May 31, 2915.Giverny
We had breakfast with Kathryn and Mike and Mike walked us down to the taxi stand on Rue Haussman to catch a taxi to CDG where we picked up our rental car and drove to Giverny.
Unfortunately we had a flat tire as we pulled into town and had to leave our car in the parking lot of the Masteurie Hotel and walk to the B&B Helene on the other side of town. I won’t belabor the car issues, but we called Europcar and they send a mechanic while we were eating a late lunch at the Hotel that towed the car away to the mechanic’s garage.
I ordered the 26 € three course lunch starting with a raillette of salmon and salmon eggs as the appetizer and then roast duck leg and thigh on a bed of cottage fried potatoes. I did not eat many of the cottage fries because Suzette had ordered guinea fowl in an apple cream sauce with potatoes au gratin that seasoned with a local cheese that was very delicious, so I ate some of her and Willy’s cheesy potatoes. Willy also ordered the 26€ lunch and took a bowl of vegetable soup that tasted mostly like split pea soup and a chicken breast with a mushroom cream sauce. We decided to visit Monet’s house and garden since it closed at 6:00 and then return to the hotel for our dessert course.
At 4:15 we walked to Monet’s house and garden, which are in the middle of town with the house at street level, and the garden descending down the hill to the main road and with the water lily pond on the other side of the main road. Fortunately, the Walter Annenberg trust built a passageway under the main road that allowed for easy access to the water lily pond and the rest of the garden.
It was thrilling to see Monet’s house, which has been kept or refurbished with period furniture and copies of his painting. Actually it appeared that he collected Japanese woodcuts. There must have been over 50 woodcuts with half of them being by Hishoige.
The kitchen was wonderful with the copper pots and lids arranged in a row along one of the walls and the blue Delph tile over the stove.
Suzette among the other tourists in Monet's salon with replicas of his paintings
The garden was in full bloom with a immense array of flowers. Here are some pictures:
I have never seen a better personal garden. As we drove into Giverny, I even saw a hillside filled with red poppies just like the one in Monet’s famous picture of the woman and young girl that is in the Hermitage collection.
We loved the gardens and Monet’s house and forgot all about the car inconvenience for a few hours.
We had walked the gardens by 5:30 and returned to the hotel and finished our lunch. Willy got a chocolate crepe that was terrific. I got an apple tart that was delicious with a light caramel sauce. Suzette, who had ordered al a carte, decided to try the local cheeses and ordered a glass of red wine and a plate with a wedge each of Liverot and Camembert. Willy then walked to the B&B and our proprietress picked us up a little after 6:30, after she drove her daughter to the airport in Beauvais to catch a plane back to Parma, where she now lives.
We spent the rest of the evening talking, resting, reading, and drinking tea and eating sandwiches and went to bed at midnight.
Bon Appetit
No comments:
Post a Comment