~Afternoon in Giverny~

Giverny is a small village 50 miles west of Paris.  It sits on the Right Bank of the Seine where it meets the river Epte.  Monet discovered Giverny on a train ride and decided that he wanted to live there.  He rented the house and property in 1883 and finally bought it in 1890.  He lived there until he died in 1923.
The house, the gardens and the pond are prominent in Monet's paintings.  The Japanese footbridge famous in many of his waterlily paintings.

You can take a train, rent a car, take a bike tour or bus tour to Giverny.  We took a tour.  The first thing that was so noticeable to me was how small the grounds were.  I was expecting a large rambling garden with pond.  Take that vision and compress it.  The gardens were 'wild' with flowers. I fell in love with the yellow and blue kitchen in the house (and now have a yellow bedroom).

Paris and Monet are synonymous.  The best places for viewing Monet's art are; Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, the extensive collection at the Musee Marmottan and the spectacular waterlily panels at Musee l'Orangerie.

A few photos from our Afternoon in Giverny.

On the right is a photo I found of Monet on the footbridge in 1922.

 The dahlias were HUGE~simply gorgeous.

The house is quite distinctive with it's pink exterior and bright green shutters.

A few of my favorite Monet paintings:

 This is one of my favorites~the Rouen Cathedral.  He did a study of the facade at different times of the day.  These paintings are in the Musee Marmottan in Paris.

 One of the many waterlily paintings.  The large 8 foot panels at the Musee l'Orangerie in Paris are breathtaking.

This is one of the many paintings of boats~"Regatta at Argentueil".  This painting can be seen at the Musee d' Orsay.

I love the impressionists..and each of the mentioned museums have wonderful collections.

This was a painting that I did from my photograph of the Japanese footbridge...it hangs in the "yellow" bedroom.

~Fontainebleau Day Trip~

There are so many beautiful chateaux in France.  I had read many positive comments on Trip Advisor about Fontainebleau.  I thought we would take the train from Gare de Lyon since it seems an easy connection; but decided to do the tour~to save my feet.

Chateau de Fontainebleau  is located 35 miles southeast of Paris in the small community of Fontainebleau.  It began as a royal hunting lodge in the 12th century. Then in the 13th century a country house and hospital were added.  Francois I transformed the country house into a royal palace.  In all, 34 sovereigns, over 7 centuries, spent time at Fontainebleau.  The palace is opulently decorated and the furnishings provide a glimpse into France's historical past and are superb.

This is the main entrance;a cobbled courtyard with a horseshoe-shaped staircase which dates from the reign of Louis XIII (17th century).

The first floor is a long string of connected rooms.  This elegant room with intricate wood moulding is the Hall of Plates.

 In the 19th cent. King Louis-Phillipe had 128 porcelain plates fitted into the woodwork. It depicts the history of the chateau, forest and other royal houses.

This is a reception room with beautiful Gobelin tapestry.  The Gobelins factory  which dates to the 17th century is located in Paris .

Another room connected to the royal appartments.  This is the Officer's Room.

The next room is the bedchamber of Ann, Duchess of Etampes (Francois' mistress). It is sumptuously decorated.  The ceiling really is spectacular.

Some elegant porcelain pieces.

Another incredible ceiling.

There are 3 chapels in the chateau; this is the original and oldest.  This is a double chapel built on  two levels.

The chapel ceiling.

When Francois I became king (1515) he extended the chateau; this next gallery, Francois I Gallery, connected the chapel and the king's chamber.

Francois I gallery is lavish and there are "F's" everywhere~you don't forget who built this extraordinary hall.

 The Guard's Room is connected to the King's  chamber. Another remarkable ceiling.

This is the Ballroom, one of 3 grand salles in the chateau.

Fireplace at one end...

incredible coffered ceiling..

The balcony, at the other end, where the musicians played.

The Louis XIII Salon~the room where the king was born in 1601

The Diana Gallery

This gallery is the longest room in the chateau and was originally decorated to recount the story of the goddess Diana.  Later, it was turned into a library. The globe was made for Napoleon I.

Marie Antoinette Bed Chamber

   Made for the queen in 1787 but she never had the chance to use it.

The Emperor's Chamber

This is one of my favorite rooms; the rich green velvet and gilded furnishings are stunning.

The Throne Room

 (The actual throne has been loaned to the Louvre and is displayed in the Napoleon Apartments~ refer to the posting for A Day at the Louvre.)

In all there would have been more than 100 apartments available for visitors to the chateau.
Most of been redecorated to the period of Napoleon III

The Gardens

The carp lake.

 The Grand Parterre...the largest formal garden in Europe built between 1660 and 1664.
We did not even attempt to venture out to the view this garden, we'll save it for the next visit.

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Pavillion de l'Etang, built in 1662, sits in the middle of the carp lake.

Fontainebleau would be a wonderful weekend escape.  The small town has many interesting buildings (you can download a walking tour from itunes).  Like the chateau, the grounds are expansive with lots of walking paths.
This was a wonderful self guided tour.  The audio guide gave all the pertinent information.  This is so much more to see, so I can put it back on my "to see" list.