France, Part 28 - France Finale

The end of my journey through France felt like an anticlimax.  After so many wonderful experiences to describe the departure days would be an insult.  I have never been a fan of spending the last day at a hotel next to an airport when there is so much more that one can see and do before departing.

I will say I got to see Monet's garden one last time amid a drifting fog.  Though the place was crowded beyond reason, there was a mystic element to seeing the beautiful spaces and colors surrounded by this mist.  Even a walk through local streets once we got to the airport hotel was an opening.  I saw people going about their daily lives, playing chess at a cafe.  I saw kids going to school, an old couple jabbering away.  All this in the shadow of planes coming and going.  I suppose it was a lesson that life goes on even while tremendous events happen all around us.  

I will say I was never more happy to be home, but in a way I was also sad that I left so much behind.

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Looking back on France a year on, it is difficult for me to put into words everything that I experienced into one sufficient description.   So much happened between then and now that is terrible and tragic, and I think back to my first appraisals of Paris and such and think how shallow they were.

There are certain things that stand out:  The Mona Lisa, The Eiffel, Notre Dame and the many other cathedrals, the delicious food and kind hospitality at La Excuse, walking through history along Normandy and listening to Reggie talk about his father.  All these things I have spoken about at length in my previous blogs, but now that I come to the end I don't know how to conclude.   I suppose that is the allure of France, or travel in general; there is always more to see.   

Would I go back?  I wish I could, but I wonder and worry for France and for Europe.  My eyes look West rather than east.   

I have seen all the faces of the French and they are entirely a warm and kind people.  Despite my reservations of some things, France was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Paris was very overwhelming, and not all parts were great, but the French people have the power to change the problems I saw and I think they eventually will.

On the whole, France is an ancient country that has survived a turbulent revolution, two world wars and the rise of the European state.  While it suffers now from financial difficulties, it is rich with cultural treasures that I hope they will not sell to settle their debts.

France has seen kings and conquerors, people and peasants – and everyone has the power of that ancient blood.  There is a hope for their future generations, a spark of respect for the past and for the beauty of the present.  What happens next I cannot say.  As for me, I am content with my younger country and much older and wiser for my visiting there. 

Where will my travels take me next?  Well, in March I return to Japan, to that place that always calls to me.  I will always treasure what I experienced and wish to do it again.  Until I can...

Vive la France.

France, Part 27 - Giverny Part II "Heaven's Palette"

If there is a representation of the palette of heaven on earth, Monet created it in his gardens at Giverny.   These are two huge areas, occupying the space around the house and an area accessed from a tunnel beneath the road.  The first garden is what we traditionally think of, with flowers and vegetables arranged in neat rows along cobbled paths.  The other is the famous lily pond garden.  

The first garden by Monet's house is a cathedral of color.   All the flowers were in bloom here, and it presented an incredible feast for the senses.  Monet planted his garden as he would paint a painting, infusing it with an abundance of colors.  It is one case of man influencing nature so that it might influence him.  One can walk for hours, see the subtle play of light throughout the day over plants of every description.  

The water Lily garden is superb as well, though there were only a few lilies when we arrived.  Water flows from a canal diverted from a local river and streams into the lily pond itself.  Bamboo grows here in abundance and the whole garden has a distinct oriental feel with the green arching bridges. 

Perhaps the creation of this garden is owed to Monet's interest in Japanese things.   The twisting vine that hangs with purple flowers in the spring wasn't in bloom over the most famous of his bridges.  The lack of vibrant color did not detract from the mystique of this space.  

We were very lucky to explore with few crowds, enjoying a quiet space and peaceful time to enjoy ourselves.  I could picture Monet playing here with his many children, his big bushy beard standing out like a puff of smoke against his stocky frame. 

The gardeners of today maintain the quality Monet wanted in his space.  Everywhere there are splashes of color, light and shadow offset each other. 

Indeed, these gardens are Monet’s living masterpiece, a painting one can step into – resplendent with birds and bees and the gentle breeze.  It is a quality and quantity that words alone fail and pictures merely proxy.  I can see how these kinds of hues inspired his paintings.

We spent a good while there, taking it in before walking through to the town to his grave at the cathedral.  Here too flowers grow from the bed of his death.  It was life and beauty among the worn gray stones.   Dinner was simple but sublime at La Musandarie, a little inn at the edge of town.  Most of the other places in Giverny didn't appeal, and this one was our last attempt, well worth it.  I cannot recall all that we had, but I will let these wonderful images suffice.

We finished back at the pastoral farm to relax and ponder our journey to this point.  My parents were exhausted and I was equally as tired.  We had a nice meal a local hotel in Giverny though pickings for food in town were very slim.  Our food was absolutely delicious.  We then returned to the hotel to laze, pet Flobert and watch the sunset of our last full day in France.