Normandie and Monet's Giverny

The next morning after a disappointing breakfast we were off to Normadie. We think the GPS was set for the shortest distance route because we went on every back country farm road from St Michele to Normandie… we cut through a couple farms and felt like everyone we saw was surprised to see us on their road. It was neat, but definitely had us holding our breathe that we would actually make it to the beach. It seemed like a miracle, but we did it!

Ryan’s Grandpa Creamer was a gunman on one of the barges that dropped off infantry men on the beaches of Normandie. Very, very cool. We felt a huge since of gratitude for the bravery of our grandfathers and their families as we contemplated their actions and read the words dedicated to them. We are touched as we toured the cemetery and memorials dedicated to them.
From there we drove to Giverny where Monet lived and cultivate his beautiful gardens and painted many of his most famous masterpieces. Once you get past the tourist stuff and into the gardens it’s hard to describe how good nature can make you feel. The gardens were so lovely and I could hardly get enough of the famous Japanese water lilies ponds. The girls really enjoyed it too, wanting picture after picture of them with their each of their “favorite” flower.

We loved it there! It was fun to see his house too. The children’s books were a great resource to the life of Monet.