monet – French Californian

April 16, 2015

Hannah Wilson

Monet’s House

If you’ve ever wondered what Impressionism looks like in the form of a house – a speculation that has probably never been a priority in your life – then you may have also wandered what Claude Monet’s house looks like. I mean, he’s practically the king of Impressionism as far as I’m concerned, and if his house doesn’t embody 19th century French painting, then I don’t know what does.

… these are the kinds of thoughts that go through my head on a regular basis…

I had been to Giverny twice, and on both occasions, photographs inside the house were strictly Forbidden, with a capital F. My friend Natalie and I would always try to be sneaky and take quick iPhone snaps, thinking we were so incognito; the photos pretty much always came out blurred and crappy. THANKFULLY – and this seriously made me so happy – they now allow you to take photos! Mais sans flash, bien sûr. I discovered this while my sister was visiting me last week, and we also discovered that the Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay allow photographs now too. :O

So without further ado, take a peek inside Monet’s house:

September 12, 2014

Hannah Wilson

Road Trip Day 1 – Giverny and Rouen

Like 6 Comments Travel

My best friend Natalie and I decided to take a quick 4-day road trip through France, more specifically, Normandy. What follows is an account of the events, sights, and stories that took place. This is just part 1, you can read day 2 here and day 3 HERE.

Day 1 technically began with an extremely early wake-up alarm, a bus ride, lengthy walk to the car rental office, and subsequent loss of direction. Somehow, we ended up on the wrong motorway about 20 minutes into the trip, but with a bit of spontaneous redirection, we were able to get back on track. It seemed this first mishap would set the tone for the rest of the trip, as we became lost – without fail – every single time we turned the car engine on. More on that later…

Our first real stop (if you don’t count a McDonald’s egg McMuffin pitstop), was Giverny! It was my second time there, and it was just as beautiful as the first. Last time, it was early spring, the garden overflowing with multicolored tulips. This time around, it was late summer, so the greenery was much taller, much more overgrown, and the dominant flower was the Dahlia. Dahlias as big as your head, no joke. Here I have inserted Natalie’s hand for reference.

April 16, 2014

Hannah Wilson

Springtime in Monet’s Garden

Like 2 Comments Paris, See & Do

Being a girl who took started French lessons in high school and studied Art in college, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Impressionism, or any artwork during that time period actually. Degas’ cropped Ballerina scenes, Van Gogh’s vibrating and tortuous genre scenes, and Monet’s expansive waterlily canvases. It’s all so fascinating, the history behind these artistic revolutions; and what makes it even more fascinating, more so than seeing the canvases in a museum, is seeing the source of inspiration itself. I had the privilege of seeing Claude Monet’s private gardens last Saturday, as well as his home, and took a crazy amount of flower pictures.