Dear Vincent: Auvers sur Oise Part Deux

When I started planning this trip, I had originally planned to begin with Arles after I taught in Durfort. Adding London on to the trip, enabled me to add Auvers sur Oise at the beginning instead of saving it for last. I'm so happy that we visited Auvers first. I fell in love with the commune and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since we visited in early June. I would go back to France solely to visit Auvers sur Oise and spend more time there.

I had a specific plan laid out for the day but I didn't share it with David just yet. We left in search of the tourism office as I wanted to be there when it opened to get a map. On the way there, we passed Daubigny's home and gardens. A worker was unlocking the gates. We wandered down the streets taking an abundance of photos as we walked.

I close my eyes and I can see these petals...they stayed with me.

Flowers and circles led us to Vincent... We found the tourism office, loaded up with maps, brochures and trinkets (magnets and postcards for me! I would have bought more but this was only the beginning of our trip and we had miles to go...) Map in hand, we headed in search of breakfast. David really wanted a baguette. If you ever visit Auvers, do yourself a favor and go to Boulangerie du parc. I'm drooling just thinking about it now. I bought David a baguette and a couple of other things. I bought myself some beignets and a pain au chocolat (or two) and munched as we headed over to the indoor farmers market. I bought two bouquets of yellow flowers and some fruit. Off we went. 

David, "Why are you buying flowers?"

Me, "You'll see."

"Bonjour, Vincent!" A statue of Vincent carved by Ossip Zadkine greeted us.

Sunflowers led the way out of the park and through the streets. Onward.

 

"Bonjour, Daubigny!"

THE CHURCH! I made it wait...or, rather, I waited.

We walked and we walked and we walked...

 

At one point, gangs of bicyclists started to pass us. We were getting closer. The landscape changed. I saw spots that looked like his paintings.

 

David, "Where are we going?"

For some reason, I wanted to start at the end. Before the paintings. Before where he lived. Before anything else. I wanted to see where the story had supposedly ended.  I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

We walked to the right and there they were. Two brothers, side by side.

A flower for each. Without one, we wouldn't have had the other.

Their journey ended long ago but ours was just beginning and we were taking them with us.

More soon...

Related Links

The Dear Vincent Project

Vincent related posts 

Atlas Obscurba on the brothers' grave (and how you can help)

Auvers sur Oise, France
Auvers sur Oise, France Part Une
Auvers sur Oise, France Part Deux
Auvers sur Oise, France Part Trois
Auvers sur Oise, France Part Quatre aka the Flowers of Auvers