GIVERNY....Once is not enough when you visit Giverny, Monet's home and garden an hour outside of Paris. You need to see it in a variety of seasons. Claude Monet noticed the village from a train window and decided he would like to live there. And, for good reason, it is a charming village.

When Monet finally had enough money to buy a home in 1890, he moved there and worked on his splendid garden. It was the inspiration for many of his most famous paintings. Color spills onto the pathways, hangs over trellises, climbs on the walls, and floats in the water lily pond just like it does in his paintings. I felt like I was walking in one of his masterpieces -- especially when I saw the Japanese bridge -- and couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

Monet lived in Giverny until his death. He and his friends (including Cezanne, Pizzarro, Manet, and Renoir) painted in the garden, leaving the world a treasure trove of Impressionist paintings.

MARTIN