Another View of the Garden

                                                                                                                                                                                            I'd been to Monet's Garden before but always with one of those overpriced tourist outfits. I reasoned that it was easier to  show up at the Paris Vision office and just be whisked away rather than try and find my own way there. This time I wasn't willing to be rushed or pay the 150 Euros it cost for a guide and minibus. So I asked the concierge at my hotel how to get to Giverny.
I hopped the metro to Gare St. Lazare and picked up a round trip ticket for the train to Vernon for less than 28 Euros. A waiting shuttle as big as a city bus cost 8 Euros and entrance to the Garden itself, another 9.  And boy, did I feel stupid for not doing it this way sooner.
Only days before closing for the season, the garden still had plenty of flowers. The lilies in the pond may have disappeared but so had the hoards of tourists. The only place I really encountered them was in the  gift shop and the house itself (where I got to round someone up to take my picture). The last time I'd done this was nearly 20 years ago and the only thing that had changed was me.

Then

And now

The last stop before leaving 

A peek on the way out