I was going to title this post “Monet-land”, but decided that it sounded snarky. My point is that Giverny is a perfectly pleasant small village, but no one would visit if Claude Monet had not come here to paint. The aura of his presence, and the ability see the pond where he painted the famous water lilies, keeps the village running.
In the same way, one might call Stratford-upon-Avon “Shakespeare-ville”. At least Giverny has escaped the gross overdevelopment of its English counterpart.
Before looking at Monet’s house and gardens, let’s have a stroll around the village. Joining us are our friends Dominique and Martine from Orléans.
At the small churchyard, the grave of Claude Monet and some of his family.
Monet lived in a house in the village with his studio on the ground floor. He loved gardening and kept a large one behind the house. The famous ponds were further behind, across a small road.
Next, I’ll show you the house, which is not remarkable and is perpetually full of tourists taking selfies. Or in one case, preparing to reveal a skimpy top prior to her photo session.
The first room is Monet’s studio, the second his bedroom.
Moving outside, here are some photos of the extensive gardens. I’m going to leave photos of the water lilies for another post where I will compare them to the paintings in L’Orangerie in Paris.
