

Colorful Flowers Around the Water Lily Pond

After a wonderful excursion, Tim and I returned to the ship and later joined everyone for a Taste of France dinner. Tables with displays of various French specialties had been set up throughout the Restaurant, and I enjoyed sampling many of them. Servers also stopped at each table with other goodies like mussels. There was so much food that I ended up skipping the main course. I did make room for dessert, however. I had spied flan, one of my favorites, and picked one up early on so I wouldn’t miss out. It was delicious.

A Taste of France