More Water Lilies

Today, not without a little confusion, we managed to make our way to the St. Lazare train station and buy a ticket to go to the town of Vernon.  It's about 45 minutes outside of Paris, and is located in the region of Normandy.  At the train station in Vernon are shuttle buses which take visitors to the star attraction of the area... the village of Giverny, where the great impressionist painter, Claude Monet, lived for many years until his death in 1926.

Even the large number of tourists could not distract from the beauty and tranquility of this place.  Monet's house is now a museum, but the best part are the beautiful gardens filled with all kinds of flowers. (I don't think I've ever seen so many roses in my life!)  And the best part of the gardens is the pond with water lilies which were the inspiration for so many of his paintings, including the ones we saw yesterday in the Museum of the Orangerie.

After visiting the house and gardens, we had time to explore the picturesque village of Giverny a bit.  It seems that every home as well as most of the businesses are competing to have the most beautiful flowers.  Giverny is admittedly tourist oriented with bed and breakfasts, restaurants, souvenir shops, and art galleries galore.  But that is something that dates back to the late 1800s when art students and admirers of Monet started flocking to the village, and the shopkeepers started renting out rooms to the visitors.  

Giverny's church dates back to the twelfth century, and in the churchyard is the grave of the beloved  painter.