In the water garden, fragrant wisteria envelops a chinoiserie bridge and water lilies unfold in the morning sun.
Birds flit among the rustling bamboo where the water garden yields to meadow.
You'll come to know why Monet spent so much of his life painting his garden. In your visit you won't be alone, but don't let the idea of crowds bother you. Squint until everything in view blurs and the people resolve into thick brushstrokes of color. And then you'll see what Monet envisioned nearly one hundred years ago. David Scott Allen photographed the visit and Mark J. Sammons bought lunch.