Gardens of Inspiration

Giverny is a small country village in Normandy, about an hour and a half from Le Havre where Serenade was docked.  It is a pleasant drive out there, mostly pastoral scenery, with multiple crossings of the Seine River.

Parking to get to Monet's house and gardens is a short walk away, past quiet homes and narrow streets.  Monet, who was born in Paris in 1840 and grew up in Le Havre, is said to have fallen in love with this village when his train passed through in the early 1880's.

By that time he had been painting his trademark Impressionist paintings for several years and decided that a house in Giverny would be a wonderful place to be inspired in.

Some of his most famous paintings are of the lilies that grew in a pond on the grounds.

There are at least 31 different kinds of flowers and trees planted around the lily ponds.

During his lifetime Monet painted water lilies 250 times.

There is so much beauty and so many different views depending on the angle and the light that it is easy to see why he was enamored of the and of this place.

He would also have a gardener clean the lily ponds each day to rid them of the ash and soot from the trains that ran nearby.  Thankfully the current gardeners don't have to do that anymore as the train doesn't go through Giverny, but they do still regularly clean the ponds and leaves.

I don't have anything else to say about these photos at the lily ponds, just hope you can enjoy looking at them.

Even these boats were a part of some of his paintings.

In front of his home Monet had 66 different species of flowers planted, 

many of which draw insect life to them.

There were up to seven gardeners at a time taking care of the grounds.

It's written that Monet once said, "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

There's no doubt that their colors 

and designs inspired him.

I hope you'll enjoy scrolling through the garden with us.

Sometimes it is difficult to see the house for the flowers.  

It is a wide home but one that's only one room deep.

When you enter the first thing you see is a picture of the artist in the house among some of his work,

much of which is still hanging on the walls today,

even some water lilies.

The rooms are light and airy,

with large windows that look out on

incredible gardens.

More paintings hang in

this bedroom where Claude Monet died in 1926 of lung cancer.

When we got to these rooms Karl said, "This is my kind of house!  I love all the bright colors the walls are painted!"

The bright blues of the kitchen were a fun mix of paint and tiles.

You enter the house through a door on the end furthest away in this photo, walk through one ground floor room then head to the bedrooms upstairs and then come back down to finish the visit.  It had to be a pleasant place to live in.

We walked through more of the gardens after coming out of the house.

One of the things I loved was the positioning of flowers of the same hue together in harmonious combinations of heights and textures.

Lots of bees loved the gardens too.

Just enjoy a few more views with me.

Hopefully I've given you a taste of the beauty that we were able to see today.  I'm truly grateful that this place has been preserved as it has been and that it is available for anyone to see.

We had gotten away early enough on our journey that we had time for a brief stop in Rouen on the way back to Le Havre.  One of the things this city is famous for is its wood and plaster buildings.

It's also famous for being the place where Jeanne d'Arc, or by what might sound more familiar, Joan of Arc, was burned at the stake in 1431 for being a heretic and a witch.

The cross marks the spot of her death and the church on the left is named after her.  Unfortunately is was closed and we couldn't go in.  This statue of Joan sits outside the church.

This square sits across the street from the church and is full of 

interesting old buildings.  The one on the right claims to be the oldest inn in France, La Touronne, established in 1345.

Old, but not as old as the inn, was this small carousel that's been around since 1920.

We also took a walk down this pleasant street to reach the Rouen Cathedral.

We had to pass through the old city gate with its ornate clock that dates back to 1528.  Originally it was all part of the old city hall.

Surprisingly there are identical clocks on either side of the gate.

Interesting things to note on the clock, it only has an hour hand because in those days minutes didn't matter to people, only hours.  Also, the number "4" was written as IIII rather than IV so as not to be confused with VI, or 6.  On the end of the hour hand is a sheep, because wool was their most important industry at the time the clocks were created.  To me, the dark border outside the numbers ring also looks like wool.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame Rouen was begun in the year 1030, at a time when the city was the capital of Normandy.  The earliest part of the church is blocky Romanesque but with an addition in 1145 it got a more Gothic look.  When it was finally completed in 1506. it had begun to have a Renaissance look about it.  You can see the restoration work going on for the central spire, it caught fire just a couple of weeks ago during some restoration work.

All I know is that Rouen Cathedral has some of the most detailed carvings on it that I have ever seen on a cathedral.  Despite the wear and tear of age it is stunning.  It is also amazing how good it looks knowing that it was severely damaged by bombings on D-Day.

Some of the carvings above the door.

Inside it all opens wide with a vaulted ceiling above and long aisles.

It is no wonder that after having been around for almost a thousand years the ceiling has begun to show some cracks.

You knew there'd have to be some stained glass!

These statues stand along one wall of the cathedral.  Some have names attached to them, others do not.  The faces of most are just a little odd.  No idea if they have always been there or were previously on the exterior., I couldn't find info on them.

Rouen Cathedral is also the final resting place of the heart of Richard 1, or Richard the Lionhearted, hence the lion at his feet.  His heart was brought preserved to France to be buried because he had spent much of his childhood here.  True to the custom of the day, his entrails were buried where he died, in Chalus, and the rest of his body is buried near his father in Fauntevraud Abbey in Anjou, France.

Although he wasn't the greatest of kings he was brave and beloved despite his faults.

In 1920 Joan of Arc was canonized a saint by Pope Benedict XV.  There is a chapel in Rouen Cathedral dedicated to her.  She is the patron saint of France, soldiers, prisoners, those in need of courage, those ridiculed for their faith, and youth. Certainly a change from being declared a heretic.

A final unique and eye-catching part of the cathedral is this carved staircase.  It really is no wonder that Rouen Cathedral is considered the loveliest of its kind in France.  I'm so glad things worked out for us to make a visit there!