Giverny is near to Vernon, where we had inadvertently passed through on our trip out to Normandy, so it was a bit familiar! The village of Giverny is quite small and in a beautiful location. Our B & B for the night was tucked away in a small lane and was quiet and just lovely.
The central parking lot in the village was very civilized with shade trees on every row, maybe a model we could emulate.
We had reservations for dinner at the Baudy Hotel in the evening, which was just a short walk from the B&B.
This is where Monet, Cezanne and all the other artists associated with Giverny gathered, so it was a must, to see and visit. We had a very good meal, starting with "aperitif locale" through terrine, brochette of lamb, poached fish and on to a mixed fruit sorbet topped with whipped cream, (that was Diane's desert, the memory of which, she is still drooling over).
Standing in line at the entrance to Monet's house and garden, we struck up a conversation with the people behind us, only to discover that they were from San Francisco. The parents had just retired and were taking a European trip to celebrate accompanied by their daughter who used to work at YouTube and is now at a start-up in SF called "poptalk".
Later in the gardens we met a couple from Otis, Oregon. It's a small world!
The gardens were not too crowded and there were flowers everywhere. The gardens and grounds are very well maintained and looked well cared for, which must be a challenge with the huge crowds of visitors that arrive during the summer months.
The weather kept threatening rain and the temperature was "spring like", hence the rain gear.
We toured Monet's house. It was inspiring to walk through areas where he had lived and worked. This area was a sitting room, his huge studio is now the gift gallery.
I really liked this kitchen area with the great stove and all of the walls tiled.
The streets in the village had a really nice feel, flowers everywhere and we saw no trash anywhere.
We walked to the far end of the village to visit the church where Monet is buried, quite an austere church, but with a graveyard full of very elaborate markers.
Also in the graveyard was a memorial to airmen that lost their lives when their Lancaster bomber crashed close to the village during WWII. It was clear that the local residents cared deeply.
The memorial incorporates part of the crashed bombers propeller.
The grave listed all of the names, most were 20years old with the exception of the pilot, who was aged 32. I could not help thinking that if I had been born a few years earlier, my name could have been on that stone. A sobering thought, as we still seem to think that wars are the answer.
There were many poppies of all colors, I could not help trying for a hand held close up!
Cool guy!
For some reason there was a large building full of old engines in various states of restoration. A nice counterpoint, I thought, to all of the wonderful Monet garden scenes which abound.
Giverny was a great experience and, at last, I can pronounce it pretty much like it should be.
On to the Loire region, stay tuned.
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