ECLAIT VOYAGER

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!

Mijas - a little quaint town not far from the Malaga, is situated at the heart of "Costa de Sol" or literally known as the "Coast of the Sun".

It almost reminds you of Greece, with similar hues of Izmir Blue and Cobalt White, but what is different is the sea breeze and the charm of a traditional Andalucian village. Mijas was devoted to agriculture and fisheries but nowadays, it is a sun-decked village with rows of lavender, jasmine and colorfully potted charm.

You can also take donkey taxi here!

Despite of its narrow paths and cobblestone side street, it is hard to be lost in this town, as it only takes about an hour or so to cover the whole ground. Figuratively, this is an artist town, full of colorful ceramic plates, leather artisan goods, scented olive oil soaps, to be honest this is a town that feels good to be lost!

Quaint little shops with 100% cotton clothing. Perfect baby gift.

Do try the ice cream at Mayan Monkey Mijas - it is one of the world's smallest chocolate factory, and their ice-cream is divine!

Come here to stroll the cobbled streets, and breathe in the astounding view of Halstatt.

Halstatt is a magical place. In winter, you see snow flakes fall, and drizzle the mountain tops like ice-cream glaze. In summer, walk through the market square, jump into the river for a swim, and wake up in a morning of misty air.

No words can easily describe its charm. Apart from the view, there are quaint shops of all kinds -- wood works, ceramic plates, napkins of intricate designs. To me this place feels humane and unworldly.

This is a palace that paints the history of the Portuguese voyagers.

Originally built by the Moors in the 10th century, the castle later became a residence for the Christian kings, after the conquest of Lisbon by Afonso Henriques in 1147. The palace did not undergo much transformation until the reign of King Joan I (1385-1433) and later by king Manuel I (1495-1521), where the funds came largely from the new riches found by the voyagers.

Apart from the patterns inspired by nature and geometric shapes (Mudejar glazed tiles), the doors and windows are also ornately decorated in the Manueline style. The rooms were designed such that the ones further away from the main hall had increasing privacy from the Magpies Room (where officials were hosted) to the back chambers (i.e guest rooms)

Magpies Room

The Magpies room was used to host important ambassadors and governmental officials, and received its name with a wooden ceiling full of Magpies.

Magpie Room

King Sebastio's Bed chamber

Coat of Arms Room

This room is one of the finest example of the Manueline style and is located at the highest point of the castle. On the ceiling you will find the coat of arms of the 8 children from King D. Manuel I, and below it are the coat of arms from 72 of the noble families in Portugal.

There is also an inscription that says:

" Through the efforts of loyal services were these won and with such others shall be preserved".

Coat of Arms Room

Apart from the ornately decorated ceiling, the blue and white glazed tiles are also done by an artist known as Master PMP, which is particularly representative of the Mudejar decor. You will also find similar ones in the Water Grotto.

Water Grotto

The Water Grotto depicted the Creation of the World, the Four Seasons with elaborate fountains, gardens and mythical themes. Water would sprout from tiny orifices, keeping the space cool and the ladies "entertained".

Palatine Chapel

The chapel ceiling is embossed with geometric lines representing the stars and moons, very much alike the ones we saw at Alhambra. The walls were entirely covered with fresco painting of doves carrying olive branches, which despite the use of red color, somehow gives off a calming effect.

Palatine Chapel

The Kitchen was immensely large and I love the white tiles, really gave off a fresh modern look to it!

Kitchen

Julius Caesar Room

Those who are familiar with Shakespeare, must be aware of the number of times Sherry wine was mentioned. It is without surprise that this was naturally related to a time when England was one of the largest importer of Sherry wine. It was a time when the British encouraged barter trade, English wool for the wine. The marriage between Catherine of Aragon and King Arthur of England and then later King Henry VIII reinforced and tighten this trade sale.

Catherine of Aragon, used to complain: "The King, my husband, keeps the very best wines from the Canaries and Jerez for himself".

Barrels of Wine with country flags

The Sherry wine is made primarily with Palomino grapes, and only those that are from Jerez region can be called a Sherry. Summer in this region is often dry and hot, with an average temperature of 17 celsius degree. The breeze from the Atlantic Ocean serves as a good moderator of maintaining the level of humidity and temperature that is good for growing the grapes.

The Tio Pepe winery, is one of the largest and most famous winery in Jerez region. It was founded in 1890 and the name literarily means "Uncle Pepe".

You will also find that there will be roses planted in the vinery, right next to the grapes, as they serve as a good indicator of whether the condition is suitable for the grape. If the roses are blooming, so will the grapes.

The Jesus Barrel Room
When Queen Isabel II visted in October 1862, she wanted to the the vendimia festival, but this is way past the grape pressing time. So Sr. Gonzalez went to each household to ask for the remaining grapes to make a press for the queen. The total volume is 33 times more than a traditional cask, and was names the Jesus barrel because he was crucified at the age of 33. They later added another 12 casks to represent the "Last Supper", with its twlve Apostles.

The Royal & the Famous
There is another room that is full of casks that were preserved for the royalties as well as the rich and famous. It reminded me of a Swiss vault, where you can only get the wine that has been preserved only for you. (Too bad we cannot try any of the Winston Churchill wine).

The Mouse
There is a really cute story about this winery is that during lunch hour, a worker had a glass of Sherry beside him, and a mouse came over to enjoy it as well. Amused by its good taste, the worker started leaving out a glass for the mouse every night, and eventually making a mini-ladder for it as well.
The kind of friendship between mice and men.