Monday, October 9, 2023: Le Harve and Giverny, France

The weather has been exceptionally delightful these past few days and today promises to be another sunny, warm October day. Overnight, the Rotterdam had cruised into the English Channel and into the port of Le Harve early morning, in time for us to ready ourselves for a long bus ride through Normandy and into Giverny, the location of the home and gardens of Claude Monet. 

We met our tour guide, Lana and joined thirty other people interested in the Impressionist painter, Oscar Claude Monet, his life and his environment. Or maybe they just couldn’t get on another excursion and found themselves unwilling to hang out in Le Harve that had been heavily bombed during WWII, leaving it without charm. That said, Lana told us that the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 due to the rebuilding by famed architect, Auguste Perret and his team. Maybe another time.

The 2-hour ride went by quickly as Lana gave us details on Monet’s life as well as drawing our attention to the scenery outside the bus. Normandy is relatively flat and mostly agricultural as it is the most northwestern region of France. Its name is from having the Vikings or “Northmen” settle here in the 700s.

The attraction for artists is the light reflected from the North Sea and the River Seine. Monet was born in Paris but his parents moved the family to Le Harve when he was 5 yrs old, growing up on the shores of the English Channel. He became interested in art and would paint grimy street scenes as the busy harbor used coal to power steamships and factories. Later, he was influenced by Eugene Boudin, the “plein air” painter who became his teacher. Monet was encouraged to “paint outside in the fresh air” and developed his radical style that was labeled “Impressionist” by a disgruntled art critic after viewing the painting “Impression: the rising sun” in an 1874 show.

Monet lived in Giverny due to its rural environment that inspired him to paint nature. He is very well known for his paintings of lily pads on the pond in the Water Garden with its Japanese bridge.

We arrived in Giverny with its population of 496, only slightly overwhelming the inhabitants who must be very used to tourists at this stage. The village is very small and retains its charming rustic character with old homes, cobblestone streets, a village church built in the 11th century and, of course, Monet’s home and gardens.

It is easy to see why Monet was attracted to this place and so inspired by his surroundings! We walked to the restaurant for lunch that included a delicious Normandy stew, crusty bread, a crème brûlée and wine. It almost felt as if a nap was coming on but then we were off to the gardens, the reason for our visit!

There are two gardens on his property: The Clos Normand or the Norman Garden, and the Water Garden, both joined by a tunnel leading from one to the other under a road. Monet, also a passionate gardener, designed these gardens with an artist’s eye for color, texture and shape.

Photos cannot do it justice! We were told there are over 200,000 flowers and other plantings creating this paradise. After walking around the Water Garden, we headed to the Clos Normand where we strolled a bit before entering Monet’s home, where he lived and painted until his death in 1926.

He had lived there with Alice and her children although she was married to someone else. Eventually, they married after her husband died although his relationship he had with Camille Pissaro, his muse and former art school classmate, seemed complicated.

It was difficult to leave this “living museum” but the Musée Giverny Impressionnismes was our next tour and just a short walk from Monet’s home. “Flower Power” was the theme of the artworks being exhibited; small but delightful!

Our last discovery was the Church of Saint Radegund, built during the 11th and 12th centuries and enlarged in the 15th century with a major renovation post WWII. It was a 10 minute walk from Monet’s home with his final resting place in the family plot of the church’s graveyard.

St. Radegund was an unknown saint for us but her story made for interesting reading. She was born in 519, the daughter of Berthair, King of Thuringia. She wanted to become a nun but was forced to marry the nasty Clothaire, king of the Francs. After he murdered her brother, she left him, entered a convent and created the abbey of St. Croix where she died in 587. She is the patron saint of people with skin diseases. Unfortunately, no photos in the church but Monet’s grave was found, covered in flowers with a crowd around the pathway.

A glorious day to explore a place that inspired genius.