After a delicious breakfast at the ‘Coin du Pain’tre’ (what’s in a name), we made a pit stop to see the old Mill in the town of Vernon. The mill is a half-timbered construction and it lies straddling 2 piers of the ancient bridge over the Seine river. The bridge itself was built in the 12th century. The mill probably around 1600. After the death of the American owner William Griffin in 1947, the city of Vernon tried to find his heirs, but did not succeed. The mill was damaged by the bombings in 1940 and was about to fall into the Seine River. But the city of Vernon then undertook its salvage. Now it’s a symbol of Vernon. It has been represented thousands of times by painters, even by Claude Monet. Seeing the old mill, just hanging on the broken bridge was beautiful. The whole area was super green and the mill stood out beautifully. This was definitively worth a small detour.
To keep in style, we chose to make a stop at the ‘Chateau de Versailles’. It was not raining and because of Covid and the ‘on-line’ ticket obligation, the lines were doable, so we enjoyed this big finale moment: The hall of mirrors, the Queen’s Hamlet, the beautiful paintings, the fountain shows and the breathtaking gardens. And if you are looking to stay overnight, the new 5-star hotel Les Airelles opened in June 2021. So, if you are looking to be pampered, driven around in a golf cart with a private guide and have a view from your bathtub over the exquisite Versailles Manoir, Les Airelles is where you want to stay.
Another memorable long weekend, this time with the experience of my first Michelin-star restaurant. I am definitively fan now! And bubbly, well I have always been fan of champagne, but thanks for the reminder girls :)!!! What is better than to be inspired by places that open your heart and mind, art that plays with your emotions, music that moves you, food that takes you on a culinary journey and friends who make you laugh, inspire you and encourage you to be fully alive…I feel blessed to be surrounded by such inspiring people.
Monet’s garden in Giverny has been on my bucket list for so long. I’m a huge Impressionism fan and had posters and postcards of Monet, Degas and Manet when I was still in my teens. I still have a Monet poster in my bedroom, one that I purchased 25 years ago in the Metropolitan museum in New York. And ever since I visited the Monet exhibition in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, I dreamt about going to Giverny. To get to see Monet’s home and his famous gardens, the place that inspired so many of his well-known works, is a dream come true. So, I’m very happy that I finally made it, in the company of these 2 amazing powerwomen Sandra and Marina.
I was really wept away by the sentimental beauty of these gardens and it was so easy to envision Monet at his easel, capturing nature with paint. I’m not an artist, but even I felt inspired to draw while we were there as everything was just so beautiful and you could feel all the creative energy housed there.
Now let me tell you a bit about Monet’s fascinating life: Claude Monet married Camille Doncieux. They had 2 sons together. Camille was Claude’s muse and featured in many of his early works. Sadly, Camille became ill a few years into their marriage and the birth of their second son, Michel, weakened her body further. Camille died of tuberculosis in 1879 at the age of 32, leaving Claude to raise his infant sons. Claude then fell in love with his friend’s wife Alice, who had 6 children and who was abandoned by her husband. A few years later, in 1883, Claude, Alice and their Brady Bunch of eight kids – 4 boys and 4 girls, moved to Giverny together.
Claude Monet spotted the small village of Giverny, France, from the window of a train taking him from Vernon to Gasny. It must have been love at first sight, because he quickly moved there with the family and began renting the house he’ll make his home for the next 40 years. By 1890, he saved enough money to purchase the famous pink house with the forest green shutters and the surrounding land.
The entrance to Monet’s house opens to this magnificent flower garden. Once you step through this door, you feel like you’ve walked into an impressionist painting. My absolute favourite is the yellow dining room. It is painted a bright buttercup yellow with checkerboard flooring and Japanese inspired art. Then it has glass double France doors that open onto the balcony and frame the garden beyond. Standing in this room, I could easily picture a lively scene of Monet’s large family lingering over a nice french meal and passionately discussing art and flowers and food. Since Monet was a real foodie! Monet was indeed very enthusiastic about food and he preferred to grow everything the family ate in his own gardens. He had fruit trees, herbs and vegetables of every kind imaginable. He even grew his own turkeys and raised his own ducks and chickens. He was fanatical about the poultry served at the table. His entire estate was carefully planned out and maintained. His lust for ‘haute cuisine’ was obvious in the recipes he left behind after his death. Everything from rich pasta’s and sauces, to mandarin duck, to homemade ice cream was created in this kitchen, all freshly picked, killed and prepared.
To create the water garden, Monet purchased additional land that included a water meadow. This work was quite undertaking and it took him nearly 20 years to create it. But, as you stand on the ground where Monet once did, gazing at the clear water of the pond and admiring the bright flowers and the water lillies, it’s hard not to feel like you have suddenly been transported into one of the master’s paintings.
After Monet’s death in 1926, the gardens around his home slowly deteriorated. In 1976, funded with millions of dollars in donations, former Versailles Chief curator, Gerald Van der Kemp and his American wife, Florence, began to restore Monet’s home and garden. Today, more than 500,000 people have visited the artist’s former estate.
So, if like me, you love Impressionism, Giverny is an absolute must! It is such a beautiful setting, even if it was raining on the day of our visit. But it was real fun to imagine how Monet’s daily life in the village must have been like. I absolutely loved it!
On the road again, hooray!!!! This time to France with my friend and colleague Marina. I’m so happy to finally go to Giverny, since it has been on my bucket list for quite some time now.
For those who don’t know Giverny: This quaint little village is especially famous because Claude Monet has lived here. I’m very excited, since we have tickets to visit his house and his famous garden, but also the Monet museum.
Giverny has a bit of an artsy vibe. It is a real delight to wander through. Especially without the hordes of tourists. The streets are full of little art galleries, gift shops and restaurants. We spend some time exploring and popping into the art galleries and we enjoyed an afternoon drink in Hotel-Restaurant Baudy, a restaurant with cypress-lined paths pulled straight from a storybook.
We also visited the village church of Saint-Radegronde. This is Claude Monet’s beautiful final resting place.
Since we were in Giverny to experience the finer things of life, we made reservations at ‘Le Jardin des Plumes’. Le jardin des Plumes is a Michelin star restaurant in a handsome Anglo-Norman hotel. Normandy chef David Gallienne, who trained at the Manoir du Lys, continues to work with some of his former suppliers from Orne and with the Dieppe fishermen. His inventive recipes incorporate unusual flavours and textures. He invites his guests to wind down and relax and pampers them with heavenly dishes. But this young chef also has another very important mission: To raise awareness of the benefits of nature and to the natural rhythm of the seasons, but also to raise awareness to the work of the local artisans.
Instead of describing the heavenly meal that we enjoyed, I’ll just let the pictures speak for itself. What a delightful experience!
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