Lily was sweaty and tired after a day of sightseeing. Paris was amazing, but it was hot. Lily and her parents had been to the Eiffel Tower. They had picked out macarons from a colorful glass case and eaten them next to the river. Now they were in a museum.

It was slightly cooler inside, but Lily felt bored. There were so many people. Lily could barely see the paintings as she stood behind the crowds. They didn’t look all that impressive to her.

“Look!” said her mother. “It’s Monet’s Water Lilies!”

“What?” asked Lily.

“These paintings inspired your name,” explained her mother. “Aren’t they beautiful? Dad and I saw them on our honeymoon here and I’ve never forgotten them.”

“Oh,” said Lily. She tried to be appreciative, but they didn’t really look all that great to her. She could hardly see them above the heads of the people in front.

“Ok,” said her father. “I know where we are going tomorrow!”

“Another museum?” asked Lily. She hoped not. She’d had more fun sitting by the river.

The next day they got on a train. An hour later they stepped off in Giverny. They boarded a shuttle bus, and when they got off they walked into a wonderland. “Bienvenue!” said a tour guide. “Welcome to Claude Monet’s gardens."

Lily and her parents first walked through the flower garden in front of the house. The guide explained that Monet did not like organized gardens. He planted flowers by their colors and let them grow free. Lily was enchanted. The flowers were wild and lovely. Their colors were so pretty. Lily understood why Monet liked his garden this way, and why it inspired him to paint.

Across the road, Lily and her parents encountered the water garden. Here were the famous water lilies. The guide said that the neighbors didn’t like it when Monet dug this pond in 1893. They were afraid that his strange plants would poison the water.

The plants did not poison the water. Instead they inspired Monet to create what may be his most famous series of paintings. The paintings that Lily was named for.

Seeing the gardens brought the art to life for Lily. She walked across the Japanese bridge and signed happily as a breeze ruffled her hair. She snapped a photo to remember the moment and to be thankful for her name.