[Idyllchat] Church in Vernon/Giverny

[Karey Bresenhan]

My husband and I have gone to Monet's Garden every year for almost 10 years.
We adore it. Thank goodness for digital cameras because we used to go broke
developing all the film! I second everything that has been said, with one
exception. I do not walk well and use a cane--bad knees and bad ankles. The
house is difficult for me, and frankly, the gardens are so much more
spectacular than the house that I am happy to spend my time and energy with
the flowers. You can find many books--some pretty inexpensive--that picture
the inside of the home, enough that if I had it to do over again, I'd just
buy a book, skip the ordeal of maneuvering inside the house, and go back to
my flowers! 

The American Museum there is wonderful and a beautiful showcase for art. It
has an excellent gift shop, as does Monet's Garden. 

But there is one thing many, many people miss that is truly spectacular. In
Vernon (these two towns--Vernon and Giverny--are so close they are like one
and the same) on top of the hill, looming over everything, is a wonderful
old church. I am told that during WWII, a German ammunition train was hit by
Allied bombers just on the outskirts of town, and the resulting explosion
blew out many of the church's ancient stained glass windows. In the 60's,
the town or the church commissioned a contemporary glass artist to create
new stained glass windows for the church. The artist drew upon the flowers
of Monet's Garden for his inspiration. So as you walk up and down the aisles
of the church, you find yourself surrounded with the iris, the roses, the
lilies, all the flowers that are so much a part of not only Monet and his
work but also of the little towns around that part of France...all depicted
in gorgeous stained glass. It is well worth your time and small donation you
might want to make to the church. And you will have seen something very few
tourists know about. Unfortunately, there is no brochure in English. But you
can enjoy the windows without reading!

K Bresenhan