Giverny. May 1 is the French equivalent of Canadian Labour Day, only more so. Cindy noted that the French inclination toward the dramatic meant that such occasions are marked by much marching, protesting and general ballyhoo. She warned that France would be closed today and we could expect massed gatherings in Paris. Happily, our morning's destination was Giverny, site of Claude Monet's home and garden estate, where he spent the last 43 years of his life, and where he painted some of his most beautiful and famous works. The estate is now a private business focused on tourism and, therefore, not affected by the otherwise general shutdown of the Country. Giverny is an ancient town which straddles the Seine, about 60km downriver, as the crow flies, from Paris. History tells us that artists in the late
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