Sharing my bouquets: Spring bouquets

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Patty

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.
– Claude Monet, founder of French impressionist painting

In my fervor over working on my novel-in-progress, I let go of many things. One of them was blogging. And as my garden came to life in the spring and I began making and delivering my bouquets to give away as my donation to the annual Korematsu Middle School auction, I racked up a lot of bouquets and pictures, but no blogs. So even though spring is a distant memory and we are more than half-way through with summer, forgive me if I revisit my bouquets and share them with you.

White calla lilies, daffodils, and euphorbia characias for a March 11th bouquet for Korematsu.

Miniature bouquet of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.

Close up of bouquet of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.

Another view of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.

Tulips, March 18th.

More white calla lilies, daffodils, orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), and euphorbia characias, March 18th.

Tulips, March 25th.

African daisies (venedio arctotis), dianthus, and scabiosa, March 25th.

This academic school year, I agreed to donate two separate auction bouquet winners – 10 weeks of a weekly bouquet. I was pleased to hear that each auction winner donated $500 to the middle school, for a total of $1,000. One winning bid ended up being a gift to a parent’s mother-in-law, which was sweet. The only problem was that her mother-in-law lives off of Grizzly Peak in Berkeley, meaning up, up in the hills. The other auction winner lived, ironically, next door to Berthe, who has won the auction bouquets the last few years. This is also up in the hills, but straight up from me.

White calla lilies, tulips, and daffodils, March 25th.

Another view of calla lilies and tulips, but in the dining room, March 25th.

Close-up of the beautiful lines of the calla lily and tulips, March 25th.

For my second Korematsu auction winner, a backyard mix of straw flower, African daisies (venedio arctotis), scabiosa, and orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), April 1st.

Close-up, April 1st bouquet.

I love scabiosa, and they have been growing in abundance this season, April 1st.

Close-up of burgundy and pink African daisies (venedio arctotis), April 1st.

White calla lilies and red tulips, April 1st.

Watsonias and pittosporum “silver magic,” April 1st.

Watsonias, April 8th.

Though I really enjoy putting the bouquets together – my Zen time – I added up the hours (harvesting, stripping the flowers individually, making the bouquets, and delivery) and the exercise began to become more onerous to me than bring me joy. Don’t get me wrong: When the auction winners let me know that they loved the bouquets and really appreciated them, I was over-the-moon happy – sharing bouquets brings much joy. But as I start shifting my focus to doing the things that I need to do for my writing and for my family and friends, time becomes an issue. Plus, I want to start giving bouquets to my family, friends, and neighbors. So I made the decision this spring to retire from donating bouquets to the middle school auction.

African daisies (venedio arctotis), dianthus, alstroemeria, scabiosa, and orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), April 8th.

Close-up of watsonias, April 8th.

On April 8th, Isabella and I went to a bouquet tutorial at Annie’s Annuals with Riz Reyes, a horticulturist from Seattle. And he is a Pinoy!

I learned some great tips on making bouquets at an Annie’s Annuals tutorial with Riz Reyes from Seattle.

Riz Reyes and me at Annie’s Annuals, Richmond, April 8th. You can reach him at his business, rhrhorticulture, here.

Watsonias, scabiosa, dianthus, straw flowers, African daisies, (venedio arctotis), and some greenery, April 14th. A bouquet for my friend Soizic’s dinner party.

Watsonias, scabiosa, dianthus, straw flowers, African daisies, (venedio arctotis), and some alstroemeria greenery, April 15th.

Just watsonias and pittosporum “silver sheen,” April 15th.

I will still make the bouquets, but when I want to and not on demand. And I’ll continue to share them with you all here. I may have learned a few things from horticulturist Riz Reyes, who gave a tutorial at Annie’s Annuals in the spring, and from the beautiful floral arrangements at Château de Chenonceau in Chenonceaux, France. At any rate, here are my spring to early summer bouquets. Enjoy!

Tulips, calla lilies, scabiosa, and alstroemeria, April 22nd.

Geum, gerbera daisy, straw flower, scabiosa, and dianthus, April 22nd.

Close-up of April 22nd bouquet.

The other side of the April 22nd bouquet.

Watsonias, April 22nd.

Landscaping project 2017: Finally done, and finally documented!

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Patty

A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space – a place not just set apart but reverberant – and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.
– Michael Pollan, American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is also the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism, from Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education

Our house, 1994.

When David bought our home back in 1994 – before I met him – he was the second owner of the house on Elm Street that was built in the early 1940s. The previous owner had been a gardener, evidenced by his tool sheds in the side and back yards. Mr. Broligio grew dahlias, Mexican poppies, Bird of Paradise, gladiolas, and other flowers. He likely planted the two huge magnolias trees in the backyard, as well as the camellia and Meyer lemon trees. He was the one who fashioned the backyard with pink-grouted flagstone and brick planting beds and walkway borders. Through the years, we worked on making the two-bedroom, one-bath split-level house into our home. We remodeled the bath and kitchen in 1998, after we got married, but not putting too much thought or money into it since we didn’t think this was going to be our forever home.

Welcome to our home, 1994.

Looking at the back of the house from the back of the property, 1994.

A lot of boxwood hedges, brick, and pink-colored grout, 1994.

One of the shed areas that David immediately took down, 1994.

Little did we know that it would indeed be our forever home. We grew to a family of four with two big dogs. I worked from home and our bedroom was my office. After a few years of looking at other homes and David working on house plans, we expanded our home, beginning in 2006. In the spring of 2007, after seven months of renting we moved back into our home, now a four-bedroom, two-bath, four-level home, with my wish list office area and library included. We loved our home. However, we never threw a housewarming party because we were too embarrassed by our yard.

The original owner liked using bottles as borders. In 1994, the backyard was a bit overgrown.

The magnolia trees weren’t as big, but the Bird of Paradise was! And yes, the old-fashioned clothes drying line.

The side yard was much bigger before we pushed the house out on that side in 2007.

I was bitten by the gardening bug, and especially taken by the yellow dinner-plate dahlias that came up reliably every late spring. So through the years, I collected ceramic, glazed pots and grew different flowers. I found new dahlias to love and nurture, and grew them in our side yard. But we still hadn’t done a thing to our front and back yards, and our dahlias were not producing very well because our clay soil in the side yard was never amended and we weren’t separating our dahlia tubers.

