Post by janetnj on Oct 27, 2013 15:49:18 GMT -5
Saturday I went to Auvers-sur-Oise, taking advantage of free weekend Ile de France travel with my monthly Navigo card. Plus there's a direct train on weekends.
Train left Gare du Nord around 10am. SNCF employees were handing out brochures with a map and information on the major sites paying tribute to Van Gogh. I think the town does a nice job encouraging people to visit.
Train took just over a half hour. The station is small - just one track in each direction - and the ticket booth is closed on weekends.
There's a delightful mural in the tunnel at the station
The town is small and easy to navigate. There are pictures of his paintings placed at the sites where he painted them. It adds a nice touch.
Ossip Zadine did this statue of Van Gogh in the park on the way to the town center.
I liked the rear view better.
The market isn't open on Saturday.
City Hall, which he painted.
This is the inn where he stayed - and also died. You can visit his room if you eat there, but I wasn't in the mood for a formal lunch.
Notre Dame of Auvers-sur-Oise, which I think looks spooky.
He's buried next to his brother, who also died at a young age. Vincent was 38, Theo was 39. Sad.
There was a sign by the cemetery pointing toward a path through the fields to get to the chateau. I decided to take it, rather than back track from the way I came. Plus, it gave me a chance to walk through the fields that he painted. This was the highlight of the day.
is that a menhir?
Eventually came out to the road. My feet got pretty muddy.
Found my way to the chateau. I just toured the grounds. The chateau has an audio-visual tour of the impressionists but no paintings. I figured it couldn't get better than walking the fields where Van Gogh painted. Plus a 13 euro entry fee is somewhat steep IMO. The grounds were beautiful though.
There were a few museums in town but I decided not to go in. I was so content from walking the fields I didn't think it could get better than that. I read there was an art nouveau home by Hector Guimard on the outskirts of town so decided to find it. Unfortunately it was behind a gate so it was tough to get a picture, but it looked beautiful. This was the best shot I could get.
Meandered back to the town center, enjoying the charm of the homes and gardens.
The last thing I saw was the war memorial. A reminder of how many people have lost their lives so others can be free.
This was my favorite day trip from Paris so far. It was so peaceful to walk through the fields - I can see why Van Gogh made his home there.
Train left Gare du Nord around 10am. SNCF employees were handing out brochures with a map and information on the major sites paying tribute to Van Gogh. I think the town does a nice job encouraging people to visit.
Train took just over a half hour. The station is small - just one track in each direction - and the ticket booth is closed on weekends.
There's a delightful mural in the tunnel at the station
The town is small and easy to navigate. There are pictures of his paintings placed at the sites where he painted them. It adds a nice touch.
Ossip Zadine did this statue of Van Gogh in the park on the way to the town center.
I liked the rear view better.
The market isn't open on Saturday.
City Hall, which he painted.
This is the inn where he stayed - and also died. You can visit his room if you eat there, but I wasn't in the mood for a formal lunch.
Notre Dame of Auvers-sur-Oise, which I think looks spooky.
He's buried next to his brother, who also died at a young age. Vincent was 38, Theo was 39. Sad.
There was a sign by the cemetery pointing toward a path through the fields to get to the chateau. I decided to take it, rather than back track from the way I came. Plus, it gave me a chance to walk through the fields that he painted. This was the highlight of the day.
is that a menhir?
Eventually came out to the road. My feet got pretty muddy.
Found my way to the chateau. I just toured the grounds. The chateau has an audio-visual tour of the impressionists but no paintings. I figured it couldn't get better than walking the fields where Van Gogh painted. Plus a 13 euro entry fee is somewhat steep IMO. The grounds were beautiful though.
There were a few museums in town but I decided not to go in. I was so content from walking the fields I didn't think it could get better than that. I read there was an art nouveau home by Hector Guimard on the outskirts of town so decided to find it. Unfortunately it was behind a gate so it was tough to get a picture, but it looked beautiful. This was the best shot I could get.
Meandered back to the town center, enjoying the charm of the homes and gardens.
The last thing I saw was the war memorial. A reminder of how many people have lost their lives so others can be free.
This was my favorite day trip from Paris so far. It was so peaceful to walk through the fields - I can see why Van Gogh made his home there.
Let the riot begin! LOL - 
hahahha