Blogs from Upper Normandy, France, Europe - page 7

Today was a little bit different from our other days so far, but a great day! Instead of touring Paris today, we had a day-long tour with Ann-Clair who took us to both Giverny and Versailles. Ok so to start, Giverny is this tiny village about an hour outside of France that to this day only has a population of around 500 people. So why the trip to Giverny? Because that's where Monet had his house, gardens and water lily pond! It was beautiful!!! Mom and I have always been big art people with a special love for the impressionists and so we were especially excited about this mini excursion. It did not disappoint and this is something I feel the need to recommend to anyone coming to France, art lover or not. The house was ... read more

Day 15 - Art Appreciation We planned a less ambitious day today. Northern France was the home of Claude Monet, the leader of the Impressionist Art Movement. His home and gardens in Giverny were turned into a museum open for public tours in the 1970s. Monet painted some of his most recognizable works while living there, including Waterlilies. We were able to walk through his home and see reproductions of the many works he painted while living there. We were also able to see the lily pond where he painted many famous works. Anne really enjoyed the visit. She took many pictures of the flowers, landscapes, and Tony and Michelle. Tony took many pictures of Anne taking pictures. We had lunch at the restaurant across from the museum with some French dishes. Afterwards we headed back ... read more

Day 13 - Nothing is open on Sunday In France, Sunday is a day to spend with your family. This is not compatible with our tourist schedules. Time to kick back, eat some freshly delivered croissants, watch the rain, take a walk by the river, go to the pool, and attempt to find an open restaurant or grocery store. That's pretty much what we did today. The resort has bread delivered each morning at 8AM. Orders have to be in by 7:30 the night before. We ordered 6 croissants (hey, they could have been small) and a baguette, all quite tasty. Michelle and Tony gobbled theirs up but Anne saved her second croissant for an afternoon snack. After breakfast we all went for a walk around the grounds. There is a small island across the bridge ... read more

We got an early start for Monet’s Garden today as we heard it can get busy. It was a beautiful day so after a breakfast chat with the other guests, two ladies from Scotland, we headed off. Arriving just after the opening, the line was quite moderate and we entered the amazing flower gardens. No wonder Monet was inspired to paint this over and over for many years. The first part of the garden is the flower beds with exotic species from all over the world which Monet would collect on his travels. The amazing flowers even kept Em entertained for about 1 ½ hours! Next you cross the road through an underpass into the water garden where you find the famous wisteria bridge. We spent another hour there wandering the gardens, watching the creek and ... read more

Thursday 8th May 2014 Up early this morning, sheets and towels in the washing machine, then the dryer. Mopped the floors and the house looked as if we hadn't even been there! This was confirmed when Fred & Helena, who oversee the house, came for coffee and to collect the keys. What lovely people they are, they had tulips on the table when we came and they gave us a gift of macaroons when we left. The weather was the worst it has been since we came here, it rained almost continuously all day. This didn't make for relaxed driving on the motorway where the speed limit is 130kph in fine weather and 110 kph when raining. The rain obviously wasn't noticed by most, we sitting on about 120kph and many cars passing in excess ... read more