Auvers sur Oise and Van Gogh

12 April 2008

Well, we set out today bright and early to go to Auvers sur Oise. In fact, we were so bright and early we wound up waiting an hour before our train left. The trip itself was uneventful, taking about 45 minutes through some very attractive countryside.

It was interesting that although neither of us had ever been to Auvers sur Oise, there was a certain deja vu; a sense of familiarity. We had seen many of the buildings and views in the work of Van Gogh; some of the houses, the church, the town hall, a flight of stairs, etc. As soon as you step off the train, there is the church just up the hill.

Considering the popularity of Van Gogh and the fact that this was a special train we were surprised at how few people took advantage of the day. And it was a lovely day. The rain that threatened never materialised and the Irises were in full bloom almost everywhere. There is very little of tourism in the village although sites are well marked and easy to get to. Nonetheless, there were no toys of Van Gogh with a rocking head and a missing ear nor were there huge bunches of fake Irises . Indeed, the momentos were largely books and reproductions of pictures; some of them extremely well done.

The highlights for us were visiting the church and the graves of Vincent and Theo. The graves were very simple and completely overgrown with ivy except for the headstones which were clear and easy to read. Also very moving was a visit to the Ravoux Inn. It was here that Vincent lived and died in a tiny attic room lit only by a tiny skylight. The Van Gogh Institute which is privately funded has done a brilliant job of restoration and is currently working toward getting one of his Auvers canvasses to hang in the room where it would have dried.

The Inn itself has been faithfully restored and now looks and feels as it must have done in the 1890s. The menu consists of local dishes and family cuisine such as that Van Gogh would have known. The difference, of course, is that Van Gogh paid 3 francs 50 a day for room and board and today to have a meal at the Inn will set you back a good 50 euros (it does have its Michelin star!). Unfortunately Virginia, a great fan of Van Gogh, has decided that to have the full Auvers experience will require her to dine at the Inn the next time we are in France.

Coming back we decided not to take the direct train and made our way back to Paris on the "local" stopping at every station. It was fun watching the young people fill up the carriages, obviously heading into the Big Smoke of Paris for a Saturday night.

The Town Hall