House of Claude Monet, France

Tucked away in the small French town of Giverney is the home of the famous painter, Claude Monet. His adorable pink home sits in a gorgeous garden, the inspiration for many of his paintings. During our visit, everything was in full spring bloom, exploding with tulips! Literally, thousands of tulips. Monet's blooming, vibrant garden was also his muse and was where he painted the iconic Water Lilies series, hanging in galleries all over the world.

Wide–eyed tourists travel down tiny, twisted French village streets just to stand on the bridge from the painting Water Lilies with Japanese Bridge and sit in the garden where Claude had once laid his eaisle to paint his floral masterpieces. It was quite a sight.

Before stepping into the garden and entering the house of Claude Monet, we grabbed a few baguettes for a late lunch and enjoyed the French village-style town.

Stepping into the garden you are greeted by rows and rows of colorful blooms, then overwhelmed with their fresh floral scent. I found flower varieties I have never seen before with unique colors and shapes.

Vising the quaint home of this famous impressionist painter was a dream. Unlike many famous classic painters, Claude Monet wasn't a struggling artist, which allowed him to afford this charming home. And 7 gardeners. Walking into the restored home is like entering the late 1800’s with stylish yellow wallpaper and electric colors. Each room had tons of personality!

Walking down the teasing path, flowers lining the walkway, we made our way to the famous lily pond. My Mom joked that it’s hard not to be inspired to paint because everything is so picturesque. Walking through the garden, you definitely feel everything slow down with the warm sun glowing and the floral colors catching your eye.

And then, you are face-to-face with the lily pond! The water looked like mirrored glass, reflecting the trees and flowers all around. It looks just like the paintings! We walked all around the pond, then up and around the Japanese bridge, where we stopped to get a picture.

Before leaving, Mark and I bought the perfect souvenir – a small hand painted replica of Claude Monet’s Lily Pond, which is the perfect size for my desk! The shop had many great gifts but having a tiny oil painting replica is the absolute perfect gift. I can look at it at home when the stress of life consumes me and I will be transported to the dreamy Monet gardens.. or something like that.

Note, I found some sleepy tourists (including my dad in blue) who soon became part of the scene, almost blending in with the couch.

With the sent of fresh flowers still dusted on our clothes, we stopped by a flower shop on our way back to the house. Looking through the bouquets, it was hard to narrow down exactly which bunch to buy - they were all so gorgeous!

As my Mom and I picked out flowers, the shop's parrot, Woody, climbed onto Mark’s sweater and started to dance around. The shop owner told us Woody the parrot only liked boys (go figure..) and would screech if us girls got near. We had a laugh and as Woody climbed back into his cage, we settled on a nice potted plant. We then zipped back to the house, soaking up more views of the French town along the way.

Planning a trip to this famous home? Click here for ticket information!