Monet's Giverny

Giverny is a quaint town about 50 minutes west of Paris by train.  It is also the place Monet decided to move after the death of his wife in 1883.  He rented, and then later bought, a house in this adorable town.  Monet then set out to create the gardens that inspired many of his paintings, including his water lilies and Japanese Bridge. 

Last weekend, our friend Kate was in Paris visiting us.  She currently lives in Germany, so she was just here for the weekend.  Since she had already "done" Paris several times, we decided to head out to Giverny on Saturday for a bike tour. 

We met our guide at a train station in Paris, along with twenty of our fellow tour buddies. After a quick introduction, we jumped on the train and headed west.  We got off the train in Vernon, a town that borders Giverny.  We picked up our bikes in Vernon and then rode to a market to pick up various things for a picnic lunch!

Kate with her bike.

Me with my bike!

Dustin picking up his bike.

All of our bikes chained together at the market.

The market in Vernon was pretty much the same as the markets in Paris...except for one thing.  Can you imagine going to the market and coming home with a chicken or a duck?  Or something else that is ALIVE?! 

We had to ride our bikes to our picnic spot.  It was a bit of a challenge to attach all of our purchases to the bikes.  Here is our attempt at securing our fruit pastries!

Picnic on the Seine in Vernon.

After our picnic, we rode our bikes along an old train track that was paved over (for my Indy readers, think Monon trail).  That path took us to Giverny.  When we arrived, we were greeted by one of the cutest streets I have ever been on!  It really makes you feel like you have stepped back in time.

Our next stop was Monet's gardens. 

Next, we visited Monet's house.  It was pink with green shutters!

Finally, after wandering around the town a bit, we rode our bikes to Monet's grave.

I'm so glad we had the chance to head out to Giverny.  It was a wonderful break from the big city!  Thanks to Kate for planning such a fun day!