May 4, 2012

Chapter 5: The Color of Monet

Claude, you and I have an issue.


You made your Japanese garden so enchanting and unbelievably alluring that one cannot help but lean over your famous green bridge and gaze dreamily into the lily pad dappled waters.

If your Impressionist pond ghosts really needed my sunglasses that badly, they could have just asked me. 


Did they really have to make it look like a hapless accident as the Italian shades slipped out from their perch in my scarf and landed gently into the water?

Really.

Well, better my Italian sunglasses than my Apple iTouch (which I had dropped onto dry land just moments earlier). Enjoy the view.

The Tales of Ki-Tan
Chapter 5: The Color of Monet


Monet's home in Giverny breathes even more life into Impressionism. He crafted his gardens like he created his paintings, paying detailed attention to the sunlight, movement of the earth and water, and blending lovely complimentary shapes with splashes of colors. 


Monet's backyard is very different when compared to the structure and symmetry of chateaux gardens. Instead you feel the natural flow of the land, the rainbow shades drawing you down another path to admire each unique bloom.


We could tell that the height of the season for Monet's home is definitely late summer and early fall. Many plants and vines were not yet flowering, but the garden was still able to shine brightly with spring tulips and daffodils.


The inside of the house was simple, but beautiful with his collection of Japanese prints and several of his paintings throughout. The gift shop is a highlight as well, where you can buy any size of any of his painting prints, along with garden-themed gifts and tokens. I definitely recommend getting there when the gardens open; the place was flooded with tourists from the get-go. It's also only open in April through early fall, so plan accordingly. And please, if you are so inspired, if you could just jump quickly into the pond and retrieve my sunglasses for me, I would be incredibly grateful.


We didn't rampage through this day trip like we normally would. Instead, we just soaked in everything as we went. It was a very calm day by Tanya and Christy standards, but it was the best way to finish Tanya's vacation. Giverny is one of the most charming villages I have been to in France (even the local church in Giverny had intentional Impressionist stained glass that we happened upon at the perfect time of day), and we wandered through the neighborhoods and city before heading back to Paris for one final perfect afternoon of hot chocolate at Angelina's.


The Tales of Ki-Tan, complete collection: