Giverny

From Wikipedia:

Claude Monet noticed the village of Giverny while looking out of a train window. He made up his mind to move there and rented a house and the area surrounding it. In 1890 he had enough money to buy the house and land outright and set out to create the magnificent gardens he wanted to paint. Some of his most famous paintings were of his garden in Giverny, famous for its rectangular Clos normand, with archways of climbing plants entwined around colored shrubs, and the water garden, formed by a tributary to the Epte, with the Japanese bridge, the pond with the water lilies, the wisterias and the azaleas.

Monet lived in the house with its famous pink crushed brick façade from 1883 until his death in 1926. He and many members of his family are interred in the village cemetery.

 Cafe before the entrance to Monet's Garden.

Entrance. Don't be disappointed -- I did not edit these. Many are overexposed, but it was a HOT day with brilliant sunshine and hordes of tourists. I was lucky to get any shots because the crowd wanted to push you along.

This stand of bamboo was a surprise until I learned that Monet had been to Japan and was crazy about all things Japanese. Hence, the name is the Japanese Garden. I was also surprised that there are two bridges, not just one.

This is one of my favorites.