The Sainte-Radegonde Church of Giverny, western side
The church of Giverny is located within walking distance of Claude Monet’s house and gardens, about one kilometer away. It is an excuse for a nice stroll on the main street of the village.
Monet is buried on the eastern side of the church and you will certainly want to stop by at his tomb. You can also enter the church itself, which is well worth a visit. You shouldn’t miss the village’s graveyard on the hillside, especially because of its WWII graves.
The little square on the western side of the church displays a memorial to the soldiers and civilians that fell during the world conflicts. The large stone next to it is known as the Sainte-Radegonde stone. It used to be the top of a menhir built around 2000 B.C. The menhir was Christianised in the 6th Century. It was said to cure skin diseases.
Late summer is a great time of year to visit Giverny, especially because of the fantastic dahlias that are now at their best in the flower beds.
Monet loved dahlias. We know from his step-son Jean-Pierre Hoschedé that he was fond of a variety called ‘Etoile de Digoin’, a starry dahlia that can still be admired in the garden. The gardeners do their best to find old varieties, as far as possible. They also plant lots of modern dahlias, because Monet looked for the newest hybrids of his times.
Dahlias are said to be easy to cross fertilize. Monet himself is supposed to have made an attempt and obtained a new variety – unfortunately it is lost now. Each year new dahlias appear on the market, and they are just amazing. They range from tiny to huge, from one color to several, they have all kinds of petals, of shape, of hues… They play their part in the stunning beauty of late summer at Giverny.
While many people enjoy being at the beach in August, at Giverny visitors like staying under the beech. The big copper beech planted by Monet is now a mature tree providing a wonderful shade in summer.
From this spot, we cannot see the water lily pond yet. It will appear in a few steps. The famous Japanese bridge painted so often by Monet is just in front of us.
Monet’s garden is a painter’s garden. What matters are colors and light, the subtle and ever changing combination of colors in the light. In this upper corner of the flower garden at Giverny, the gardeners associate poppies of rich or soft pink with a blue clematis and purple roses. The little blue dots are corn flowers.
Monet’s second studio in the flower garden at Giverny
At the top of his flower garden, in the upper left corner, Monet built a studio in 1899. Aged 58, he was now famous, recognized as a master, and rich enough to turn his building dreams into reality.
A double row of lime-trees (tilia) linked this studio with the garden. Monet and his family loved to stay in their shade on warm summer days for a lunch in the open air.
In their times, the ground was sanded. Nowadays, a tempting lawn covers this cool area, but just for the pleasure of the eyes: it is not allowed to step, not to speak about lying on it.
In the background, against the studio wall, Monet installed an aviary where the children kept wounded birds that they tried to rescue.
Garlands of wisterias wrap Monet’s footbridge with softness and delicacy. They are of different colors and sizes of panicles, from small to very long, from mauve to white, and when the sun shines, they fill the air with their fragrance.
The bridge over the Seine seen from the Ferris wheel
This is not a drone picture. It is the bridge in Vernon seen from the Ferris wheel that is staying until the 19th of May.
If like me you can have vertigo in an elevator, it is sure high enough to feel insecure, though it is not the biggest wheel in the world, of course.
But at the same time it is kind of magic to look at things from a different angle. Every day I walk or drive on this bridge over the Seine, it was exhilarating to see the place with birds eyes.
Visitors from the United States taught me the English name for what we call une grande roue, a big wheel. “Fairies wheel ?”, I asked. They spelled it for me.
Vibrant colors are softened by bright greens in front of Monet’s house at Giverny
Peonies belonged to Monet’s most cherished flowers. Rare species were sent to him from Asia, needless to say that the painter was thrilled and took great care of them.
Their beautiful colors and fragile looking petals have still many admirers. The giant size of the flowers, their light scent and ornamental foliage make them must have in a garden.
At Giverny, they are combined with annuals and spring bulbs. The gardeners experiment new harmonies every year, which is a good tip to avoid monotony in your on garden. If by any chance you are not enthusiastic about the result, it doesn’t matter much because bulbs can be changed next year. And peonies flower for such a short time that the not-so-well-matching effect will not last.
Claude Monet’s water garden at Giverny on 18th April
It is going to be a sunny and warm long week-end of Easter, and just as leaves feel like bursting out of the buds and bathing in the sunshine, we will be many to take advantage of these lovely days to walk out in the open air, enjoying the breeze on our face.
At Giverny, in Claude Monet’s garden, a special treat awaits visitors: many spring flowers are fragrant. Some smell like perfume, especially on sunny days.
Flowers live their own lives. They want to attract pollinating insects. They make lots of efforts, they dress themselves in bright colors, they produce these intoxicating scents to obtain the favor of insects visit. As human beings, we are not involved in this process. We are just observers, fascinated by their beauty.
After all the colors of the flower garden, the water garden of Giverny is a peaceful heaven where to relax and daydream. To make most of your day, come at opening time or in late afternoon. The best hour is the last one.
The first flowers are opening at Giverny! And so will Monet’s gardens and house very soon. Christmas roses, pansies, jonquils, daffodils, hyacinths and more are among the early spring flowers. They give colors to Monet’s living painting, his own garden. I’m looking forward to seeing the 2019 show prepared by the 11 gardeners. Hope to see you too in the alleys!
One of the joys of winter is that Nature schedules its sunrise show at a decent morning time. This is River Seine at Vernon and Giverny at about 8.30 am in January. Claude Monet would have loved it.
This unique cross stitch work features Monet’s house at Giverny. I shot it at an exhibition organised by a group of cross stitchers from Vernon. To see all the details, click to enlarge.
For 2019, I wish you a lot of time to do all what you’ve been wanting to do for a long while. It may be sitting next to the fire place embroidering or organizing your next holiday… Enjoy this new year!
