France 2008: Starting off and Giverny

On August 14, 2008, after making some last minute stops to say good bye to grandparents, we got on the road to Newark, NJ to start our trip to France. We arrived in plenty of time to park in the long term parking lot, check our bags and do some snack shopping before our 7:10 flight.

Besides our son loosing a tooth half an hour into the flight, and having to administer ear drops since he had been diagnosed with swimmer’s ear the previous day, the flight was uneventful. We arrived at Charles DeGaulle Airport (CDG) on time the next morning at 7:45 AM.

We retrieved our luggage and in our fog we had a bit of trouble locating the Avis location. There was a significant language barrier there but we did manage to find our car after staggering around the lot for awhile. Apparently they gave us a car larger than the one we reserved which was lucky because this was tiny! With tour books, maps and online directions in hand we started out towards our first destination, Giverny.

I got rid of all the directions I printed online, never wishing to see them again (for reasons which will become clear) but I think the trip to Giverny from CDG was about 60 miles. Traffic was not bad at all, but the closer we got, the less accurate the instructions became.

When we DID find Giverny, we parked in a lot and walked along a lane with buildings on either side. We entered a building, paid for our tickets, passed through a gift shop (surprise!) and then in front of Claude Monet’s house.

Later I learned that after the death of his wife, Monet moved around a bit, staying with friends, and then looked for a permanent place to live with his two young sons. He found Le Pressoir, or the fruit press-house, in the village of Giverny in 1883 He spent the second half of his life there and devoted himself to painting, his garden and his family, which came to include his second wife and her children.

Monet made many changes and renovations to the house and it seemed to have lots of levels connected by sets of stairs. Unfortunately we couldn’t take photos inside but there were many Japanese water colors, comfortable furniture, and a colorful kitchen. Below are some views of the garden in front of the house which originally had been taken up by a big orchard.

Monet decided to make part of the orchard “a garden for the eyes” with straight pathways but flower beds arranged in a natural style. There are lavender plants at the end of each row, prompting Matt to comment, “That’s why this smells like Grandma’s house!”

In 1893 Monet bought some adjacent land, had a small branch of a river diverted, dug a pond and built a wooden bridge over it and created a water lily pond. Several years later he bought another piece of land and extended the pond. Gardens surround the pond and water lilies of different colors grow in it. Doesn’t it look familiar?

Monet died at the age of 86 in 1926. His son Michael inherited Giverny but didn’t live there. His wife, Blanche, Monet’s daughter-in-law did and cared for Monet until his death. When she died in 1947 the gardens and house fell into disrepair. After Michael’s death in a car accident on his way to Giverny in 1966 the estate was bequeathed to the Academy of Beaux Arts but due to lack of funds restoration of the property didn’t really get underway until 1977. Then with the help of people who had visited Giverny when Monet was alive and apparently a lot of financial assistance from American donors, the house and gardens were returned to the way they were during Monet’s lifetime.

Back to the beginning.

Click here to continue to Bayeux.




Turn tips off