Today we were happy to be on the way to Giverney to see Impressionist painter Claude Monet's beautiful house and gardens, though we were a bit sad knowing it was the last day of our tour.
We arrived at the house in the late morning and Antoine directed us to the perfect place for a group picture. We were then on our own to explore the beautiful water garden where Monet painted his famous water lilly paintings and his enchanting home.
We had some time to also look through the small town of Giverney and have lunch at one of the local restaurants.
The drive to Paris was not long, and we reached our final hotel later in the afternoon. After a welcome drink with the manager, our group headed off to our final dinner together.
That night, our family took one last walk in Paris and had one last view of the Eiffel Tower as it twinkled in the evening sky.
Miles Walked: 8.86 Steps Walked: 20,667
Giverney Monet's Waterlilly Pond & Garden
It is here in his Water Garden where Monet painted his famous Water Lilly paintings, which we had seen earlier in Paris' Orangerie Museum. He painted many of his other well-know paintings here as well in this beautiful Japanese style garden full of water lilies, weeping willows, colorful flowers, and green Japanese bridges. We walked all around Monet's garden and tried to capture his paintings in our photos.
Giverney Monet's Home
Monet and his wife lived in this large house for 40 years, raising 8 children. His Japanese print collection is displayed throughout the rooms, along with copies of many of his paintings. The kitchen and dining room are especially playfully colorful. Though a bit warm inside, we enjoyed wondering around invisioning a home full of children. Monet's studio is now a gift shop full of items featuring his paintings.
Le Bontanic Café is a convenient place to have lunch.
Our Paris Hotel
Our final hotel was the beautiful and quirky Waldorf Trocadero. After arrival, the manager invited our whole group to a welcome drink together in the eclectic lobby. We had a little time before dinner. After taking a few pictures of our tour members and friends, our family walked around the neighborhood a little while, and found we were very close to the Eiffel Tower.
Our Last Group Dinner
We shared our final group dinner at Victor's, just down the street from our hotel. Most people dressed up a little for our last evening in Paris, and had a wonderful time spending our last night together. The weather was just starting to get very hot now, and this was our first uncomfortably hot day of the trip. Though unfortunately the restaurant wasn't air-conditioned, we were very greatful that our hotel was!
Last Night In Paris
After dinner, we walked one last time to see the Eiffel Tower at night. After dark the tower twinkles for about five minutes on the hour. Since we were there in June, it wasn't until 11:00 that it was dark enough, but it was well worth the wait!
Our flight was early the next morning, so we rushed off without breakfast or seeing much of our group. Antoine was faithfully there to see us off and we took a taxi to the airport with another couple who also had an early flight.
It was such a wonderful trip! The tour really couldn't have been any better. The combination of an amazing itinerary, a great guide, wonderful hotels and restaurants, and time with a friendly group balanced well with some time to enjoy on our own with just our family made this trip even better than we had hoped.