BY TIM HEDGLEY, DD TRAVEL EDITOR:
THE Final Part of my French trilogy ends with a visit to the holy grail of impressionist painters, well in my opinion anyway.
About an hours drive from Rouen, I arrived in Giverny, a small hamlet that is dedicated to one man, Claude Monet. Claude was a prolific painter and the founder of the impressionist movement. He started a following that continues to this day and it was one of his most famous paintings which has attracted more comment than any other.
The Lilly pond was painted in his garden and my trek around some of the impressionist areas of this beautiful part of France was indeed to culminate right there where it all began.
After finding my way to Giverny, I made my way to rue Claude Monet, could you really expect anything less?
And Into a beautiful little B&B called Les Coin des Artists.
This amazing B&B is like one of Monet’s paintings.
A joy to behold, beautiful, perfectly scaled and in a delightful setting. I was situated in what was originally an outhouse but it has now been transformed into a 5 star ensuite room.
The beauty of this room was it was literally your own little property at B&B Prices. Expertly designed and beautifully furnished it is a real treat to stay in such a beautiful home.
Dinner
I didn’t stay for dinner, as I had spotted a little restaurant just down the road. l’Ancien Hôtel Baudy, 81 rue Claude Monet, 27620 Givernywww.restaurantbaudy.com
Hotel Baudy provided a number of menu options, a brasserie option at €14 and going up to a French Cuisine menu at €28, I had the standard brasserie option which was delightful, service was good and overall it was a very pleasant dining experience. The ting that makes this restaurant stand out, is the terrace in front of the hotel. I remember passing when returning to my B&B and it was packed with a queue of people waiting to sit. If you have an afternoon to spare watching the world and art lovers go buy this is indeed the spot for you.
Monet’s House
Nestled along the banks of the Seine Monet’s house and garden are world renowned thanks to the famous paintings they inspired.
Today, Monet’s House and Gardens at the Fondation Claude Monet have become an international pilgrimage site for garden enthusiasts and art lovers alike.
Here you can see as Monet saw, the beautiful and inspiring vista in his amazing garden’s.
The Monet Foundation has kept his home the way it was when he died, paintings adorn all the rooms and it’s clear this must have been a beautiful place to live and paint.
Birds twittering, the cool breeze gently saying the trees on the banks of the Seine and dragon flies, landing on the lilies on the pond. This is truly an inspirational place.
Monet moved to Giverny in 1883 when there, he set about transforming the abandoned house that he bought, into a floral masterpiece and it was here where he found the inspiration for many of his greatest works of art.
Monet was not only a painter of his own gardens but also an artist whose painting trips took him away for lengthy periods of time. However, he was never really far from his famous Lily pond.
Through constant correspondence, he kept a close eye on his family and his flowers. Frequent visits from his friends and admirers made Giverny the centre of his existence until his death in 1926.
As I sat in his garden overlooking the lily pond, it was so easy to imagine that this great painter not only sat in the same spot painting his masterpiece, but he had the foresight to design the gardens in the first place.
For me visiting Monet’s home was one of those bucket list moments, you turn a corner and there it is a truly special place that no one should miss if they can. www.fondation-monet.com/en/
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