Water Lilies and so much more
Trip Start
May 05, 2007
1
9
11
Trip End
May 15, 2007
Giverny,
Normandy,
France
Saturday, May 12, 2007
The sun finally came out for good, as we headed south towards Paris. One more stop on the way, though. Mom and I had convinced Dad that we would stop in Giverny, famous home of impressionist painter Claude Monet. On a previous trip to Paris with Mom in 2000, I had led her to discover impressionism, and we had paid a visit to the Musée Marmottan, home of "Impression, Soleil Levant" and several of the Water Lilies paintings.
The town of Giverny was pretty and welcoming, and as we got near the Monet house, we realized how well preserved and organized the site was. Parking the car in one of several designated lots, we got in line to buy tickets for the visit of the house and famous gardens. The house itself was beautiful - still displaying the life of Claude and his wife, and giving a taste of what that life would have been like at the beginning of the twentieth century. We proceeded to walk around the elegant gardens, where countless varieties of trees and flowers are still grown lovingly. The pond - subject of so many paintings - came into view, harbouring water lilies and other forms of aquatic plants and flowers. Wow... What a place... No wonder it inspired so many beautiful masterpieces. It was obvious why Claude Monet chose to live and paint there. How fortunate we are that this amazing site has been kept for visitors.
Walking back to our faithful Megane, I realized that this was the last stretch of road for us. Leaving Giverny, we were heading to Charles de Gaulle airport, to drop off the car. We'd had a little mishap with the car (I wasn't the one driving!) so my parents were anxious to confirm that the full insurance package they had purchased would cover the damages entirely. Indeed! When travelling abroad and renting a car, don't mess with insurance - just buy it, it might save you the price of a costly repair...
We took the Roissy-Bus from CDG to the Opera, in Paris, feeling like vagabonds, now that we had to carry our luggage! Arriving in the city was almost disorienting, after a week of tranquil countryside and slow traffic. Paris was bustling, busy, happy, loud, colourful, fast! Ah Paris!!! The Eiffel Tower some distance in front of us, the architecture began defining itself in all the lovely eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, the elegant turn of a rooftop, the wide boulevards and narrow alleys. The recognizable façade of the Opera came into view, we turned a corner, and came to our stop. We walked the couple of blocks to our hotel, and checked in at the Antin Trinité. Dinner at the Triadon Haussman, and quick to bed.
I LOVE PARIS!
