yesterday i took advantage of the weather and decided to head out to Giverny to see Claude Monet’s home and gardens. all i can say is that all the paintings i’ve seen are direct reflections of real life.

i would definitely recommend making the 45-minute train ride if you can, and do not miss the opportunity to see the home as well as the gardens. kept just as monet had it, filled with paintings and japanese prints, the home is easily one of the best parts of the trip, while definitely more underrated.

i had the pleasure of meeting an older man on the bus ride back to the train as well. we spoke a solid amount about various subjects from art to berlin to women (a rollercoaster of a conversation, if there ever was one), during which he said the last time he’d been to giverny was 9 years ago, and it hadn’t changed at all since then. there are few things that remain the same for so many years, and i’m extremely happy knowing that monet’s gardens and home will be the same when i return in the future.