Claude Monet's Garden and Home, Giverny

Part 3 of my Giverny visit.

Finally! After years of anticipating, looking at photos online, and planning, I have entered the beautiful grounds of Claude Monet's home and gardens. The property is divided into two sections: Le Clos Normand is the part with the house and the beautiful garden and the Japanese inspired water garden on the other side of the road.

Claude Monet lived in Giverny from 1883 until he died in 1926. When Monet and his family settled in Giverny in 1883, this area was an orchard enclosed by high stone walls. Monet cleared out the area (about 2.5 acres), and created a spectacular garden. He did not care for order, or very dark colors, he grouped flowers by color and blended simple flowers with the rarest of species, mixed annuals and perennials. Tall iron arches are the centerpieces creating a beautiful path to the house.

There are fruit trees, ornamental trees, climbing roses, long-stemmed hollyhocks, multicolored annuals, and so much more. It must be wonderful to be able to see the flower combinations change with the season, to watch the colors of the flowers go from vibrant to dull, the leaves turn rusty as the fall approaches, and the garden begin blossoming slowly with tulips in the spring, and end with dahlias at the end of the season. Le Clos Normand throughout the spring, summer and fall season is filled with the most beautiful colors of pansies, daffodils, forget-me-nots, peonies, poppies, roses, sunflowers, and thousands of other plants that I could not name.

Monet had a spectacular creative sensibility, an artist's eye, a great imagination and perseverance to make all this happen. Let's face it; this was a lot of work! At first, Monet and his family did most of the gardening themselves, but as his reputation and income grew, he hired gardeners to help out.

I loved walking among the flowers; the colors and the smell were intoxicating. A visit to this garden is a feast for the eyes, the mind and the soul.

It is very difficult to really convey what the garden is with just a few photos. I tried to pick some of the best pictures that I took, but I know that those will not do it justice. So, now I will let the photos do the talking, I hope you enjoy the virtual stroll through the garden. It was an unforgettable moment for me.

Monet's Garden and Home
open 3/24-11/1
9:30-6:00
To book tickets go to Giverny.org

Joanna

Comments

Bordier Butter - The Best Butter in France

France is in the midst of a butter shortage! Due to a decrease in milk production and a substantial demand for French pastries all over the world (mainly China and the Middle East), the price of butter has increased by 60% in one year. The French are stocking up and thus creating shortages. French newspapers are publishing articles titled "A guide to cooking without butter". So, with hopes that the shortages are temporary, here is my ode to the best butter in the world. I'm not kidding. The. Best. Butter. In. The. World. Mr. Bordier, a grandson and a son of cheese mongers, became a butter artisan in 1985. He acquired a creamery originally founded in 1927. The supreme taste of the Bordier butter was first recognized by a chef from the Plaza Athenee while vacationing in Brittany, a beautiful region in northwestern France. Bordier is the lone butter master to still use the old method of kneading the butter according to the 19th century t...

Grandma's Kitchen, Hangzhou

In need of some traditional cooking, we made our way to Grandma's Home/Grandma's Kitchen. We were prepared for a long wait since this is a very popular restaurant, but got lucky and only waited for 15 minutes. It was after 8pm, maybe that was the reason. There is a computer at the entrance where one can register for a table. We just gave our name to the girl inside the lobby, she in turn handed us a paper with our number on it. As we waited outside, we kept our eyes glued to the screen in the lobby showing the ticket numbers. When our number came up, the lobby girl gave us the number of our table and we took the elevator to the 8th floor. The numbers are on the edge of each table. I really liked the design of the restaurant. It was creative in the use of old jars with words scribbled on them, chalk like drawings on the walls and bamboo beams creating a roof above us. The menu was in Chinese but we...

Indian Accent, NYC

Often when a question arises as to what to eat for dinner, I think of Indian food. I am a very happy gal with chicken makhani, basmati rice, an onion kulcha or a nan laid out in front of me. I have heard some very good things about Indian Accent, a relatively new restaurant in midtown Manhattan, adjacent to the Parker Hotel. The décor here is unlike most Indian restaurants I have visited; no boldly colored fabrics, beautiful tapestries, intricately carved wood, or lanterns. Indian Accent restaurant looks like something that Daniel Boulud would envision. There are about fifteen wooden tables and a few small booths, fabric covered modern chairs, a lit bar with glass shelves and golden accents throughout, and large glass vases filled with flowering branches. The menu is complicated, however, our terrific waiter took his time and explained each dish and even made some wonderful suggestions. Actually, everyone at the restaurant was really professiona...

A Fork And A Suitcase

Search This Blog