Floating Down the Seine-- Auvers

We arrived in Conflans at around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1st. Shortly afterwards, we boarded a coach and headed for Auvers-sur-Oise where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last few months of his life.

We were led to the Auberge Ravoux, where he rented a room for 3 francs 50 per day. We looked at his tiny room, now empty, and then trooped upstairs for a short film. After the film we were led quickly downstairs (through a sparsely stocked gift shop where I just barely had time to choose a few postcards).

We then walked up the hill to the church of Notre Dame de Auvers, then up to the wheatfields, both of which he painted often. Then we went further into the countryside and saw the cemetery where he and Theo are buried.



And then, back to the village, where we saw a very modern statue that had been created by Ossip Zadkine in 1961.




I was a little disappointed in this tour (and reminded why I prefer to explore on my own) because we rushed through everything with no real chance to stop and soak in the atmosphere.

Vincent is my favorite artist, and I would really have loved at least another hour in Auvers. But it was pretty amazing just to be there!


Photo credits: Tod Beebe


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Location:Conflans, France