Visiting Monet’s Garden; a Gift of Happiness

Artist Claude Monet left us with a living gift, his garden, in the tiny village of Giverny, France. Being in Monet’s Garden is one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had, and one I encourage you to also pursue, or enjoy through my journal here.

They say that flowers make us happy, that our levels of happy hormones are raised when we see them, smell them, touch them. Visiting Claude Monet’s Garden in the tiny village of Giverny, is a beautiful gift and one where happiness abounds

Monet’s Garden is a jaunt just outside of Paris. You arrive at Vernon station if you are travelling by TER from Paris Saint-Lazare. Whether it’s by bus, bike, walking (about 7km one way) or a tiny little train to Giverny, it’s easy to get to. I thought Giverny was solely Monet’s Garden, but it is in fact a little village filled with sweet provincial homes, stone walls overflowing with roses, and little stores.

Window boxes and a sense of romantic harmony create a pretty postcard picture. There are little cafes offering petite treats such as champagne and blood orange sorbet and flower-laden souvenirs in procelain or linen; a tiny antique store with a Madame & Monsieur sits perfectly down the lane with a proprietor who could be Monet himself. And there is Monet’s Garden, a riot of petals, blossoms and even in the day crowded with who have come, as if on a pilgramage to see the beauty. Yet through all of the activity, there remains a pervasive tranquility.

Upon entering the garden you feel like you are in a fairy tale or a utopian dream … perhaps even a painting. It was here that Monet painted some of his most famous works such as the Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, part of the Water Lilies series which contains about 250 paintings.

But the pond, which appears a natural part of Monet’s idyllic natural place was in fact originally a river. According to Claude-Monet.com, he planted the water lilies before he painted them. He designed his property at Giverny as though it were a huge painting. And through a small army of gardeners, he diverted a river, planted water lilies, exotic flowers, weeping willows, bamboo trees, and willows. He seeded the pond and added enclosures with white chickens, ducks, and pheasants. Nature, recomposed by the artist, began to resemble his art. “My finest masterpiece,” he later said, “is my garden.”

As you wander down the little pathways through roses, irises, peonies (you can read the list here), across iconic bridges, over the lily ponds with nympheas budding crowns saying a regal bonjour in the gentle sunlight, you are enveloped in loveliness; and you start to feel or understand the heart of the Father of Impressionism, one person who has given us so much, Claude Monet, his eye and love of natural beauty, and his living gift, Giverny.

For more information on Giverny visit Claude Monet’s Garden, or email me. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

See our beautiful range of French spring floral apparel by Bonjour Diary.