monet for money

Today, our penultimate day in Normandy, we travelled the 30-odd miles to Giverny, Monet's home, and site of the famous gardens and pools with their much-painted water-lilies. We, and a substantial fraction of the population of the French, American and Japanese nations first trudged round his house, literally shoulder to shoulder. I got a couple of photos off, but was shouted at on both occasions. Even my wife took a couple, but was taken to task by an American woman: "I don't think you're allowed to take pictures in here." Good thing she didn't try it with me. I would have shot back with something like: "What, are you some sort of self appointed police officer then?"

Then at last out into the gardens, just as congested, but fortunately slightly less claustrophobic. I think summer has been a litle late arriving here; the lilies are not yet in bloom, which, as it were, takes some of the bloom off the experience. Crowds choking every path, every conceivable nook and cranny, is not, I suspect, exactly what the great French master had in mind when he dsigned this beautiful garden. With everyone firing their digi cameras at every flower in sight, I found it hard to find an original shot anywhere, but I tried. Later when I reviewed them I found the predominant colour to be green, which is not a bad thing, but not the explosion of floral colour I had been expecting.

Then we headed for nearby Chateau Gaillard, a massive limestone fortress high above a loop of the river Seine, built by Richard the Lionheart in just 2 years to prevent Phillippe Auguste from retaking Normandy, which at that time (1196) was still in British hands. It worked, but then only 7 years later Richard died and his successor, John Lackland, ran away (was he our worst king ever? he must be close) and the French re-incorporated Normandy into the greater kingdom of France. It has been in French hands ever since. The site is now a magnificent ruin, on a limsetone bluff, watching over the quiet waters of the Seine. And the 100 metres of ascent required to reach it ensures that this site at least is not overrun by tourists in the same way as is Giverny. Which is a blessing...