After leaving Paris, we began sailing up the Seine and landed in the town of Vernon early the next morning. Vernon is right across the river from Giverny, the location of Claude Monet's garden and our destination that morning. We were so lucky to visit the gardens in early April because the flowers were all in bloom and absolutely gorgeous. Mom and I enjoyed walking around after our guided tour, taking pictures of all the different color combinations — each one seemed to be more beautiful than the last!
While we were in Giverny, we also visited the Museum of Impressionism located close to the gardens. The current exhibit focused on the works of American Impressionists, including John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and William Merritt Chase. Both Mom and I have seen these artists' work before, but we enjoyed seeing them again in the context of Monet's garden.
That afternoon we took a guided tour of Vernon and visited the Collegiate Church Notre-Dame and several other spots around town. It was so interesting to see the timbered houses and walk down Vernon's many old streets. After the tour ended, Mom and I set off on our own for a little while. We found several fascinating shops to explore, including one selling French decorative items (so very "in" right now). I was especially excited to find a French version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at a bookstore; my collection of Harry Potter translations is still going strong.
Once we arrived back at the boat, we listened to a talk given by a local artist on the history of Impressionism. I took a few art history classes in college so I recognized some of the paintings she discussed, but I appreciated hearing how the Impressionist movement all fit together. One of the major themes of the French part of our journey was art (Monet's garden, Musée de l'Orangerie, Musée d'Orsay), so it was wonderful to have some background information from a current artist.
That evening, dinner was momentous for one main reason — I tried frog legs for the first time. Unfortunately, these legs weren't fried, so they still looked remarkably like frogs. I think I might like them better fried, but for now, at least I can say I've eaten frog (not as exotic as warthog in Africa, eh?).
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