Instead of enjoying a nice lie-in on Saturday 21 September, a couple of friends and I decided to catch a train early in the morning to Vernon. What was there to see? Perhaps the photo and the title already gave it away…It was Claude Monet’s House and Gardens located just outside of Paris.

Walking around Monet’s stunning gardens felt like a dream. If you have ever seen any of the impressionist artist’s work, you’d immediate recognize the scenery which Monet famously painted. It was not difficult to figure out what inspired him…

His house, which was surrounded by the gardens, was also stylishly arranged and decorated…as one would expect!

Spending one full day at Monet’s estate was an awesome and refreshing change for me, the urban dweller. As a group, we took hundreds of photos next to flowers, bridges and colorful plants as if we’d never been exposed to the…