Come into the garden, Claude

THE garden was even prettier than the pictures. That was my impression of a world-famous piece of land in Normandy.

In a snaking line of tourists filing along the paths I was seeing what inspired Claude Monet to paint his renowned artistic impressions of the exquisite garden and large lily pond he created outside his house at Giverny.

For a few seconds I stood at the window in his home where he sat for hours instructing his gardeners how he wanted the plants arranged.

In a basically neat, formal design, they are delightfully carefree, a soothing, gently-scented myriad of pastel colours cascading in the warm breeze with seemingly unregimented freedom.

Through the tunnel under the roadway and into the wood-fringed lily pond with its Japanese-style wooden bridges the colours change to a deeper, richer green. In the first week of July, the gorgeously pink lily flowers were beginning to display their vibrantly fresh beauty.

Apart from the tourists, the contents of Monet's house are much as they were when he lived there as a leading light in the impressionism style of art.

Light was a key element in his work. He liked to paint the same subject many times at different times of day, his numerous studies done from the first floor of what is now the tourist office opposite the towers of Rouen cathedral being a prime example.

His Giverny house and garden is now part of a much larger area of beautifully laid-out grounds, including an American Gallery which is a work of art in itself with its spacious, superb, wood-panelled design and displays work by American artists (Monet had American relations).

When you walk into the Monet house and garden it's a shock to enter a huge shed the size of an aircraft hanger, with a high, pitched ceiling. Now a massive art shop, this was Monet's actual studio and still contains his settees, on which anyone may sit.

These days the tourists create instant art with their cameras, but you see lots of visitors carrying easels and all the other implements they need to spend a day painting.

Great art, architecture, literature and history mix with gorgeous scenery in the heart of Normandy.

A little planning can take you to several sensationally-fascinating sites in a few days. Take the 35- minute Eurotunnel train journey from Folkestone to Calais and then it's only a 135 mile drive to the bustling city of Rouen.

A few kilometres east of Rouen is the magnificently restored Chateau de Vascoeuil set in beautiful grounds. The elderly owner has taken 40 years to create an astonishing centre for art.

Modern sculptures decorate the lawns, including a remarkable, almost orthodox Salvador Dali work of the Statue Of Liberty with both arms raised. The chateau, once the home of France's most renowned historian, Michelet, now acts as a gallery for exhibitions by modern artists.

A short drive away takes you into the largest beech tree forest in France, former hunting grounds of the French kings. Nestling in a valley of the forest lies the picturesque, beautifully preserved town of Lyons la Foret.

The composer Ravel lived a few months each year here in a large house. Timber-beamed old houses flank the attractive market square.

This part of Normandy is closely linked with Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary, as is Rouen.

Renowned as the city where Joan Of Arc was burned at the stake, Rouen has a magnificent cathedral and numerous historic attractions.

This year it played host to the Armada of Tall Ships, dozens of high-masted sailing craft from all over the world sailing into the city for a week and attracting ten million visitors. It will be 2007 before Rouen hosts this sailing festival again.

Not least of the delights Normandy provides is the finest French cuisine. The village of Pont Saint Pierre, a few kilometres south of Rouen, boasts the restaurant La Bonne Marmite (the black cooking pot) where I and my companions were guests for a truly exquisite six-course gourmet lunch with vintage wines.

La Bonne Marmite was once a coaching inn now owned by Denise and Maurice Amiot. Monsieur Amiot, winner of several gastronomic competitions, has a cellar of over 1,100 wines, vintages from 1858.

If we had to foot the bill it would have been the Euro equivalent of a mere £21 each for the meal and a total of £35 for everything including aperitifs, pre-lunch freshly- cooked tid-bits and the vintage wines. You would be hard pressed to find anywhere in Britain serving La Bonne Marmite's superb cuisine for twice that amount.

Dining there was a privilege. Monsieur Amiot is no less an artist in his world of cuisine and wine than Monet was with his paints.

Fact file:

Hugh MacDougall was a guest of Eurotunnel and Normandy Tourist Board.

Eurotunnel address: The Channel Tunnel Group Ltd, UK Terminal, PO Box 2000, Folkestone, Kent CT18 8XY. Phone: 01303 27222. Website: www.eurotunnel.com To make a premium Club service booking call 08705 388 388.

Normandy Tourist Board British Address: The Normandy Tourist Board, The Old Bakery, Bath Hill, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1HG. Phone: 0117 986 0386.

Website: www.normandy-tourism.org

Normandy Tourist Board French address: Comite Regional de Tourisme de Normandie, Le Foyenne, 14 rue Charles Corbeau, F27000 Evreux.

These are tourist boards for different areas of Normandy, but all come under the umbrella of the Normandy Tourist Board.

All types of accommodation are available, from campsites to high-class hotels.

Special interest holidays, including cuisine and wine courses, are available.

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, September 27, 2003