Giverny is best known as the place where Monet spent many years and did much of his painting. This was the reason we stopped by there in July, 2004 as we were passing through the northern part of France. The house that Monet lived in has been restored as have his gardens. This is a popular tourist visit as people wish to see where one of the great artists spent his hours painting. At right is a collage of the various flowers in bloom at the time we were there.

As we walked around the gardens on a wet morning, it was clear where Monet got his inspiration. Luckily the rain stopped long enough for us to walk through the garden, but the lush greenery of the area, along with the dripping water, made for a very impressionistic view. The picture at left is of one of the borders with Verna’s impressionistic view given to it.

The house and gardens were in grave disrepair after WWII, but since then the house has been restored and the garden has been reconstructed as it had been when Monet lived there.

We chose not to visit the house as the garden was the main objective for us. Of course, we then saw that there appeared a great view of the gardens from the second story, so perhaps the house would have been worth the visit for the view. And the gift shop was well stocked with small mementos as well as quite expensive scarves, pictures, and most anything the visitor would want.

For us, the highlight of the visit was the lily pond (right). This was across the main road from the house and garden, but perhaps the road wasn’t there in Monet’s time. The setting is quite tranquil and you could definitely get the sense of sitting here, painting the landscape.

Since we have been there, many people we have talked with asked us “Was it worth it?” Our answer is “Depends on what you are looking for.” It is not so much a stop to see a great garden, but it is worth seeing the source of the inspiration. 

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