We had a wonderful day. We had an early pickup and headed off to Giverny to see the gardens and home of Claude Monet, the 'founder of impressionism' in the Normandy region. We spent time wondering along the flower lined paths beside the ponds with the famous water lilies and Japanese bridge. It was a fantastic feeling to see the landscape, so familiar from paintings and experience the tranquility of the garden. I was particularly taken by the chickens in their coop.
The house was picturesque and a museum in its own right.
After leaving the tranquility of Giverny we headed towards Versailles stopping for lunch at the Moulin de Fourges, a picturesque little windmill set in a beautiful rural setting. Instead of taking the motorway we took a scenic route around the French countryside seeing houses build into the limestone cliffs.
Versailles, the home of Louis 14th, the 'Sun King', is more spectacular than any photo can portray. You wonder as you walk through the Grand Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors how anyone could expect extravagance on this scale. The formal gardens are also spectacular and seem to go on forever,but just when you think you have reached the end, steps take you to another level. We were told that a team of gardeners were on hand to replant the gardens every day so that Louis and Marie Antoinette did not have to see the same view twice.
We headed back to Paris tired but very satisfied with the day.
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