Monet's Garden
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2008
1
8
20
Trip End
Aug 01, 2008
Giverny, Normandy, France
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Despite the rain which built steadily as we drove towards Giverny, it was amazing. The lily pond and Japanese bridge were breath taking. The Poppies were spectacular and a nice reminder of the last few days, the sunflowers a little shy with the rain, the lavender contributed to a heady mix of perfumes. We wandered around for a couple of hours trying to see where different scenes may have come from. Joel is convinced that Monet must have paid someone to carefully place the lily pads artistically I chose to believe that he was kind to the images he saw and painted them in their best light
Dora at the lily pond
.After visiting this really beautiful place it was kind of weird to then leave via the gift shop and see people fighting to buy any piece of shite with a flower painted. They were even selling tubes of paint called Monet's tubes no idea what colours they may have been. Yay for cashing in on the Tourist dollar! Joel thinks Monet would be turning in his grave, right up until he got his royalty cheque. Cynical much?
After stopping for a very wet picnic and the usual parade of French men stepping into the bushes for a quick wee we headed off to Normandy proper. I won't bore anyone including myself by relaying the story of how we finally found the right hotel in the wrong location. Let me just say that instead of the very cosmopolitan city of Deauville, hotel on the harbour, we find ourselves spending the next 2 nights in Frances version of Shady Pines. The average age of hotel guests is 96, there are 2 ambulance stations within eyesight and there is a walker repair shop right on the beach front. Joel is concerned about the bikini parade tomorrow.
Tomorrow we get back to the war trail with some time at the D Day landing beaches and museums.
