In the footsteps of Van Gogh

A hot and sunny day! After breakfast at the Saint Victor we walked through to Saint Michel to catch the RER as we planned to visit Auvers sur Oise, where Van Gogh lived for the last few months of his life, and where he died. However there seemed to be some issues with the line so we ended up travelling via Gare du Nord on some rather slow suburban trains.

Still we arrived eventually and spent a pleasant and interesting hour or so following a recommended route through and beyond the village. The underpass at the station set the tone for the rest of the walk.

A small park almost opposite the station has the tourist office, where we picked up a useful map, and several sculptures, among them one of Van Gogh.

Just east of the park is the Auberge Ravoux, where Van Gogh lived while in Auvers. Dating back to 1876, it has preserved its 19th century décor and atmosphere. I hadn’t done my research well enough to realise that it’s possible to see the room where he stayed, and where he (probably) committed suicide, on a group tour. According to the inn’s website:

Out of superstition, “the suicide room,” a crucial space in the painter’s world, has never been rented again. This haven of peace, where “there is nothing to see… but everything to feel,” has remained untouched since 1890. Empty, it contains no relics to touch, but one can still connect with history.

Although we couldn’t see his room, we were able to pop inside the door to see the dining room set for lunch, with the table at the back that he always occupied. And outside a table was similarly laid, with a glass of wine already poured.

In recent years some have questioned whether he did indeed shoot himself; however that was the accepted cause of death at the time. Because he had died at his own hand the artist wasn’t permitted a funeral service in the village church, so that was held here at the inn.

Next door to the inn an attractive old house had a front garden appropriately planted with sunflowers, although I couldn’t find any direct link between this building and Van Gogh.

From here we climbed a road named for another famous artist who once lived here, the Rue Daubigny. This led past La Maison Rose, Charles-Francois Daubigny’s former home. Next to it is the barn he converted to serve as a studio. Today it is in use as a retreat and studio for present-day artists while the house hosts concerts and events.

A short distance up this road a footpath, Sente du Montier, branches off to the right, leading towards the fields above the village. We followed it uphill through woodland to emerge by a stone cross, the village Calvaire or Calvary.

The path then follows a ridge above the village, with fields on either side. This is where Van Gogh painted one of his most famous later works, Champ de blé aux corbeaux, Wheatfield with Crows. A sign marks the approximate spot of this field.

Another path turns off here, leading back down to the village and its church. But we continued along the Sente du Montier to the cemetery, a peaceful spot among the fields. Here Vincent Van Gogh was buried and later, next to him, his devoted brother Theo.

Having paid our respects we followed the Avenue du Cimetière down to the church, the Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption. This is another peaceful spot; we found only a few other tourists here (as indeed we had on much of the walk). The church also formed the subject of one of Van Gogh’s later paintings, L’église d’Auvers-sur-Oise, vue du chevet (The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, view from the Chevet).

The church was built mainly in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. I found it very atmospheric, and especially liked the stained-glass windows.

There was an art exhibition with modern paintings hung between the arches either side of the nave, one reminding us very much (we assumed deliberately) of Munch’s The Scream.

From the church it was only a few metres down a side road to the main one running through the village centre. We detoured for lunch in one of several restaurants. We had a good meal, although if we’d known to book ahead we could have eaten in the Auberge Ravoux.

We then retraced our steps along the main road back past the station to a small patch of garden with an area of vines near the railway tracks. This commemorates the region’s wine producing history, with a sculpture of Bacchus in honour of Le Pressoir Auversois, a local association aimed at promoting knowledge and appreciation of winemaking.

A sign here shows another Van Gogh painting, Vue d’Auvers (vigne et maisons), that is, View of Auvers (vines and houses). However this wasn’t actually painted at this spot, as it apparently shows houses to the west of the village.

We finished our explorations of Auvers with a stop on the banks of the Oise. On this sunny Sunday there were plenty of locals out enjoying swimming, boating and picnicking there.

But we had time for just a few photos before we had to catch our train back to Paris.It would have been good to have had longer, to be able to go in one or two of the museums perhaps, but we wanted to get back in good time to cool off before dinner.

We stopped off for ice creams on the way back to the apartment. In the evening we had dinner reservations at Le Reminet, a well-reviewed restaurant a stone's throw from the Seine. We had a drink first on the terrace of a lively bar opposite on the Quai de Montebello.

The restaurant was small and friendly, albeit slightly cosy for such a warm evening. My starter, which Chris also had, was tomato tartare with burrata ice cream - unusual and very refreshing. But my main dish, cod with ratatouille, was under-seasoned and underwhelming, as was Chris’s veal. They redeemed themselves with a delicious poached peach dessert, served with lemon basil sorbet. And the wines we drank were also excellent, so a mixed bag overall.

Tomato tartare with burrata ice cream

After the meal we walked along the river to the Pont au Double, a pedestrian bridge which leads to Notre Dame on the Île de la Cité. There was a glorious sunset, and we also enjoyed watching some skaters who had gathered here.

We rounded off the evening, and our Paris trip, with a drink on the terrace of one of the brasserie near our Metro stop.

The next morning we had plenty of time for breakfast and packing, checking out of the apartment at 10.00. We made our way to the Gare du Nord from where our train departed on time.

We arrived at St Pancras on time but our journey home from there was complicated by a Tube strike. However we were able to take Thameslink to Farringdon and from there the Elizabeth line (which thankfully WAS running) to Ealing Broadway. A short bus ride from there and we were home at last!