By the end of 2016, we decided we were going to finally landscape our front, side, and back yards. After interviewing a handful of local landscape design firms, we settled on Fiddlehead Gardens (2816 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710, 510.858.8072). We appreciated owner Racheal’s portfolio, but also her expertise and her openness to our opinions and desires. Plus, she had a stable group of workers, who we really liked.

We started off with the side yard in February because the dahlia buds usually sprout in March. So the workers thoroughly amended the soil, put in a drip system, and separated all the dahlia tubers that David and I had dug up ourselves and dried. We were really pleased with the outcome.

We had a new fence put up in 2002. In 2008, David put up an iron gate and fence to separate the flower garden from the backyard and keep the dogs out. David and our friend Ric put down the flagstone walkway in 2008. Here’s the new dahlia garden after Fiddlehead Gardens renovated the side yard. We have tulips and daffodils in the spring.

We planted daffodils, which popped up in the spring.

We moved the bird bath from the front yard to the side yard.

With amended soil, a drip system, and tuber separation, the dahlias are so much happier and healthier. I found these great iron leaf sculptures at Annie’s Annuals in Richmond.

One of my favorite burgundy dahlias, happy by the side yard gate.

Fuschia dahlias in the side yard.

A pale peach dinner-plate-size dahlia in the side yard dahlia garden.

Then came the front yard in March. We had forgotten certain things like the dead plants in the front that I couldn’t nurture to life, and the broken basketball hoop that lay on its side like a fallen steel soldier off to the side of the garage.

The City of El Cerrito planted the two pear trees in the front yard. We ended up having the blighted pear tree removed and replaced with crepe myrtles this past July. But here’s the front yard, complete with our 1995 Corolla, long since gone.

We threw a lot of plants in the front yard to see if they would grow. Some did, others didn’t. It was a flower lab of sorts. Note the ugly brick border and the big bush leaning over the sidewalk.

Broken basketball hoop in the front yard. And sad flower bed.

We kept the salvia and my favorite calla lilies, but we shed this big tree/bush that we had to keep trimmed so that pedestrians wouldn’t complain about having to sidestep the bush when walking on the sidewalk. The dead potato tree went away, and the princess flower got trimmed. When the tree came down, the front yard felt more open and light. They also used our leftover flagstone and built borders and a path between the walk-up path to the house and the driveway. Again, we were very happy with the outcome.

Our maple tree was freed of concrete and is very happy now. Fiddlehead Gardens used flagstone to make a border between our neighbor’s yard and ours.

A side view of the front yard after landscaping. See how open the front yard is without the big bush of a tree.

The flagstone border keeps the soil from spilling over. The watsonias are in full bloom.

The larger plot also has a new border, replacing the broken-brick border. A much cleaner, prettier front yard. Curb appeal!

You can see the yard now, especially the calla lilies, without that big tree/bush in the way.

David and Ric paved the way for the flagstone walkway in 2008. But now it’s surrounded by a beautiful front garden. (Just need to push that piece of flagstone back in place….)

Fiddlehead Gardens put a flagstone walkway on the other side of the walk up, so there’s nice symmetry of the flagstone paths in the front.

In July 2014, I attempted to work within the confines of the step-up and brick pathway when I redid the patio, or courtyard, but it was always crowded, and I looked forward to expanding out that patio/courtyard area.

When I tried to make the backyard more hospitable in the summer of 2014, I was constrained by the steps and border in the patio/courtyard. It’s very crowded here.

I planted a lot of dahlias in the ground, but many didn’t survive the clay soil.

The backyard was the big project that began in May and took two weeks. First, there was the prep work, which was demolition of the flagstone and bricks, leveling of the ground, and digging up the former patio area outside of the utility room. That took a week a few weeks before the actual work began.

I loved this peach tree, but it was planted crooked and we ended up getting rid of it for the new backyard.

The right corner of the backyard where Sammy liked to play soccer.

Moving things around in the patio before the big makeover in the backyard.

After the peach tree was removed. A gopher was taking down the hydrangea that was near the Meyer lemon tree.

We moved a lot of the pots under the magnolia trees. We didn’t realize how many pots I had accumulated through the years!

The barren dust bowl of a backyard! David built two planters, which he covered with chicken wire to protect the vegetable garden from Sammy.

The patio is cleared out!

The ugly pink grout from the 1940s. And Sammy and his basketball-cum-soccer ball.

After demolition, the crew dug deep into the earth in the patio area. Sammy checks it out.

The bare ground with pipes being installed in the backyard.

Now that the backyard is cleared and leveled, it’s time for the flagstone….

We kept the layout the same as before, but Rachael built six tall planter boxes atop decomposed granite, so we could garden without bending down. Four planters house my flower garden, while David claimed two for his vegetable garden. I had accumulated more than 40 pots – I know! – and we were able to place every single one of them throughout the front, side, and back yards, and the two porches. This time, they were equipped with a drip system, except for the ones on the two porches, which are home to succulents. We replaced the flagstone and instead of grout, Rachael used decomposed granite in between the large pieces of stone. The 1940s chairs that I had found at the Alameda flea market chair a few years ago found a new home in a corner of the backyard that used to be Sammy’s soccer-playing area. Now it serves as the resting place after working on the yard.

Three rusted birds welcome you to the garden from the patio gate. One pending project is painting the ugly red fence to a natural-looking brown.

Flowers, bird house and redwood planter box in the patio.

Night-time view of the patio with the fire pit going and the hanging lights on.

The corner sitting area, complete with old ceiling tins hanging on the fence, pots with colorful flowers, garden ornaments, flea market vintage chairs, solar lights, and newer table.

Our planter boxes, first two on the far left of the backyard (David’s vegetable garden). with solar lights strung on three of the planter boxes.

Middle two planter boxes sport zinnias (annuals) on the left of the angel statue and miniature roses from Trader Joe’s on the right. I keep experimenting with the flowers in the planter box in the back.

The last two planter boxes, with the front one home to varieties of dianthus and baby’s breath in the middle. The planters sit on an elevated layer of decomposed granite.

A view from the sitting area. I put a lot of Haitian steel-drum garden ornaments all over the planter boxes.

Another view of all six planter boxes. The height is perfect for gardening. No sore backs and enough room to move around!

Flowers in full bloom on a sunny day.

When I walk into the kitchen, I can see this first flower box through the sliding glass door. Seeing the angel and all that color, flowers, hummingbirds, butterflies, birds, and bees makes me happy!

I was not an annuals person, but I fell in love with the tough, colorful, and long-lasting zininas. They look really nice in bouquets, too. This year’s lone gerbera daisy is actually doing quite well. But I may stick with just one of them since all of them petered out last year. It’s fun to test out new flowers every season.

I had fun finding new places for the many garden ornaments that I had collected throughout the years. Our Roman column fountain, which was a present to ourselves when we got married and which was hidden in the side yard, broken when we ran it and forgot about it back in 2008, found new life in the back yard. And the block of leftover granite from our 2007 home remodel found a new resting place behind the fountain. We set up lights in the patio area and got a fire pit and heating lamp, and voila, we are ready for even the coldest summer evening in the Bay Area.

Our Roman column fountain is very happy now that you can see it and is lit up at night. The fountain and the ginkgo and two magnolia trees have lights trained on them, and they light up in the evenings.

The happy corner lit up at night. You can see this corner from the family room picture window.

One of my favorite night-time photos. You can see the magnolia and ginkgo trees lit up at night, too.

We had a party on the 4^th of July, 2017, and that became our landscape warming party. Friends, neighbors, and acquaintances have told us our backyard is like having a few new outdoor rooms. Some have said that they feel like they are in Tuscany, Italy. We agree!

We planted the beautiful ginkgo tree, which turns a blazing gold in autumn, to commemorate when Jacob was born in 2000.

The planter boxes at night from the other side of the backyard.

The leftover granite slab behind the lit-up Roman column fountain in the backyard. The plants around it have grown.

So what’s new in 2018? New aqua-color cushions and umbrella for a more Mediterranean look in the patio. I’m always trying out new flowers and pulling out ones that just don’t work out. I’ll be experimenting every year. And after a pruning, the yard gets fuller and more full of life, bringing in butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. We couldn’t be happier. Now our house is more like a home now. And I am one happy gardener.

I changed out the cushion and umbrella to a more Mediterranean color – aqua. Much brighter! The flowers in the pots are abloom, and the bushes in the patio planter box are bushier!

The blue hydrangea in the patio is one of my favorite flowers. It finds its way in many vases.

Birds now fly in a graceful curve, as if guided by a gentle wind, on the wall in the patio. Hi, Sammy!

A swallow, hydrangea, and fragrant tea candle in the backyard patio.

We had the backyard pruned in early spring, but it’s lush every summer.

The planter boxes in the backyard are brimming with old friends and new flowers. See the lone white gerbera daisy peeking out above the orange zinnia.

The narrow side yard on the other side of our house was always filled with junk. We cleared it out and put a row of planters and they are now home to rudbeckia, straw flower, cosmos, and a variety of scabiosa for my bouquets. I’m running out of room for new plants!

When we returned from our 2.5-week vacation to France in June, my dahlia garden was bursting with big blooms! What a welcome sight upon coming home.

Family vacation in France: Day 15 in Versailles

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Patty

Everything ends this way in France – everything. Weddings, christenings, duels, burials, swindlings, diplomatic affairs – everything is a pretext for a good dinner.
– Jean Anouilh, French playwright

The next morning we took off for Versailles, but not before having chocolat chaud and croissants at Bigot Pâtisserie & Chocolatier, at the corner of Place Michel Debré and Rue Nationale, Amboise.

We said au revoir to Amboise, the Loire Valley, and La Tartue, our sweet home here. After chocolat chaud and croissants, our breakfast of choice in France, at Bigot Pâtisserie & Chocolatier, a family-run establishment for more than 100 years, we headed out. Our next stop was Versailles, a two-hour drive away. We ended our AirBnB accommodations and landed at the Hôtel le Cheval Rouge, which was built in 1676 as Louis XIV’s stables. The hotel was not that far away from the château. It was not the most appealing accommodation, but it had history, so we appreciated that.

Hôtel le Cheval Rouge, Versailles.

Once we checked in and dropped off our luggage after lunch, we footed it to Château de Versailles, about a 10-minute walk to the entrance. To say it was overrun with tourists and tourist groups is an understatement. We would have fared better to come at the opening. If we had come later in the afternoon, we would have had our visit cut short even more, as the château and gardens were going to close early, at 5:30pm, for a light show.

Approaching Château de Versailles.

At the gates of Château de Versailles. I had to be just as aggressive as the people around me to get our photo in!

Château de Versailles.

Detail of statue the outside of Château de Versailles.

The clock on the building of Château de Versailles.

Another detail of building, Château de Versailles.

Cool royal courtyard at the entrance of Château de Versailles.

Statue detail of outside of Château de Versailles.

Detail of statue, Château de Versailles.

We were body-to-body as we went from one room to the next. It was difficult to really appreciate what we were seeing with so many tourists in the rooms. We did the best that we could. I enjoyed the paintings on the ceilings – at least there I didn’t have to have tourists in my photos!

Tourists taking pictures on their smart phones, Versailles.

Versailles was home to French monarchs and was the center of culture in Europe for some hundred years. Louis XIV (1638-1715) turned his father’s hunting lodge into the grand palace that is Versailles, using the public treasury to fund his venture. Louis XIV gave himself the name Sun King because he “gave life and warmth to all he touched.” He was also compared to Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, with Versailles being the personal temple of Apollo. That’s why there are numerous statues and symbols of Apollo, the sun, and Louis XIV himself throughout Versailles. He was the absolute monarch for 72 years. His great-grandson, Louis XV, reigned from 1715-1774. Towards the end of his rule, France was faltering – its power abroad was weakening and civil unrest was brewing. When Louis XVI came into power in 1774, he married Marie-Antoinette, from an Austrian royal family, and they retreated to an idyllic existence in Versailles. Meanwhile, the natives were getting restless. The French Revolution of 1789, of course, turned everything upside-down. In 1837, King Louis-Philippe opened the palace as a museum.

Hall near the entrance of Château de Versailles, David’s take without tourists.

Hall near the entrance of Château de Versailles, my take without tourists.

Likely one of the apartments of the daughters of Louis XV, Château de Versailles.

Likely a room from the apartments of the daughters of Louis XV, Château de Versailles.

Elaborately decorated doors and ceiling paintings everywhere, Château de Versailles.

Detail of ceiling painting, Château de Versailles.

Selfie with David, Château de Versailles.

Same big room. I wish I remembered what room this is, but I’ll take a guess that this is a either a state apartment or one of Louis XIV rooms, Château de Versailles.

Another bedroom in the apartments of the daughters of Louis XV, Château de Versailles.

We walked through many rooms either very slowly because we were hampered by the crowd in front of us, or quickly to avoid said crowds. So, we didn’t the backstory to what we were seeing. Of course, we knew about the Hall of Mirrors. At the time, mirrors were a luxury, so the sheer quantity of mirrors, along with their size, made for a breathtaking sight. Nearly 250 feet long, the hall boasts 17 arched mirrors on the interior wall and 17 windows that offer an expansive view of the Gardens. In modern times, June 28, 1919, the Hall of Mirrors served as the place where Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles, which ended WWI.

Hall of MIrrors, Château de Versailles.

Painting from the corner ceiling, Château de Versailles.

Another ceiling painting, Château de Versailles.

The library in one of the apartments, Château de Versailles.

Another ceiling painting, Château de Versailles.

The Gallery of Battles, which depicts paintings of French military victories, Château de Versailles.

Painting depicting George Washington and Lafayette defeating the British at the Battle of Yorktown, The Gallery of Battles, Château de Versailles.

Towards the end of the tour of Château de Versailles.

The gardens were spectacular. We walked past the big fountain and all the way down to the Petit Canal, or Grand Canal, where once French royalty glided by in imported Venetian gondolas. No gondolas here now. We would have rowed a boat on the canal, but the rental shop was closing early, too, for the light show. For that reason, I’m glad we didn’t come later, though at the expense of being elbow-to-elbow with tourists. We didn’t explore all of the gardens, which I regretted because I could see down the trails here and there that beauty awaited just around the corner. You could spend an entire day just in the gardens, which was my favorite part of what I saw of Versailles. We also didn’t see Trianon Palaces and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette. If we ever come back – David would likely say no – I’d come first thing in the morning and spend the afternoon exploring the gardens.

Statue outside of Château de Versailles.

Methinks this statue outside of Château de Versailles is Poseidon.

From the steps at the top of the gardens, you can see all the way to the Grand Canal, Versailles Gardens.

Latona’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

Close-up view of Latona’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

Detail of Latona’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

Family portrait with Château de Versailles and dramatic skies in the background.

Stately marble statues lining the groves, Versailles Gardens.

Statue in Versailles Gardens.

Same statue, looking skyward, where he is pointing to sunlight, a break in the clouds, Versailles Gardens.

A grove of beautiful trees, Versailles Gardens.

Detail of a statue with mask, Versailles Gardens.

Apollo’s Fountain with reflection of the sky, Versailles Gardens.

The astonishing Apollo’s Fountain, a close-up, Versailles Gardens.

David takes a picture of me taking a picture of Isabella and Jacob, Apollo’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

David’s photo of Jacob and Isabella at Apollo’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

And my photograph of Jacob and Isabella at Apollo’s Fountain, Versailles Gardens.

While we were waiting in line to purchase a souvenir for Isabella’s friend, Jacob came from another part of the museum shop and said he saw a girl who looked like an exchange student we had housed three years ago for three weeks in the summer. We told him it was probably someone who looked like Violette. Another clerk came to the register to help out the lone clerk. She called us up since we were next in line. As she rang us up, she said, “Aren’t you the family who I stayed with in San Francisco three years ago?” How bizarre to have stumbled upon her at this particular time and place! It was also awkward, as we did not bond with her; otherwise, we would have kept in touch and let her know that we were visiting her homeland. We chatted for a few minutes and then we were on our way out of Versailles.

My panorama of Versailles.

We dined at Le Bouchon du Marche, near our hotel. The chalkboard menu was all in French. Our server was quite accommodating, trying to explain the various menu items. She was great and we had a really nice meal in Versailles. We were only staying one night in Versailles, and we were gearing up for our last full day in France, and our last night in our hotel.

Window of Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

The other window of Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

My almond salmon dish, Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

A good bottle of red, Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

Father and son enjoying dinner outdoors, Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

Isabella’s chocolate torte drowning in creme, Le Bouchon du Marche, Versailles.

David’s dessert – berry ice cream in warm cherry sauce! Le Bouchon du Marche.

We ate breakfast at a nearby pâtisserie on our way out of Versailles. One more look at the religieuse!

Family vacation in France: Day 13 in Amboise

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Patty

History is written by the survivors. And I am surely that.
– Queen Catherine de’ Medici, Italian noblewoman, queen of France from 1547 until 1559, by marriage to King Henri II

On the drive from Mont St-Michel to Amboise, we showed Isabella and Jacob pictures of the châteaux of the East side of the Loire Valley and asked them to pick their top two. Jacob picked Amboise and Chambord, while Isabella selected Chenonceau and Cheverny. When we decamped in Amboise, we saw Château Amboise, down the street from our AirBnB house. Today, based on proximity, we paired up Chenonceau and Chambord, which was about an hour’s drive through the leisurely Loire Valley countryside.

But first, before we head out, breakfast of chocolat chaud and croissant in Amboise.

Yummy pastries in Amboise.

I can’t promise you that this is the last photo of bales of hay, but it was the last time David acquiesced to my request to “pull the car over so we can take pictures of bales of hay.”

Château de Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau is a 16^th-century Renaissance palace that spans the Cher River – and one of the most-visited châteaux in all of France. We got there mid-morning, after traversing the countryside and stopping for more bales of hay photo opps, and the tourist situation was not bad at all. There were a few buses and tour groups, but nothing like the other big monuments in Paris. We counted ourselves lucky. Like Château d’Amboise, Château de Chenonceau is a grand castle, but Château de Chenonceau took my breath away.

There’s a lovely tree-lined walkway leading up to Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Two reclining lions greet you at the entrance of Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

The château and mill, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

I was taken by the stories of the past owners and occupants of Château de Chenonceau. Thomas Bohier and his wife Katherine Briçonnet tore down the fortified castle and mill belong to the Marques family who owned it before. The Marques tower was all that was left, and Bohier restored it to the current Renaissance style of the 16^th century. The château is built on the piers of the old fortified mill. The Château has been nicknamed “the château of the ladies,” as it was home to many notable women, including the most famous – Catherine de’ Medici, who married King Henri II. In 1547, King Henri II donated Chenonceau to his lady, or mistress, Diane de Poiters, who was known for her beauty, intelligence, and business acumen. Diane, who was a French noblewoman and courtier at the courts of King Henri II and his son, King Frances I, or François I, wielded enormous power in her position. She created spectacular and modern – at the time – gardens. After Henri II’s death, however, Catherine kicked out Diane, banishing her to Château de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, which we visited in the afternoon. Such banishment couldn’t have been all that bad if you think about what she ended up with – it’s not the Château de Chenonceau but it’s still a castle. At any rate, Diane lived an interesting life. Simonne Menier, of the Menier chocolate factory family, was the “last” lady of Château de Chenonceau and matron at the time of WWI. She was in charge of the hospital installed at the château’s two galleries and equipped it at her family’s expnse. More than 2,000 wounded were treated here up until 1918. Simonne also was part of the French Resistance during WWII. How appropriate that she be the last lady of Château de Chenonceau.

You can rent a boat and row beneath the arches of Château de Chenonceau on the river Cher.

A beautiful, unobstructed view of Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

The other side of Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Back to the actual château: The rooms are sumptuously decorated with paintings, tapestries, elaborate ceilings, lush wallpaper, and grand furniture. The downstairs kitchens are a chef’s dream, which includes a pantry with fireplace and bread oven, dining room for employees, butchery with hooks to hang game and blocks for chopping, and lots of polished copper pans.

The Chapel, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

My favorite room – the Gallery. It was once Diane de Poitier’s bridge, but in 1576, Catherine de’ Medici had Jean Bullant build a gallery upon Diane’s bridge, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Part of the amazing kitchens! This is the dining room where the employees ate, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Part of the amazing kitchens, this room shows just some of the copperware on the wall, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

I’m fascinated by beds in these châteaux. This room is in memory of Gabrielle d’Estrées, the favorite and great love of King Henri IV, and mother to his legitimate son Cesar of Vendôme, Château de Chenonceau.

Catherine de’ Medici’s bedroom leads to two small apartments, which form the exhibition rooms. This exhibition room presents a magnificent ceiling decorated with a canvas painting, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

The Five Queens’ Bedroom, a name given to this bedroom in memory of Catherine de’ Medici’s two daughters and three daughters-in-law. The walls are decorated with a suite of 16th-century Flanders tapestries. The fireplace is Renaissance, the 16th-century coffer ceiling comes from the apartments of Louise of Lorraine and bears the coats of arms of the five Queens, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

A beautiful carved cabinet cornered by wall-length tapestries, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

The staircase bears sculpted leaves representing the Old Testament. It is notable for being one of the first straight staircase to be built in France based on the Italian model, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

A tapestry displayed in the new Medici Gallery, which unveils a previously unseen collection of paintings, tapestries, furniture, and pieces of art, Château de Chenonceau, Chenondeaux, France.

The grounds are so massive, we didn’t get to everything on the property. We appreciated Diane’s Garden and Catherine’s Garden. While we did make our way to the center of the Italian maze, created with 2,000 yews, we didn’t get to the carriage gallery, the 16^th-century farm, the Orangery (tea room), and the vegetable and flower garden, which supplies the beautiful arrangements that adorned many of the rooms in the château.

Jacob and Isabella contemplating Catherine’s Garden, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Catherine’s Garden: Looking out over the water and the park, its paths offer magnificent views of the château’s west facade. Its design centers around five lawns, grouped around a circular pond and dotted with rounded box hedges, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Another view of Catherine’s Garden, which is “bordered by a low wall, lined with pleached ‘Clair Matin’ roses, that overhangs the moat. Standard roses and borders of lavender, pruned low and round, trace out a harmonious design,” Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

On the other side is Diane’s Garden. “Two perpendicular and two diagonal paths border eight large, lawned triangles decorated with delicate scrolls of santolina,” Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Diane’s Garden: “The raised terraces taht protect the garden when water levels rise in the river Char are decorated with urns, and offer a chance to discover the shrubs, yew trees, spindle trees, box hedges, and viburnum tinus arranged around the beds,” Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Diane’s Garden: “In the summer, more than a hundred hibiscus syriacus flower here. Between these flowering shrubs, flowerbeds underline this garden’s strict geometry,” Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Diane’s Garden: “In Autumn, pansies alternate with daisies and flower throughout Winter. In Spring, petunias, tobacco plants, dwarf dahlias, verbena, and begonias are planted out and bide their time until the next Autumn. All around the garden, the walls that support the terraces are clad with ‘iceberg’ climbing roses,” Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Making our way through the maze. I can just see where I need to go, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Ah, we made it to the center, a raised gloriette, a small monument covered with flourishing willow, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Amazingly, 10 gardeners grow more than a hundred different varieties of flowers, which two full-time florists source for the interior floral decoration, and more than 400 rose bushes! I was so inspired by the floral arrangements; while David was taking photos of the rooms – the furniture and paintings and wall and ceiling decorations – I was mesmerized by the floral arrangements. I had so many photos that I had to severely curate my flower photos. What a heavenly position to secure as full-time florist for Château de Chenonceau!

The first of eight curated floral arrangement photos, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceux, France.

A close-up of another beautiful floral arrangement, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

A row of bouquets that matches the room it’s in, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Ethereal floral arrangement, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Close-up of another purple floral arrangement, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Floral arrangement, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Airy floral arrangement, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

This château was a family favorite in the Loire Valley; it was going to be difficult to top this place. After lunch at the restaurant on the grounds, we headed for our next château.

Beautiful woods near the maze, Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France.

Along the walkway back to the entrance and exit of Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, France. We saw muskrats coexisting peacefully with the ducks in the pond.

Au revoir, Château de Chenonceau!

Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is tucked away in the quiet town of Chaumont. The grounds are quite expansive and require a bit of an uphill hike to reach it, but the effort is worth it and the view of the Loire River is spectacular. The château was founded around the year thousand by Odo I. Later, a Norman knight shored up its fortress, but he and his son, who had no heir, passed it on to his great-niece whose family by marriage, the d’Amboise family, retained the château for the next five centuries. In 1465, Louis XI had Chaumont burned to the ground to punish Pierre I d’Amboise over an aristocratic revolt against the king. Once pardoned, Pierre and his son – and later his uncle – began rebuilding the château. In 1550, Catherine de Medici bought the chateau, which was profitable from the toll on the Loire and numerous farming plots. She used Chaumont-sur-Loire as a hunting ground and stopping place when she traveled between Château d’Amboise and Blois. After Diane de Poitiers was given Château de Chaumont after surrendering Château de Chenonceau to Catherine de Medici, Diane continued with Chaumont’s construction – though she rarely stayed there – up until her death in 1566. The château’s current appearance is credited to de Poitiers’ hand in its restoration.

David said that Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire looks like a Disneyland castle. I keep think of Lord Farquaat from Shrek. Still, I think this is a beautiful château.

Another view of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, with the green lawn and rows of lavender.

The courtyard of the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

A view of the Loire River from the top of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Another view of the Loire River from the viewing platform at the top of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Before you get to the château, this pathway is lined with adorable covered chairs that face the Loire River, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

The château survived many owners during the Age of Enlightenment and the Romantic Era. Another interesting, though tragic story: The last private owner, Marie-Charlotte-Constance Say, heir to the Say sugar refineries and princess by marriage to Henri-Amédée de Broglie, implemented many changes to the château, making it grand for receptions for many European and Eastern sovereigns. Through reckless speculation by the director of the Say sugar refineries, the de Broglie family lost a third of its fortunes. After Henri-Amédée’s death, his widow Marie-Charlotte-Constance mismanaged her remaining fortunes, which was further decimated by the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Despite marriage to another royal, who was 31 years her junior, Marie-Charlotte-Constance and her husband encountered numerous financial setbacks and were forced to divide up the Domaine de Chaumont. In 1937, the French State launched an expropriation procedure “in the public interest” and took possession of the property in 1938, including the tapestry collection and furniture that the State deemed historical. A national monument, the Domaine became regional in 2007.

King Henri I’s emblem, the porcupine, is seen throughout the château, particularly above fireplaces, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

The elaborately decorated and colorful Chapel, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Detail of stained-glass window coat of arms, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Beautiful carved column and spiral staircase, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Yes, that’s me taking a photo of the dining room, which boasts an incredible fireplace (in the background) by Antoine Margotin, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Sugar sculpture under glass in one of the rooms of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Somebody’s bedroom! Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

In the Upper Galleries at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, a 2018 tribute to Jacques Truphémus called Paysages, highlights his works. Balthus regarded Truphémus as the greatest French painter.

Floral arrangement at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

One more porcupine emblem at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

The expansive grounds include stables, a model farm, greenhouse, vegetable and children’s garden, gardeners court galleries, bee farm, among other structures and points of interest. The Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire is the “foremost Centre of Art and Nature entirely devoted to the relationship between nature and culture, artistic creation and the impact of landscape, our heritage and contemporary art.” From late March to early November, contemporary art exhibitions and installations are set up in the château, Prés du Goualoup, farmyard, stables, and historic grounds. For the Domain de Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival, which runs from late April to early November, this year’s theme was Gardens of Thought. The garden festival is “a mecca of garden projects and landscape design” – installations by contemporary artists, photography exhibitions, and gardens of creation. Just walking the length of the gardens would require half a day. We loved exploring the gardens, finding one surprise or treasure after another. One can’t rush through the garden and fully appreciate the beauty of nature and art entwined and the inspiration of these artists. Well, we did rush through it, though we did appreciate the gardens. I would absolutely come back to Chaumont and spend a day here.

Reflecting pond, Domain of Chaumont-Sur-Loire International Garden Festival.

Lone maple tree and its reflection, Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire International Garden Festival.

The grounds of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

Flowers of Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

My favorite garden photo of the Valley of Mist, International Garden Festival, Domain de Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire.

We had to rush through the gardens to get back to Amboise in time for Isabella’s horseback riding lesson late in the afternoon. A horseback ride was the request, but a riding lesson was just as appreciated by our horse-loving daughter. David, Jacob, and I were content to hang out and try to avoid the heat of the day while Isabella trotted around with Flo, her French horse.

Isabella and Flo, Amboise.

Exhausted from a very full and warm day, we got lazy and had another dinner at home, which I didn’t mind since our Amboise home was the most inviting abode we’ve had on our vacation.

A Little Free Library installation on a street in Amboise, France.

Behind our street is a wall of a stony hill and there are actually homes built into the stone in Amboise. Amazing.

Family vacation in France: Day 12 from Mont St-Michel to Amboise

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Patty

Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.
– Leonardo da Vinci

My bales of hay, Brittany countryside, France.

A picture of David taking a picture of the bales of hay so you can appreciate the scale, Brittany countryside, France.

We left Mont St-Michel early in the morning after breakfast. We drove for the longest part of our travels – about three-ish hours – to the Loire Valley. Our destination was the town of Amboise. The Loire River, stretching east to west, separates northern and southern France. Historically, the river and its fertile valley have been significant, as the Moors leveraged the Loire as they marched from Morocco into Europe. We arrived midday and ate lunch at La Scala along Amboise’s main street, Quai du Général de Gaulle, before meeting our host and getting situated in our AirBnB house. We stayed in a delightful three-story Medieval-style house with a deck not too far away, about a 10-minute walk, from the Château d’Amboise.

My seafood pasta lunch at La Scala, Amboise.

Our Amboise AirBnB house, named La Tortue (the turtle) on Rue Victor Hugo.

The patio/entry area of our AirBnB house in Amboise, Loire Valley.

To the left of the entry is the ground-floor bedroom where Isabella and Jacob stayed. They had their own bathroom, and we had a washing machine. The only complaint from the kids was the house centipedes that crawled on their feet when they were in the bathroom!

The ground-floor level has a spiral staircase that takes you to the second floor of our AirBnB house in Amboise.

The second floor of our AirBnB house in Amboise comprises the dining, kitchen, living areas, plus the deck.

Our AirBnB house’s kitchen on the second floor, Amboise.

The living area of our Amboise AirBnB house. Jacob and Isabella pounced on the directions for connecting to the Wi-Fi.

The deck, off of the dining area on the second floor, that faces the stone walls for privacy at our Amboise abode.

Ascend the second-floor stairs to get to the top floor in our Amboise house.

The little sitting area of our master bedroom on the third floor of our Amboise house.

On the right side of our bed is a door leading to a sheltered view of greenery and stone mountain.

To the right is the master bathroom. Note the Medieval wood bracing throughout this beautiful house!

The beautiful wood staircase in our Amboise house.

Aside from its wines and agricultural bounty, especially apples or pommes, the Loire Valley is famous for the more than a thousand castles and palaces that are situated on its beautiful land. It became fashionable for Sixteenth-century royalty, especially those who loved to hunt, to ditched medieval castles for rich Renaissance palaces. According to Rick Steves, “Old-time aristocratic château-owners, struggling with the cost of upkeep, enjoy financial assistance from the government if they open their mansions to the public.” Given that Amboise is on the east side of the valley versus the west side, we were going to concentrate on seeing châteaux in this area.

Château d’Amboise, Loire Valley.

The Orléans-Penthièvre study houses a succession of late 18th century portraits showing the maternal grandfather and parents of the future French King Louis Philippe 1er, Château d’Amboise.

Soaring ceilings at Château d’Amboise.

The great part of Château d’Amboise was built in the late 15^th century and was Charles VIII’s favorite royal residence in the Loire. Other residents included Louis XII and François I, who is responsible for bringing Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise in 1516. More on this later. The château has been open to the public since the 19^th century. Visitors enter “the interior of the Royal Château of Ambois via the former foot soldiers’ passage, which was originally defended by a draw-bridge and portcullis. The gallery is decorated with the coats and arms of the château’s successive owners, from the 11^th to the 19^th centuries.” From the top of the castle – its Tour Garçonnnet – as well as from the edge of the gardens, you can appreciate the Loire River.

From the Tour Garçonnnet, Château d’Amboise.

To the left of the Tour Garçonnnet, you can see the Loire River and the roads and town of Amboise.

To the right of the Tour des Minimes of Château d’Amboise are homes along the Loire River. You can see the remains of a bridge that was bombed out during WWII.

From the Tour des Minimes of the Château d’Amboise, you can see the Naples Terrace gardens.

A close-up view of the Naples Terrace garden from the Tour des Minimes, Château d’Amboise.

“During the Renaissance, the king made a palace out of this château. It was a symbol of his power, center for political, economic, and artistic activity. It also stands in memory of an historical turning point, when different styles and trends from Flanders and Italy mixed. Italy, coveted by France during the entire first half of the 16^th century, was also admired for its artistic vitality. Monarchs thus invited to Amboise many Italian artists and writers whose influence blended with French tastes to create the original style of the “Early French Renaissance.”

In the Cupbearer’s room, a tapestry of Queen Esther’s banquet, Aubusson Royal manufacture, 17th century, and bust, Château d’Amboise. “This room recalls the customs of the King’s table, where cupbearers served drinks. Medieval trestles were replaced with “Italian-style” tables. They were richly decorated and could be extended. The art of dining evolved slowly with the timid use of two-pronged forks (knives and spoons remained more popular until the time of Henri III).

This room, the bedchamber of King François 1er and his son Henri II, was occupied by his wife Catherine de Medici who, after his tragic death, played an active role in the affairs of the kingdom during her sons’ successive reigns. The room’s interior illustrates the introduction of perspective into 16th century decorative arts, Château d’Amboise.

The footlights along the pathway to exit of Château d’Amboise is both ghostly and ethereal.

In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci accepted the position of engineer, architect, and painter to France’s Renaissance king, François I. Allegedly, the king, who was only 22 years old at the time, brought the then-65-year-old artist and inventor to Amboise so he could “enjoy is intellectual company,” according to Rick Steve. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Gothic chapel, St Hubert Chapel, named in honor of the patron saint of hunters and constructed in 1493. Leonardo da Vinci dictated in his last will and testament on 23 April 1519 that he wanted to be entombed in the St Florentin church, Amboise. Upon his death on 2 May 1519, he was thus buried. His remains were exhumed and transferred to St Hubert Chapel in 1871.

The Gothic-style St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

The stained-glass windows and ceiling of St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

Stepping back to get a bigger picture of the interior of St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

Light hitting the stained-glass window, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

The burial site of Leonardo da Vinci, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

Stained-glass window’s colorful reflection in the afternoon light against the stone walls, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

More reflections of stained-glass windows at St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

Straight-up view of a stained-glass window, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.

Leonardo da Vinci’s bust graces an area outside of the formal landscaped gardens. The bust marks the spot where Leonardo da Vinci was initially buried, on the spot of the St Florentin Collegiate (an 11^th century Roman building). It was a very warm day we arrived, but we appreciated the symmetry and beauty of the gardens.

Bust of Leonardo da Vinci, Château d’Amboise.

The formal landscaped gardens of Château d’Amboise.

View of the Loire River from the terrace of the landscaped gardens, Château d’Amboise.

Picture frames to ponder what you see from various angles, at the top of the formal gardens, Château d’Amboise.

Another picture frame of Château d’Amboise and its formal gardens.

The Loire River from the formal gardens of Château d’Amboise.

Perfectly coiffed double row of trees at the formal gardens of Château d’Amboise.

Château d’Amboise from across the Loire River on the other side of Amboise.

We also walked around town to orient ourselves but also to enjoy our new surroundings. We were too tired to find a restaurant for dinner by the time we finished our walk. Having found the grocery store, the trusty Carrefour City, we picked up inexpensive but fantastic wine (under €9, euros) and all kinds of cheese (€2), pommes (apples), grapes, charcuterie, and voila, we had a wonderful meal at our beautiful abode. One châteaux down, four to go in the Loire Valley.

Beautiful flower I’ve never seen before along the main street of Amboise.

Bon appétit! Eating at home tonight in Amboise.

The next morning – our view of Amboise from our window.

Family vacation in France: Day 6 in Paris

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Patty

It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.
– Claude Monet, French Impressionist painter

There are many day-trip destinations from Paris, depending upon how you create your itinerary – Versailles, Chartres, Giverny. We had planned an overnighter in Versailles, but no such trip planned for either Chartres or Giverny. We decided to take a bus tour to Giverny. In retrospect, I would have included an overnighter somehow to Giverny. The bus tour roundtrip was longer than our actual time in Giverny, especially with the traffic getting back into Paris, and I would have loved to have spent time in the town of Giverny, where Claude Monet is buried and the streets are lined with many shops, including antique shops. Next time!

