Monet’s house and garden: Giverny and Vernon
During my 2019 trip to Europe, I visited Monet's place via a train to Vernon and a shuttle bus. I stayed almost the full 3 allocated hours walking back through the colour-coded beds and taking different photos as the light changed. There were lilac crocuses poking through patches of lawn, giant dahlias, a few waterlily buds beginning to open, a chicken coop, and a gardener working in a boat on the lake, which gave it a sense of authenticity.
I also loved the different coloured rooms of the house, especially the yellow kitchen, which seemed to glow. Afterwards, I visited Demarz's gallery – a local impressionist whose use of colour and curvy cubist style I admired. Then I walked back to Vernon. Upon entering the town, there was the most gorgeous old millhouse from the 1600s, built over the old 12th-century ramparts. It was wonderfully higgledy-piggledy and reminded me of a Harry Potter house.
