Monet's Garden and a Bonus Dinner in Paris!

Saturday morning, we set out for Monet's house in Giverny, France. I've been a fan of Monet for as long as I remember.  Thanks to the "picture ladies" in elementary school, I had early exposure and loved "Water Lilies" at the ripe old age of probably seven.  We were able to see the "Water Lilies" at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris in 2012, but I could not wait to see the inspiration for these paintings in real life!

Driving through France was half the fun (except for the ridiculous number of tolls) with blue skies and so much to see during the four hour trip!

The cathedral in Beauvais, France was just amazing!  I wish we had time to stop in.

Lucky shots from the car window.

We purchased tickets online about a week before our visit.  I highly recommend doing this as the line at the main entrance to the house is ridiculous.  Thanks to our friend Jamie, she recommended using the entrance near the main road for groups and online ticket holders (makes sense, but we may have missed it as it wasn't well marked.)  When we handed our ticket to the gentleman working (with the awesome "Water Lilies" tie,) he looked like we might not have been in the right spot (since maybe we went in through the exit...hehehe) but he said to go right ahead.  Whoo hoo!  No wait whatsoever!

Enjoying the gardens outside of Monet's home.

There's Monet's house peeking over the flowers….

Yes, this is an illegal picture.  Yes, I got all teary-eyed in this room.  Yes, if I only saw this room, it would have been worth the trip! Mike Freitag this is for you!

Monet standing in the same room.  

In the bedroom above, you could take pictures from the window of the gardens below.  Clearly I am not used to photographing in glaring sunshine.  Whoa!

The beautiful view from the window.

Monet standing in the same spot.  Goosebumps!

Across the street, you enter the Japanese gardens.  THIS was it!  The water lilies were just through the bamboo!

At last!!!! (Might have cried again….)

To all the picture ladies (picture people) out there who have shared art with kids through the years….THANK YOU! 

Sometimes we get crabby.

And sometimes we get over it.

Claude Monet

We left Giverny to spend the night in Versailles.  It was only about an hour drive.  We took the RER into Paris and enjoyed an evening in the city.

A family pic at the restaurant St. Regis.  We loved this spot for dinner.  Good food and a great atmosphere.

A burger in Paris!

Enjoying the sunshine on the Île Saint-Louis, along the Seine, and just across from Notre Dame.  Really, these kids are so lucky.  We all are!

One of my favorite nights we've spent in Europe.

Of course we had to get Berthillon ice cream!

And, then we ate it along the Seine.  I know…JUST STOP IT!!!

It was the most gorgeous evening!

Always setting a fine example.

Always watching and doing whatever Dad does.

Oops…fail!  LOL!

Notre Dame at sunset

We had a little snafu with the metro passes.  We thought we purchased tickets to have unlimited use around the city.  Apparently, my communication skills with the French still continue to suck, and we received tickets for ONE journey.  So, we walked from Notre Dame, through the Tuileries, to the Eiffel Tower.  That is a long walk!  But who cares.  If we had been in the metro, we would have missed that sunset!

When the time comes for this adventure to end, I will miss Paris the most.  It's magical. 

We took the RER back to Versailles, after we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle, to find there were fireworks over the Palace of Versailles.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect day!

Until next time,
Wendy