ECLAIT VOYAGER : September 2019

Being an avid painter and a lover for the impressionist era, I've always yearned to go to Giverny and see the Monet's Garden myself.

Once you enter the narrow pathway, the garden comes into full view of lavender hues and purple delights, a garden full of irises, poppies, pansies, roses and other surprises. Along the central alley that leads to Monet's house, you will see arches of honey suckle and tulips.

Studio

Although Monet painted mostly outdoor and preferred natural light, he needed a place to store his artworks. The room is filled with his work from different times, perhaps as a gentle reminder of his progression and also inspiration for his next artwork. It is said that Blanche Monet (His granddaughter) was also an avid painter, and would often paint with him in this house.

Claude and Alice Monet's Bedroom

The upper middle class couples did not share the same bedroom back in those days. Claude's bedroom had delicate redwood furnitures, with paintings form his impressionist friends - Cezanne, Renoir were among those that hung in his room. Alice's bedroom, was full of Japanese woodblock prints.

In those Victorian days, their rooms must have been considered quite "avant garde", with lavender violets, cream yellow and mediterranean blue that ran throughout the house.

Kitchen/Dining Room
The dining room could host a good 10+ people, which was good for entertain friends and family, the pastel yellow theme worked harmoniously well with the kitchen next door, which was covered in tiles of Rouen and a Turquoise blue, with copper pans and pots.

His love for the Japanese woodblocks, is consistently seen throughout the house, from Alice's bedroom, through the corridors and down to the dining room, covering great collections from Hokusai, Hiroshige and Utamaro.

Lily Pond

Breathtaking view of the lily pond - the pond flickers with iridescent blues and turquoise greens. It is not surprising that this is all Monet wanted to paint in his later years, I could spend all day in this garden myself! Do make your way all around, passing through the bamboo forest, to the emerald Green Japanese Bridge with wisteria.

The Monet Garden is not enormously huge, but no eating/drinking is allowed inside, so after your work, I'd highly recommend popping by at this cafe: La Capucine Giverny - a cute little cafe that comes with great dessert and coffee.

Transportation

There are package tours out there, but it really isn't worth the money, because this is the place you'd want to be strolling along the riverbank and slow down to smell the roses.

It is 45mins away Vernon train station - of which you can take the direct train from Gare de Lyon in Paris to Vernon, and there's shuttle that waits outside of the train station to take you to Giverny (Monet's Garden) directly. Its about 15mins drive (and 8 Euro round trip). The shuttle works very nicely because they match the schedule with the train arrival and departure times.

I'd also suggest you to jump on the first train that arrives Giverny by 9:05am (The garden opens at 9:30am), so there wouldn't be as much traffic waiting in line for tickets, it would also be wise to purchase the tickets online, and get into the "Groupe" line, which has a bit less of the waiting line. The sign for the Group line is so easy to pass by, but it is NOT the main entrance but somewhere 200m before the main entrance, so look out for it.

Other Attractions around the Area:
The Old Mill, Church of Our Lady (Vernon), there are plenty of art galleries in Giverny, so do feel free to pop in and chat or see the artist at work!