The Road to Giverny
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Please don't use the "Send Page" feature of your computer to
send this entire page in an e-mail message, document or pdf
format.  This distorts the layout and separates the page from
its source.  If you'd like to share it, please just send the link.
The link to this page is:
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Giverny.html
The idea for this page came about when my e-friend, Linda, sent out a powerpoint
presentation made up of photos of Claude Monet's home and gardens at Giverny,
located in the Normandy region of France.  The pictures were so beautiful, I was
inspired to search for more images of the area.  I found so many, I was only able to
use about a third of them on this page, but I'll save the others for another day.
Most of these pictures were taken on the road to Giverny, but there are a few
from the village itself, several from Monet's gardens and two - including the top
photo - from the nearby town of Vernon, where Monet once lived for a short time.
The mill in the picture above has an interesting history.  It dates back to the
1500's and sits atop what remains of an ancient bridge over the Seine.
Artists from all over the world have come to paint the old mill and Monet was no
exception.  He painted the work below, titled Houses on the Old Bridge at Vernon in
1883.  By the way, this Monet painting is owned by the New Orleans Museum of Art.

With many thanks to Linda for the inspiration!  -- Nancy
The Hotel Baudy was a center of artistic life in the golden era of the art colony at Giverny.  It was
here that world-renowned French and American artists gathered daily to socialize and discuss
the Impressionist movement.  It's now a restaurant, decorated much as it was in Monet's era, and
catering to the thousands of tourists who visit the village and Monet's home and gardens each year.
Above, a current photo of the building; below, a photo from 1925 - when Monet was still living.
The images below were taken in Claude Monet's gardens - the one with the quote is
a copy of one of his paintings.  Monet lived on this property from 1883 until his death
in 1926.  He was the architect of the magnificent gardens and many of his most
famous works were scenes from the constantly-evolving views in them.
In 1966, Monet's only heir, his son, Michel, bequeathed the property to the French
Academy of Fine Arts.  Giverny has seen a huge increase in tourism since 1980,
when Monet's home and gardens were opened to the pubic - the house having been
painstakingly restored and the gardens replanted just as the artist had arranged them.
The bridge Monet put in place over the lily pond, left:  as it looks today.
Right:  Monet stands on the bridge (on the right) with a guest in 1922.