Jessica and Erica go to Giverny

On Wednesday, September 17, my sister Erica and I boarded the train at the Gare Saint Lazare Station for Giverny to make our pilgrimage to Claude Monet’s famed home and gardens. (Eric was home, nursing a cold)

Once inside, Erica, who is a botanist at heart, never stopped smiling.  Even at summer’s end, the gardens and water lily pond shimmered with beauty. Walking through the walled garden, we delighted in the many different types of flowers on display and their dazzling colors.

 

We toured Monet’s home, taking particular enjoyment in the Japanese prints.




 

I noted that Monet also had a fondness for a bright yellow kitchen with blue accents. 

We circled the water lily pond and garden one more time before leaving. We discovered the changing effect of the midday sun on the water and lilies.  They looked even more beautiful in the bright light.

Before leaving Giverny, we had lunch on the terrace of the museum restaurant (hamburger and fries—very American menu!)  On the train back to Paris we enjoyed a lively conversation with another retired American couple from San Jose who had rented apartments in Paris before and had many helpful recommendations—including the Bastille market, which Erica visited the next day.

We arrived home happy but thoroughly exhausted.