An Impression of an Impressionist
We docked at Le Havre at 8:30 am. Once again, there is much to do here in France's second biggest port (Marseilles is the biggest), but there was no hesitation in our decision. We decided to spend "A Day with Monet." We traveled for a little over two hours through the Normandy countryside to the tiny village of Giverny where Claude Monet lived and painted from 1883 until his death in 1926. His house and garden are charming, and wonderfully cared for. We toured the house with its rustic furniture and marvelous collection of Japanese prints that Monet himself hung on the pastel-colored walls.
Claude Monet's home at Giverny
The kitchen, with its gleaming copper pots and pans hanging from hooks on the blue and white tiled walls, was a joy to behold.
Monet's kitchen
The immaculately tended gardens, with the lily pads that Monet so vividly captured, the footbridge made famous in his paintings, and the winding paths bordered by lush greenery and colorful flowers seemed the perfect place to put the remainder of our friend's ashes.
Monet's garden
We stood on the footbridge, I tipped the container over the water, and said good-bye as the ashes shimmered on the surface. I could have sworn I heard her say, "Merci, Bob."
We strolled through the village of Giverny to the Hotel Baudy for a delightful lunch in the same dining room that had once held Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, Mary Cassatt, and many other artists of the time who came to visit Claude Monet.
Monet's "Rouen"
After lunch, we drove to Rouen. On the way, our French guide tried to teach us how to pronounce Rouen. Oh, my... Rouen, although heavily bombed during World War II, retains much of its medieval charm. This city was a source of inspiration for Monet and is a historic site in its own right (Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in one of its squares). We enjoyed a guided tour of the historic city center and the splendid gothic cathedral that so inspired Monet that he painted it more than thirty times. Following the tour, we had time to wander around the old market square, a fascinating collection of shops and cafés, all housed in ancient buildings. All too soon we had to return to the ship where we would sail for Jolly Old England at 10 pm.
Place Joan d'Arc
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
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The kitchen, with its gleaming copper pots and pans hanging from hooks on the blue and white tiled walls, was a joy to behold.
Monet's kitchen
The immaculately tended gardens, with the lily pads that Monet so vividly captured, the footbridge made famous in his paintings, and the winding paths bordered by lush greenery and colorful flowers seemed the perfect place to put the remainder of our friend's ashes.
Monet's garden
We stood on the footbridge, I tipped the container over the water, and said good-bye as the ashes shimmered on the surface. I could have sworn I heard her say, "Merci, Bob."
We strolled through the village of Giverny to the Hotel Baudy for a delightful lunch in the same dining room that had once held Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, Mary Cassatt, and many other artists of the time who came to visit Claude Monet.
Monet's "Rouen"
After lunch, we drove to Rouen. On the way, our French guide tried to teach us how to pronounce Rouen. Oh, my... Rouen, although heavily bombed during World War II, retains much of its medieval charm. This city was a source of inspiration for Monet and is a historic site in its own right (Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in one of its squares). We enjoyed a guided tour of the historic city center and the splendid gothic cathedral that so inspired Monet that he painted it more than thirty times. Following the tour, we had time to wander around the old market square, a fascinating collection of shops and cafés, all housed in ancient buildings. All too soon we had to return to the ship where we would sail for Jolly Old England at 10 pm.
Place Joan d'Arc
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
Return To The Index
The immaculately tended gardens, with the lily pads that Monet so vividly captured, the footbridge made famous in his paintings, and the winding paths bordered by lush greenery and colorful flowers seemed the perfect place to put the remainder of our friend's ashes.
Monet's garden
We stood on the footbridge, I tipped the container over the water, and said good-bye as the ashes shimmered on the surface. I could have sworn I heard her say, "Merci, Bob."
We strolled through the village of Giverny to the Hotel Baudy for a delightful lunch in the same dining room that had once held Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, Mary Cassatt, and many other artists of the time who came to visit Claude Monet.
Monet's "Rouen"
After lunch, we drove to Rouen. On the way, our French guide tried to teach us how to pronounce Rouen. Oh, my... Rouen, although heavily bombed during World War II, retains much of its medieval charm. This city was a source of inspiration for Monet and is a historic site in its own right (Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in one of its squares). We enjoyed a guided tour of the historic city center and the splendid gothic cathedral that so inspired Monet that he painted it more than thirty times. Following the tour, we had time to wander around the old market square, a fascinating collection of shops and cafés, all housed in ancient buildings. All too soon we had to return to the ship where we would sail for Jolly Old England at 10 pm.
Place Joan d'Arc
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
Return To The Index
We stood on the footbridge, I tipped the container over the water, and said good-bye as the ashes shimmered on the surface. I could have sworn I heard her say, "Merci, Bob."
We strolled through the village of Giverny to the Hotel Baudy for a delightful lunch in the same dining room that had once held Paul Cezanne, Alfred Sisley, Mary Cassatt, and many other artists of the time who came to visit Claude Monet.
Monet's "Rouen"
After lunch, we drove to Rouen. On the way, our French guide tried to teach us how to pronounce Rouen. Oh, my... Rouen, although heavily bombed during World War II, retains much of its medieval charm. This city was a source of inspiration for Monet and is a historic site in its own right (Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in one of its squares). We enjoyed a guided tour of the historic city center and the splendid gothic cathedral that so inspired Monet that he painted it more than thirty times. Following the tour, we had time to wander around the old market square, a fascinating collection of shops and cafés, all housed in ancient buildings. All too soon we had to return to the ship where we would sail for Jolly Old England at 10 pm.
Place Joan d'Arc
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
Return To The Index
After lunch, we drove to Rouen. On the way, our French guide tried to teach us how to pronounce Rouen. Oh, my... Rouen, although heavily bombed during World War II, retains much of its medieval charm. This city was a source of inspiration for Monet and is a historic site in its own right (Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in one of its squares). We enjoyed a guided tour of the historic city center and the splendid gothic cathedral that so inspired Monet that he painted it more than thirty times. Following the tour, we had time to wander around the old market square, a fascinating collection of shops and cafés, all housed in ancient buildings. All too soon we had to return to the ship where we would sail for Jolly Old England at 10 pm.
Place Joan d'Arc
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
Return To The Index
I should point out here that shore excursions were offered to Paris at Le Havre, London at Dover, Berlin at Warnemunde, and Moscow at St. Petersburg. We chose not to take any of these tours as much of the time would be spent in traveling to and from with not that much time available in the cities themselves. To really enjoy a visit to each of these cities requires days, not hours.
Return To The Index