JACK-DAYTRIPS from Paris-Giverny
Jack
valley of the Loire, Normandy, Belgium, Amsterdam and Venice posts are
visible with pictures on http://www.jack-travel.com/
Besides the Parisian treasures, beyond the fatidic border of the
peripherique, there is another a world of wealth around the capital,
not somewhere in a foreign region or in the third dimension! No need
for a passport, a translator or even special equipment to experience
it. It is very easy, you need a few elementary items as a train ticket
or RER ticket. Or a car for the most lucky of us, and here we go, at
little cost and without effort, to discover Ile-de France!
If you are alone or with your family, with the chosen of your heart or
just a bunch of friends and whatever your aspirations are, you will
find in the proposed escapades of the next weeks, ways of exploring
and discovering the marvels of the French patrimonium, to oxygenate
with your kids in a forest, even do some sports, and to yummy
sympathetic little meals. All of this, separately or together, in
order or disorder, it's for you to decide.
These escapades from half a day until two days) are situated in a
radius of 60 km around Paris and alternate walks and curiosities not
to miss, a few advises, practical information, as well as..(exception
makes a rule) some addresses of restaurants and hotels.
I start with GIVERNY, the famous Monet landmark.
Beware!! The house of Monet is closed in the winter!! To be more
precise from Oct 31 to April 1. Be aware of that before scheduling a
day trip to Giverny! As impatient you are to get to Monet's house, see
finally that so famous garden and walk in the footsteps of that great
genius, artist and painter who gives us so much emotion, plan the
whole daytrip well in advance. You can eventually add adventure to
your trip by setting out on a bicycle the SNCF railways offers
sometimes right at the station.
How do you get to Giverny? Take the train from the gare St.Lazare to
Vernon, a journey time of one hour. At the station with a taxi or a
bicycle to Giverny. Giverny!! Charming village rising gradually on a
sweet slope at the shores of the Seine. Monet contributed of course a
lot to its glory when he decided to settle down here in 1883 until his
death in 1926. He rests in the parochial cemetery. And it's under
Monet's impulsion that a lot of artists (of which numerous Americans)
came to Giverny. Without Monet this village would have remained
totally unknown but it is now the Mecca of the Impressionists with the
negative side that in the summer the place is stormed by tourists.
Outside the house of Monet and its gardens, the "Musee Americain" is
also very visited.
Now....if Giverny owes a lot to Monet, the contrary is far from true!
Never really accepted by the natives, Monet had no real contact with
the inhabitants, who asked him for money to let him paint the
haystacks he wanted to fix on the canvas. As we all know by now, Monet
needed genuine natural settings to paint, and above all, the different
light shades of the different moments of the day, more specially the
early morning light. Advised by his friend Eugene Boudin he painted at
the site spot, taking extremely care of the light and reduce them to a
luminous expression, images vaguely symbolized to the extreme and
obtain a light effect. For Monet the most important in a painting was
not the subject but how you painted it. "Impresssion, soleil levant"
was the work that gave birth to impressionism. Monet became the
indisputable master of the delicate lecture of natural light. He
painted a few of his most renowned master works, like the Nymphea
series, in the garden he created entirely himself.
But let's start the visit of the village as it should be: it's a
village, so get into the right ambience and read the rest on
http://www.jack-travel.com/
Jack
My Paris,daytrips from Paris, Provence, Cote d'Azur, valley of the
Loire,Normandy, Belgium, Amsterdam and Venice essays are on
http://www.jack-travel.com WITH pictures
Copyright ©
FLORENCE.SINGLAS
Giverny is a nice place indeed (the Japanese bridges, the nymphéas...) but
you forget to mention the tourists !
The last time I've been there the queue was 200 meters long outside Giverny,
and the visit reminded me of a flock of sheep going to the pastures
(beautiful pastures).
Of course it was in June, the weather was ideal and the roses in bloom, but
such a crowd can spoil one's plasure.
Jack <ja...@skynet.be> a écrit dans le message :
1ehlpsg33l5tuppq7...@4ax.com...
Jack
period in all France's popular sites. But like the French say: "Il
faut vivre avec!". The fact is that last time I visited Giverny it was
in the middle of August and I had no line at all. Maybe I as in my
lucky day. Anyway I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by scaring
them off :-):-)
Be aware that anyway in France the summer months are overcrowded. The
most terrible queue I know is the Mont Saint-Michel. To feel free and
have lots of space, plan a trip to Corsica like I just did.
However it shouldn't spoil our pleasure. Not everybody can travel in
low season...unfortunately :-)
Jack
My Paris,daytrips from Paris, Provence, Cote d'Azur, valley of the
Loire,Normandy, Belgium, Amsterdam and Venice essays are on
http://www.jack-travel.com WITH pictures
Copyright ©
FLORENCE.SINGLAS
> period in all France's popular sites. But like the French say: "Il
> faut vivre avec!". The fact is that last time I visited Giverny it was
> in the middle of August and I had no line at all. Maybe I as in my
> lucky day. Anyway I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by scaring
> them off :-):-)
I suppose I was the unlucky one. I live 80 km from Giverny and manage to
find it overcrowded every time I go there. I shouldn't go visiting on sunny
week ends maybe.
> Be aware that anyway in France the summer months are overcrowded. The
> most terrible queue I know is the Mont Saint-Michel.
The last time I went to the Mont St Michel was in 1975 (I was 5). I tried to
visit it a few years ago as I was driving from Brittany to Normandy, but I
didn't have the guts.
To feel free and
> have lots of space, plan a trip to Corsica like I just did.
