Impressions of the French Countryside, Tuesday, March 31

This morning we docked in Vernon, northwest of Paris.  What a great surprise.  Our original itinerary called for a visit to Giverney to the Foundation Claude Monet but not for our particular cruise as it does not open for the season until April first. But for us they opened early!  So instead of the substituted visit to Van Gogh sites we took a short bus ride to the opposite side of the river and the amazing Monet gardens.

The four hectare property was developed by the artist who was down on his luck.  He could not afford to remain in Paris after his first wife died and found this quiet village where he could afford to keep his blended family of second wife and eight children.  He bought a small house and expanded it, added a separate studio and continued to paint.  He found the Norman light to offer unique qualities to the landscapes and buildings.  What I did not know was that his gardens were not an accident of good luck but that he was an avid gardener and imported seeds and plants from everywhere and was particularly interested in American horticulture.  Monet was skilled at propagation of both vegetable and decorative plants.  He talked the town mayor into letting him divert the Epte River for use on his property.  This created some difficulties with his neighbors but for the most part he fit well into the small community.  He employed many people to work in his home and before long brought fame and visitors to the town.  His career was revived and reached its pinnacle at this time.  He lived here for 43 years, exactly half of his lifetime.

The gardens, although not in their full splendor, are beautiful and excellently well planned.  The carefully designed color schemes are already apparent.  The climate seems to have the plantings about two weeks behind Atlanta.  The brick home was delightful and classically a French Manor House.  The original décor was represented even when something had been replaced over time.  Many copies of his works, especially sketches, were hanging in the old studio.  The later studio is in a separate building that he built for that purpose and now houses the Foundation offices and, therefore, not open to the public.

The town itself has a typical winding street, but is paved, lined by half-timbered houses and tiny shops.  One boasted an automatic bubble blower which filled the grey morning light with iridescent bubbles streaming in the wind.  The wind was unrelenting and since the cemetery was a short walk, and I could find no one who wanted to go with me, I by passed that.  After visiting the garden and gift shops, I waited in the museum lobby, where it was warm.  Soon everyone was gathered there and we went back to the ship where Brian, the hotel manager, greeted us with a drink of warm apple cider.

Lunch was a delightful spread of typical Norman dishes. We ate in the lounge and enjoyed sausages and cheeses of the region and a chocolate fountain.  We also tried the Calvados which is an apple brandy.  Normandy is known for its apples and its cheeses.  Camembert is from here.   A strolling accordionist, Stephano, entertained with popular French songs.  He was dressed in the grey striped shirt you would expect and wore his beret well.  A growing number of the male passengers are sporting berets as well and look quite handsome!

In the afternoon we had a walking tour of Vernon.  It was not as small a town as I had thought it might be and did have a beautiful church, but then every city, town, and village has one or more notable church that predates the French Revolution.  You might say that here in France the Revolution is modern history!

There has not been much down time on this river cruise like there was on some of the others.  But like on all of them the staff is very much into customer service and works hard to keep everyone very happy.  We love when Demetrios, the very Greek 30 year old chef, comes into the daily briefing Nikki plays Sirtaki and we all keep time with our clapping.  Meals are delicious and are not the gigantic portions we are used to at home.  Yet because of their deliciousness and elegant appearance they are quite satisfying.

Entertainment in the evening has been the piano player who is very musically gifted with a mellow singing voice.  We also like that when it is background music, it is just that.  Music that remains low so that conversations can be held in comfortable, normal voices!