22 years ago, my sister and her future husband spent a day touring Monet's garden and his charming village of Giverny. She always dreamed of returning to this fairytale place and made a promise to bring her daughter Isabelle there for a 10th birthday trip. Somehow I scored an invitation to join them and we left on our fabulous 6 day adventure on June 8th.
Our Paris trip took us to places like the Palace of Versailles (where we splurged on lunch at the Tea Room where Marie Antoinette herself once played cards) and the great chateaus of Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte. We even took a 3 hour bicycle tour in the countryside. But it was at the beautiful water lily garden where Monet found the inspiration for his paintings, that I found some inspiration for my own life.
The afternoon before our trip to Giverny, we stopped by the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. Its a small museum where you can sit and gaze at 8 large murals of Monet's beloved lilies. I snapped a photo of my favorite. It shows his water garden in a blaze of color at sunset.
Once we navigated the confusing Gare du Nord train station and found seats on what we hoped was the right train (it was!) we exhaled, watching the city fade away.
The village of Giverny is simply charming. My sister called it, "The Lanesboro of France!" We were intrigued by the quaint shops and cafes, but first the garden! Our goal was to enjoy the water lilies before the crowds. And we did, for about two minutes.
While in France, I was reading a book written by a woman who left a stressful life as a copywriter in Los Angeles and sold everything she owned to begin a new life traveling around Europe and working as an artist. She wrote, "Travelers live by this rule: collect as many experiences as
you can." I connected with those words and I was reading them in a place perfect for collecting experiences. I tried to be present in every moment...savoring every sip of strong dark coffee and rosé wine. I tried to stop at every flower shop I passed and smell the beautiful blooms that spilled out into the streets. When we were in a taxi or in our hotel room, I opened the window to hear the beautiful sounds of the city around us.
I entered Monet's precious lily garden in the same frame of mind. I wanted to absorb the sweet smells, the sounds of the birds, the gentle floating lilies, the explosion of colors, even the bit of humidity in the air. It was the loveliest of places.
And then came the masses...with their cameras and selfie sticks. I watched as tourists rushed from one end of the pond to another. They were in "the photo zone" looking for the perfect spot to capture themselves in this famous garden. They took one picture of themselves, then four more because the first three weren't quite right. Then they rushed on to the next spot to repeat the process. Others impatiently waited for their turn. Did they feel the peace of this place? The beauty? The magic that inspired some of the world's most famous paintings? In the gift shop, I found a postcard with a photo of Claude Monet among his lovely flowers. I could almost hear him saying, "No selfie sticks in my garden!!"
I found myself looking for tucked away places away from tourists where I could soak in the moment. Isabelle followed me to a bench on the edge of the garden. There we met a lovely woman from Northern England. She was painting a small watercolor. She was on a garden tour of France and she was sketching or painting her memories of each lovely place she went. Her small notebook would be her memories of her trip. What a beautiful way to truly experience the beauty around her.
With the busyness of life and children, I knew going into this trip that this time with my sister and my niece was to be treasured. And I did. Then we came home to this little girl at the airport shuttle stop. "Bonjour! Welcome Home!"
A sweet homecoming...as I reflect on all the things I love about Paris..and all that I love about the ladies I got to experience it with this summer.