The print shop where we purchased our etching of the Paris park chairs. That’s Jacob and Isabella, and I’m peering in the window again.

We didn’t have time to stand in line for the Catacombs in the morning because we were off to a late start, so we walked around the neighborhood. We wandered into F. Charbonnel, a shop for engravers, lithographers, and woodcut/linocut artists, because we saw an etching of the park chairs in the window. We purchased the etching, an “aquatinte,” titled “Aux Tuileries” by Corinne Lepeytre. Aquatinte is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching. In intaglio printmaking, the artist makes marks on the plate that are capable of holding ink.

From the bus window, a view of the French countryside outside of Paris.

A medieval bridge that was bombed out during WWII, right before the town of Giverny.

After a quick lunch near the Louvre, we boarded our tour bus to Giverny, which took about 1.5 to two hours for the 50-mile trek. We got there about three in the afternoon. Once we got into the garden, we were wall to wall with other tourists. It was also very hot. The crowds thinned out after an hour or so, and we were able to enjoy parts of Claude Monet’s enchanting home, beautiful garden, and surreal waterlily pond. In 1883, Monet, his wife Alice, and their blended family of eight children settled in the pink and green farmhouse, and he spent some 40 years at Giverny.

Every imaginable color of dahlia was in Monet’s Garden.

A cheerful bright dahlia in Monet’s Garden.

I think this is an onion. Whatever it is, I love it and have seen it all over Paris. I’d love to grow this in my garden.

The grand alley that splits Monet’s garden in two and leads to his farmhouse.

Commemorating my painting as an undergraduate of the grand alley with a photo of me beside it.

I’ve long admired Monet’s water lily paintings. Seeing them in person at the Orangerie Museum takes one’s breath away. And being in his beloved garden – especially for this gardener! – was magical (once the crowds thinned, of course). At every turn, we came upon different kinds and colors of lilies and dahlias and flowers I’d never seen before. The garden is symmetrically laid out in beds. A “grand alley” splits the garden in two and sports arches of iron trellises with climbing roses all the way down the alley. I had to take a picture of this. When I was at UC Davis and thought I was going to minor in art, I took a painting class taught by the famed painter, Wayne Thiebaud. Our last assignment was the “imitate a masterpiece.” I immediately thought of imitating an Impressionist painter because I thought it would be easy for me to do, given that painting was a major weakness of mine (drawing is another story). At any rate, I chose Monet’s entrance – the grand alley – to his Giverny farmhouse. Needless to say, it was a disaster and it was embarrassing to put it up against my classmates’ amazing imitation masterpieces. I put down my brushes and paints after that class and didn’t pursue the minor. But being at the entrance of the grand alley, I surely appreciated the beauty Monet saw and the desire to immortalize such beauty with his paintings.

Even the outside of the farmhouse is colorful!

Selfie with Isabella in front of the farmhouse.

The house is pretty amazing – colorful, full of paintings and his beloved Japanese prints, homey yet grand. I loved walking through the rooms. I loved the yellow dining room and the blue kitchen. I loved the warmth of the bedrooms, and his study where I picture reading books and writing and being creative.

One side of the dining room – the hearth and more Japanese prints.

The cheery yellow dining area.

Paintings in the study. The walls are full of paintings.

Another part of Monet’s study. It’s an enormous room.

One of the cozy bedrooms.

A view of Monet’s Garden from a bedroom on the second floor.

After touring the house and the gardens, we took the pedestrian tunnel under the main road to get to the Water Garden. I think we all took a million pictures of the Japanese bridges, the weeping willows, the pond full of life and water lilies. We actually got some pictures without tourists in it, no small feat. I could have stayed here for hours, just sitting and gazing at the colors, the light, the reflections in the water. It’s very peaceful. We didn’t have much time for the entire tour, but I’m glad we came. The town and the gardens demand another visit!

Monet’s Water Garden. Almost no tourists in this photo!

Weeping willows, lilies, and water lilies.

Close-up of the water lilies.

The Japanese bridge in the background from our vantage point of another bridge.

A burst of pink flowers amid the water lilies in Monet’s Water Garden.

No tourists in this picture of Monet’s Water Garden.

Reflections of a brilliant sky and clouds in Monet’s Water Garden.

More reflections in Monet’s Water Garden.

Isabella in Monet’s Water Garden.

When we arrived back in Paris, we got tickets for the Batobus water taxi, which does a loop on the Seine, stopping at all of the major monuments and museums. This was something Isabella wanted to do. We caught it at the Orsay Museum dock and sailed through Saint-Germain-Des Prés, Notre-Dame, Jardin des Planties,Cité de la Mode, Hotel de Ville, the Louvre, and then we got off at Champs-Elysées in search of dinner in that area. We ate dinner at Le Ponthieu (51 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 75008, Paris) since we were going to walk to the Eiffel Tower to take night photos. Isabella and I had confit canard, which was very good. Our poor waiter, who apologized for knowing little English – and we apologized for our lack of French – was running around waiting on all the tables. We were burning up, despite having our table near the open patio. It must have been in the 80s at nine in the evening! We left him with a nice tip for trying to take care of us.

An excellent duck confit and the best, creamiest potatoes au gratin ever.

Approaching the Eiffel Tower as the sun goes down close to 10 in the evening.

So many people were out taking photos of the Eiffel Tower at night. We took some amazing pictures and left before eleven. The taxis were charging exorbitant prices for the straight shot back to our apartment, so we stubbornly said no and walked the entire way. We walked mostly along the Seine to avoid traffic, but also to enjoy the people who were dining picnic-style along the waterfront and those who were dancing and frolicking at riverside restaurants. As I walked on, I kept thinking how I would have loved to have lived this kind of carefree life in my twenties! My feet were tired by the time we reached the Orsay Museum. We stopped on the wooden foot bridge so David could take more amazing photos of the Eiffel Tower. It was midnight by the time we got back to our apartment. It had to have been the hottest night in Paris for us thus far. But such weather allowed us to enjoy the very long walk from the Eiffel Tower to close to Notre-Dame Cathedral. I need to find out the distance so I can see how many steps we took! At least such a walk is burning the calories from all that good food we are eating.