> However it shouldn't spoil our pleasure. Not everybody can travel in
> low season...unfortunately :-)
>
> Jack
>
I know it's unfair to the island and to the corsicans, but the political
situation doesn't give a pleasant image of the place. And still, every body
says it deserves it's nickname (Ile de Beauté). By the way, I've just seen a
thrilling TV documentory about the GR20, did you try it ?
Jack
<FLORENCE...@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
>> I agree and I warned already numerous times about the high season
>> period in all France's popular sites. But like the French say: "Il
>> faut vivre avec!". The fact is that last time I visited Giverny it was
>> in the middle of August and I had no line at all. Maybe I as in my
>> lucky day. Anyway I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by scaring
>> them off :-):-)
>
>
>I suppose I was the unlucky one. I live 80 km from Giverny and manage to
>find it overcrowded every time I go there. I shouldn't go visiting on sunny
>week ends maybe.
>
>
>> Be aware that anyway in France the summer months are overcrowded. The
>> most terrible queue I know is the Mont Saint-Michel.
>The last time I went to the Mont St Michel was in 1975 (I was 5). I tried to
>visit it a few years ago as I was driving from Brittany to Normandy, but I
>didn't have the guts.
>
>To feel free and
>> have lots of space, plan a trip to Corsica like I just did.
>> However it shouldn't spoil our pleasure. Not everybody can travel in
>> low season...unfortunately :-)
>>
>> Jack
>>
>I know it's unfair to the island and to the corsicans, but the political
>situation doesn't give a pleasant image of the place. And still, every body
>says it deserves it's nickname (Ile de Beauté). By the way, I've just seen a
>thrilling TV documentory about the GR20, did you try it ?
No, But I saw a lot of hikers in the mountains, the forests on the GR
20, old, young, cripple and healthy. It must be thrilling but I'm too
lazy for this kind of sport :-).
About the political situation there is really nothing to worry. I
would worry more about the theft gangs, car jackers and others who
ravage the French autoroutes in the summer, or the small criminality
in all French tourist places. You have more risk being assaulted,
beaten and even severely wounded by a junkie or other in a French (or
Dutch, or American or whatever) city as in Corsica. This kind of
criminality is very rare.
Anyway I had a wonderful stay and a heartwarming experience of Corsica
and the Corsicans.
FLORENCE.SINGLAS
> >> period in all France's popular sites. But like the French say: "Il
> >> faut vivre avec!". The fact is that last time I visited Giverny it was
> >> in the middle of August and I had no line at all. Maybe I as in my
> >> lucky day. Anyway I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by scaring
> >> them off :-):-)
> >
> >
> >find it overcrowded every time I go there. I shouldn't go visiting on
sunny
> >week ends maybe.
> >
> >
> >> most terrible queue I know is the Mont Saint-Michel.
to
> >visit it a few years ago as I was driving from Brittany to Normandy, but
I
> >didn't have the guts.
> >
> >> have lots of space, plan a trip to Corsica like I just did.
> >> However it shouldn't spoil our pleasure. Not everybody can travel in
> >> low season...unfortunately :-)
> >>
> >> Jack
> >>
> >situation doesn't give a pleasant image of the place. And still, every
body
> >says it deserves it's nickname (Ile de Beauté). By the way, I've just
seen a
> >thrilling TV documentory about the GR20, did you try it ?
> No, But I saw a lot of hikers in the mountains, the forests on the GR
> 20, old, young, cripple and healthy. It must be thrilling but I'm too
> lazy for this kind of sport :-).
> About the political situation there is really nothing to worry. I
> would worry more about the theft gangs, car jackers and others who
> ravage the French autoroutes in the summer, or the small criminality
> in all French tourist places. You have more risk being assaulted,
> beaten and even severely wounded by a junkie or other in a French (or
> Dutch, or American or whatever) city as in Corsica. This kind of
> criminality is very rare.
> Anyway I had a wonderful stay and a heartwarming experience of Corsica
> and the Corsicans.
>
>
> My Paris,daytrips from Paris, Provence, Cote d'Azur, valley of the
> Loire,Normandy, Belgium, Amsterdam and Venice essays are on
> http://www.jack-travel.com WITH pictures
I know that, we, French people have a lot of prejudice against Corsicans
(from here it really sounds like Belfast or the Spanish Basque country).
That's a pity but I've heard that anyone who's spent a couple of weeks in
Corsica would become an autonomist too, in order to ask for the corsican
nationaliy :-)
David Gascon
>
> I agree and I warned already numerous times about the high season
> period in all France's popular sites. But like the French say: "Il
> faut vivre avec!". The fact is that last time I visited Giverny it was
> in the middle of August and I had no line at all. Maybe I as in my
> lucky day. Anyway I don't want to spoil anyone's reading by scaring
> them off :-):-)
> Be aware that anyway in France the summer months are overcrowded. The
> most terrible queue I know is the Mont Saint-Michel. To feel free and
> have lots of space, plan a trip to Corsica like I just did.
> However it shouldn't spoil our pleasure. Not everybody can travel in
> low season...unfortunately :-)
>
> Jack
>
Just as well - there wouldn't *be* a "low season" if they could!
richard evans
still be a small queue and at least one tour bus there, but you
can make straight for the parts that interest you most before the
real crowds arrive. The half hour before closing time is also
somewhat less frantic.
FLORENCE.SINGLAS wrote in message <8ng65b$bge$1...@wanadoo.fr>...
>Hi Jack,
>
>Giverny is a nice place indeed (the Japanese bridges, the
nymphéas...) but
>you forget to mention the tourists !
>The last time I've been there the queue was 200 meters long
outside Giverny,
>and the visit reminded me of a flock of sheep going to the
pastures
>(beautiful pastures).
>Of course it was in June, the weather was ideal and the roses in
bloom, but
>such a crowd can spoil one's plasure.
[snipped]