Goldilocks, friends, and a big hungry bear go north to Monet's garden at Giverny

We've always said we wanted to visit Monet's house and gardens at Giverny - but we were waiting for a day that was not too hot, not too cold, not too windy or rainy, and not on a weekend. Those narrow garden paths are lovely in their own right but not designed to handle throngs of hungry tired plant-lovers... I was delighted to run into a friend shortly before we left and learn that she too had always wanted to see the house and gardens, but not in heat, rain, mobs, etc., and that she too was on her way to Paris, and our times there would overlap enough to allow for the day trip to Giverny. We fixed a day for the expedition and started looking into how best to get there and would there be lunch?


There are lots of tips for making the most of your visit to Giverny, the ones that we found most useful were (1) get tickets in advance on the web - avoids standing in crowded and unpleasant line and (2) if possible, time your visit for the middle of the day, when bus tours will be having lunch elsewhere - avoids crowding on narrow garden paths. A number of companies offer small van tours or car/driver options, if there are more than 2 or 3 of you, I'd recommend pricing this out and comparing it to other options. I didn't see that hiring a site-specific guide was particularly necessary. The flowers and trees all have little identifying signs, and the contents of the house are frankly not that amazing. Spend a little time reading about Monet's life, then go and enjoy the garden. There's a separate museum at Giverny, placed between the parking lot and the Monet house/gardens, which exhibits other impressionists, this is nice enough, but not where you go to see Monets paintings. His great work here is the garden. Wonderful collections of his paintings are to be found at your leisure back in Paris.


So the intrepid art-lovers, having timed our visit for when the group visitors would be elsewhere having lunch, and having had our respective concierges print out our tickets, set forth. Without further ado:








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some non-botanical inhabitants


And some views of the kitchen - no starving here...n




And a glance at the dining room



OK, this shot of the dining room shows why I felt let down by the house. I've read that Monet was so happy to be in this house that he designed everything that went into it, and for years I've loved the china he designed. So I thought the dining room would at least have a few places set for breakfast. No. The saucer under the tired plant on the table was the only piece of that china in sight. On the other hand, the kitchen was a wonder of convenience for its time. A special tap next to the stove allowed you to fill a pot or kettle and heat it without having to carry a heavy pot across the room. Of course you then had to carry the heated water to wherever you wanted it, but one trip was saved.
















And finally we had come full circle. No elaborate lunch today, but you should know that there are a few places to grab a sandwich or a little salad. This suited us fine, as we had dinner reservations. And strangely, gazing at all the flowers had been - filling?

18 comments:

  1. Jealous thoughts. One of my sisters-in-law went, and it is a place I would love to see. Some year perhaps. Thank you so much for the photos - and I am pleased to discover that some of the plants thriving there are also in my own garden.

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  2. hi, Elephant's Child! yes, the impact of the garden is in the color groupings and the use of well-loved flowers. I'm not sophisticated enough to know whether or not any of the irises or peonies were rare specimens, even if they were, it looked like they were chosen for color not rarity. An utter delight.

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  3. I'm holding my breath as I read "Monet's garden at Giverny" ... be still my heart. Must get to bed, it's almost 3 a.m. where I am. I will save this for tomorrow to savor. I'll be back.

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    1. Maybe if they set dishes out in the dining room the pieces would disappear? It took me a few days to come back for the visit and I've enjoyed very much the virtual trip to a magical place. Thank you!

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    2. gad you returned , tr, thanks!

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  4. MOnet's garden is one of my happy places from all my travels! I loved it, even the spat I had with my son! I found it exquisite and beautiful. We got there first thing in the morning and then had an early lunch at one of the little outdoor cafes - we missed the huge lines and were glad, since when we left around 1 the place was a zoo! So magical - I will go back for sure! So glad you got there!

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    1. We did feel the magic, even with the water lilies not being quite in season!

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  5. I have to go! Thanks for the tour, I love that kitchen, I'm going to pin those pictures on to my kitchen reno board if that's okay.

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    1. By all means, PINNIT! I love visiting kitchens in old houses, kitchens, homes of the famous - I must say I felt bad for Dostoievsky, his poor little apartment in St Petersburg didn't even have water. "Sanitary" facility outdoors in yard.

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  6. All this time and I still haven't made it but this is just a reminder I must just book it already!

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    1. Hi, cws, I was surprised at how do-able this was, especially after all our neurotic fussing.

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  7. My husband has been saying lately that we ought to go to Paris again so I think this time we need to explore further and maybe add Giverny to the list.
    Love the photo of the little feathered friends.

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    1. Hi, Trish, it's an easy ride from Paris, and also a lovely day-trip from lots of places in Normandy.

      The chickens were courting and I could have stood there all day watching the little minuet - advance, bow, step back, repeat.

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  8. Thank you for the beautiful shots. The kitchen caught my eye, but I agree, the table does look strangely bare. Your floral photos are exquisite. Oh well, I am sure you will have another extraordinary meal post soon(kidding).

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  9. Thanks, KnitYarns! Yes, plenty more food to come...

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  10. Lovely photos! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  11. these pictures are awesome--loving the flowers!

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