Giverny

Giverny, on the Seine, is where Monet painted these:

And these:

Monet lived there in the last part of his life and the gardens, as much as his paintings, reflect his interest in light, his passion for sweeps and shades of colour. The gardens are glorious and almost exactly as they were when he died, with the exception of the hordes of schoolchildren and coachloads of group tours.

What you can't see in these photos (almost all taken by Cormac - my camera battery died) are all the other photographers trying to create their own impression of Monet's impression of the gardens. It's all very post-modern. And yet, when I look at these lovely photos, I think how much of Monet's skill was in creating the subject for his paintings - as well as the paintings themselves. My brother's photographic skill notwithstanding, I suspect it would be almost impossible to take a bad photo in this place.

(Le photographe lui-meme:)

You can visit the house as well, but we only spent a few minutes inside. The gardens are where it’s at. If you’ve ever seen one of the Giverny paintings, then visiting the garden is like … like that bit in Mary Poppins where they step through the chalk paintings into another world. Except without the penguins and the singing. (I tried to find a more poetic analogy, but can’t think of one just at the moment.)

Go: in the summer, early morning or late afternoon. But go, and see for yourself. It's an uncanny and amazing experience.