I would like to paint the way a bird sings….. Claude Monet

Today we took a day trip to Giverny to see Monet’s garden and then to the Palace of Versailles. As they were both such overwhelming places to visit, I’m doing today in 2 parts. Mostly because I don’t have the energy tonight to write about both places, but also because there are so many photos. So on with Part 1..

We woke up really early. I was awake throughout the night, waiting for some news from my son, so my sleep was pretty rough anyway, but it felt like I’d just gone back to sleep when I woke up in time to get ready to go on our bus trip. Giverny to see Monet’s house and garden and then onto the Palace of Versailles to see how the rich and royal once lived. This was an expensive outlay but I’ve never been to either and have always wanted to go, so we decided we would do it.

I must learn to read emails properly rather than just skimming them and thinking I know the details, as I looked up the time last night just to make sure it was 8am at Notre Dame, which was right, however, there are more than one Notre Dame in Paris. Of course, Notre Dame means Our Lady, so it turns out I think they said there are 17 churches in France named the same, including one in Versailles. Anyone, the one we had to go to was closer to the Arc de Triomphe and was Notre Dame de Compassion. Well that changed our whole game plan didn’t it?

We had to be up earlier as it was at least half an hour further on than we expected. So bright and early and ever so exhausted, we got up, got ready and headed out to Notre Dame de Compassion. I will never forget that church. We ordered a G7 and he was here early. On his location, it had just come up as the street, not the church, but he got us there with 10 minutes to spare, braving the morning traffic with absolute skill and daring, as all taxi drivers in Paris see adept at doing.. He even did an almost impossible u turn into traffic to get us to the right location.

Let’s talk traffic for a moment. Driving through Paris is an experience like no other. You take your life into your own hands but not as much as motorbikes or cyclists do. Oh my God they all act like Evil Knievel on a double dog dare day. As you drive along, there is a constant cacophony of noise. Sirens blaring, cars beeping, motorbikes speeding past with half sawn off exhausts and above all that you can often still here the passionate conversations that seem to be on every street corner. Even if they were talking about something as mundane as two Dung beetles racing to get the best dung, they could make it sound like a matter of life or death. Voices are raised most of the time and they speak like there is only one day left to get a lifetime of words out so they have to speak as rapidly as their tongues will allow.

Then there’s the smell. If you’re near the Seine, it has that typical well used river smell. It’s not offensive, it just is what it is. It is damp and slightly musty but also fresh and invigorating. Away from the Seine as we were this morning, the driver had his window down slightly and I wasn’t sure if what I could smell was coming from the surrounding factories or was the driver’s aftershave. In both cases, you’re not quite sure whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant, or perhaps a bit of both. I guess the best comparison I can make is it’s a bit like a hunky man who is sweating but doesn’t have BO. It’s kind of nice and earthy but not quite fresh and sweet. It’s everything all at once.

That’s Paris… An assault on the senses and they all mingle so much into each other, that you can’t make out the good or the bad. It’s all blended to make something unique and mesmerising. Something you want to turn off but it’s so fascinating you can’t. Anyway, enough diversion, let’s get onto Monet’s Garden.

We had booked through Get Your Guide and the company who led the tour was City Wonders. Emma was our guide and she met us as we got on the bus. Right on time, we were heading off towards Giverny. She gave us lots of information, came around and we downloaded maps to help us find what we might need. She even gave us a phone number to call in case something went wrong. Very thorough really. And she was informative and lovely. I was so tired though, I slept through most of what she was saying, waking only as we were arriving in Giverny.

We got out of the bus and headed towards the tiny little town which revolves, it seems, completely around Monet’s home. We had about half an hour to get something to eat or to head to the loo, or do anything we needed to before our tour time. On the dot of 10 we were making our way into the gardens of Monsieur Monet. What an absolute spectacle they were. Now I’m going to give a flip side to my opinion on this so bear with me.

First of all, what an honor to occupy the same space as Claude Monet, regardless of how briefly. We went through his house and saw his studion and his bedroom, his kitchen and other rooms, though we didn’t have access to the whole house. I would have liked to look around a bit more but that’s an impossibility when there are 147 people getting up close and personal every square inch. Okay, I may be exaggerating slightly, but it was really packed and uncomfortable. You couldn’t get a picture without everyone standing in your way, no one prepared to let another person in front of them, just in case they missed out on something. Now I take lots of photos, both on my camera and on my phone but boy, so many people just took photos without taking in any of the surrounding beauty and history. We have stopped experiencing moments and instead, just record them so we can share for a few likes or comments.

All I saw was a constant stream of cameras held up in front of everyone, regardless of whether they were trying to just soak in the moment. It’s a bit sad really. Like I say, I am as guilty of the camera as anyone but I also experience and feel and breathe it in. So many just took a snapshot and walked away.

And then there are the Emily in Paris wannabees. Those who go to these incredible locations to recreate something Emily might have done. They have their little summer frocks on which they hold out as soon as they point the camera to themselves, their beret jauntily off to one side. It is all so contrived. I love the series Emily in Paris, but half the people taking these naff selfies were snapping what might win them a few hundred likes, then moving to the next snap worthy location, but they weren’t experiencing or even understanding what they were in the presence of.

And they were in the presence of beauty and genius. Even with the throng of media hungry would be influencers, there was a peace in that house and in the gardens. It is a deliberate peace. A constructed peace. Monet obviously needed to inhale that peace every day to inspire his art. So he created the beauty he needed in order to create more beauty. Everything was designed to inspire. In saying that, a lot of what is now there feels a bit contrived (there’s that word again). The woodwork on the bridge is too perfect, matched precisely to his painting. Shiny and glossy and NEW!!! The lines of flowers are too carefully controlled. And again, it was so packed that it certainly lessened the experience. I am a little over feeling like I’m in a cattle race, being herded off at a rapid pace for execution.

While I have no doubt his garden was perfect in it’s day, I think I would have liked to have had it not feel quite so staged. I know people will think I’m complaining or ungrateful but I’m definitely not. I just think that being in the space he once occupied was inspiration enough. I’m probably not explaining myself well. But in saying all that… I bloody loved it. The flowers were divine, as were the ponds. And even with the millions of people, it was easy to feel Monet’s influence and his desire for absolute tranquility.

We went to the ponds but it’s obviously not the time of year for water lillies, as there were only a few stragglers, but my attention was taken by the boats floating in the water. Yes, straight out of a Monet painting. I waited my turn to get into a little side area to get a shot of them, and just as my turn came, some guy cut in front of me and climbed the chain fence. I was getting annoyed till I realised hey worked there and he climbed into the boat and took off in it to clean the water.. TAKING MY BOAT WITH HIM!!!!! So I missed that shot lol.

We left the gardens and wandered down the road to grab a sandwich at the Boulangerie.. The food was good but was so big I couldn’t eat it all. It was a sandwich designed to be shared with at least 2 people I think. We wandered back to the bus and got on before everyone else, so got about 10 minutes of quiet time before everyone arrived back on for our trip to the Palace of Versailles, which I will tell you all about in part 2.. but for now

Happy creating your own version of tranquility … Livvy xxx