Monet : cooking and painting in Giverny

thedailychannel.com — travel books

I read on May 9, 2000 of the sale at auction of Monet's "Waterlillies" canvas from 1906 -- part of his celebrated series of paintings of his pond and garden in Giverny, France.

The painting is one of around 60 that he completed during a prolific period from around 1905 to 1906.

A later Monet picture, "Lily Pond" (1917-19), sold for $6.8 million.

For far less than even a million dollars, you can travel to Giverny, and walk through the well-maintained garden, and through Monet's house. You will make some surprising discoveries!

If you think you might enjoy a visit, order Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork Once you get to Paris, although a children's book, it tells you exactly what station to leave from, and what train to take (be sure you take the 8:00 a.m. train as recommended) to reach Giverny. Also, it will help you get your young children enthusiastic about the trip.

Once there, don't just visit the gardens. Make sure you take a trip through the house, which is filled with Japanese woodcut prints. And stop off in the well-appointed kitchen.Good preparation reading for the kitchen readinrg is Monet's Table : The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet by Claire Joyes, Jean-Bernarn Naudin. If you love Monet's paintings but haven't thought too much about his daily life, it will give you a feeling for Monet's habits of mind.

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