...and a life-long love affair with the paintings of Claude Monet began. I remember didn't like the character of Linnea all that much (probably because she looks like a Cabbage-Patch Kid), but I remember being extremely jealous of her. I wanted to explore Monet's garden, too! Before I ever even understood what Paris was, I already knew that I wanted to live in Giverny.
I adore his romanticized women in elegant gowns, always out walking and drinking in the scenery...and the parasols!
And of course, the garden scenes. Walking across this bridge would be the culmination of my lifelong obsession with his Japanese bridge paintings.
I'm fairly certain that early exposure to this picture is responsible for my preference for waterlillies over all other flowers, too.
I think I'll go take a walk and pretend that the park is full of poppies...
Linnea was one of my *favorite* books growing up. I dreamed of some day going to Giverney. Haven't been yet, but I distinctly remember - at the age of 20 - quietly sobbing randomly in a museum in London when I came face-to-face with a real Monet. It was water lilies.
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