Dear Vincent: Auvers sur Oise Part Quatre The Flowers of Auvers
I began this story with a nightmare and the dream that I had been shot. It woke me up and upset me so much that I told David. Then, I got out of bed and was so busy exploring Auvers sur Oise that I forgot about it completely until later that evening.
Later in the day, we found out that we had no electricity so I texted Hélène and Jean-François. They were always very prompt in responding and told us, "I will be right over."
A few minutes later, someone knocked on our door. I thought that we had been talking to Hélène via text but it turned out that Jean-François had grown up in North Hollywood until he was 12 and that his English was a little rusty (it wasn't at all.) We started talking. (It turns out that he had accidentally turned our power off when he arrived to check on a few things.)
He told us that his family then moved here. He worked in internal revenue until early 2000's. His wife had inherited some money from her grandmother but didn't want to put it in the bank. This place was falling apart and had been owned by the same family for 500 years. The original family still owns part of the homes in back. The couple bought it and fixed it up.
In the early 2000s, a book called Van Gogh: the Life was written by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.
In the back of the book is an appendix. I have the book but have NOT finished it. This is also important.
When the book was released, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam went NUTS.
The story has always been that Van Gogh killed himself in a field.
The book, Van Gogh: The Life said that he did not commit suicide but that he was accidentally murdered by a teenage boy and a pistol....
And that the accidental murder had taken place where we were staying and that the teenage boy lived on that property.
I. Had. No. Idea. When. I. booked. The. Inn. I used VRBO for the first time and went directly through their site instead of booking through the gites' actual site.
I'm not one for believing weird stories but this one is bizarre and I had to share. Take from it what you want or shake your head (I am still shaking my head over how completely and truly surreal this was.)
You can see the 60 Minutes interview with Jean-François here.
Connections were definitely made in Auvers sur Oise. I have been dreaming about going back since we left early that Monday morning. Until then, I will hold fast to those memories until I can walk those streets again in the footsteps of artists who came before me.
I hope that you have enjoyed what I've shared so far. Coming next, Toulouse and Durfort, France!
In the back of the book is an appendix. I have the book but have NOT finished it. This is also important.
When the book was released, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam went NUTS.
The story has always been that Van Gogh killed himself in a field.
The book, Van Gogh: The Life said that he did not commit suicide but that he was accidentally murdered by a teenage boy and a pistol....
And that the accidental murder had taken place where we were staying and that the teenage boy lived on that property.
I. Had. No. Idea. When. I. booked. The. Inn. I used VRBO for the first time and went directly through their site instead of booking through the gites' actual site.
I'm not one for believing weird stories but this one is bizarre and I had to share. Take from it what you want or shake your head (I am still shaking my head over how completely and truly surreal this was.)
You can see the 60 Minutes interview with Jean-François here.
Connections were definitely made in Auvers sur Oise. I have been dreaming about going back since we left early that Monday morning. Until then, I will hold fast to those memories until I can walk those streets again in the footsteps of artists who came before me.
I hope that you have enjoyed what I've shared so far. Coming next, Toulouse and Durfort, France!
Gites de France Les Tournesols Auvers sur oise
Atlas Obscurba on the brothers' grave (and how you can help)
Van Gogh Route
Auvers sur Oise Tourism
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
Comments
Joëlle