After a 2 hour bus ride we arrive at the southern border of Normandy. Giverny is a small village on the way to Paris along the Seine. It was the final home of Monet. On the way we learn a lot about Monet and the beginnings of Impressionism.
Monet was born in Paris and moved to LeHavre at an early age with his parents. It was there he first met Boudin who encouraged him to start painting outside. Monet said it was from that time he knew what he wanted to do. At age 20 he was drafted into the military and subsequently his aunt paid a replacement to take his place on the condition that Monet attend the University of Fine Art in Paris. He found that too academic and looked for a new tutor. He studied with Le Clare and met Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas and others.
There were no galleries at that time and the only way to show their works was through the annual exhibitions. These exhibitions were juried and their paintings are not accepted so they held their own exhibitions. Their paintings were mocked by the press but were popular with the public and they did start to sell.
Monet did start to sell his work and at the beginning made around 4000 Francs a year. By the time of his death he was earning 250,000/300,000 Francs a year and he died a wealthy man.
His father’s business was importing goods from Asia and Monet became fascinated with Asia art. His house has a large collection of Japanese prints and you can see the influence of these in some of his work. His mistress who he eventually married was often the model for his paintings. While married to Camille the family went to live with another family, on the invitation of the husband who was a major patron of Monet. Monet then had an affair with that women and he lived with the 2 women and their combined 8 children.
For various reason Monet traveled – to avoid the draft during the Franco/Prussian war, to recover from Camille’s death from cancer, because of depression.
He eventually bought the house in Giverny and established a routine of painting every day. He established a large garden which included a Japanese garden with a lily pond. He would take a rowboat into the middle of the pond and paint from there. Some of his famous waterlily paintings were done this way. He was a passionate gardener and employed 7 gardeners to assist him. We visited these extensive gardens and his house. He was so passionate about his gardens that he paid to have the town’s streets all paved to avoid the dust blowing into his gardens.

After visiting the gardens, his house, the museum and having a lecture on the development of Impressionism we hopped back on the bus for a trip to the Chateau du Breuil Distillery for a Calvados tasting. We tasted an aperitif and a high proof. The aperitif is 34 proof and actually not bad. The high proof is 84 proof and I couldn’t drink it!
Local farmers deliver truck loads of apples, 10 varieties, sweet and sour. These are washed and squeezed for the juice. The juice goes into fermenters, the remains are fed to the cows. From the fermenters they either bottle it as cider or distill it for calvados.
Tonight we have a farewell reception and dinner and then leave at 4:30 am!!! For the airport. Gary and I will go into Paris some of the others fly home, some go to Paris and others are travelling to other European destinations.