Galentine's Day

With my backpack, big coat, and boots (of course), I met my Galentine Kristin at the train station and we boarded the train going north. We were off to Auvers-sur-Oise! To the land of Vincent van Gogh and cobblestone streets. It took less than an hour to arrive at the station we were getting off at, which was nice. As we got off the bus (that we had transferred onto), we realized that we were in the middle of nowhere. There was a small town near the station, but we were a ways away from our hotel and Auvers-sur-Oise. According to googlemaps, we were only a short walk away from our hotel. Let's walk! It seemed like a good idea at the time, little did we know that we would be let through muddy paths and fields.

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After a not-so-short trek through the rain and mud, we finally made it to our hotel. Being outside of Paris meant our French would be put to the test, as not many people spoke English in the town. We were physically and mentally enhausted after the day we had, but we were excited to see the village so we spruced up and headed there.

We arrived in the villiage and our trek was immediately rewarded. Auvers-sur-Oise is such a lovely, quaint, and historic town. I was in love! This was the first out-of-Paris I experience I had so it was very cool to see the contrast. It had such small roads, mostly cobblestone, with old stone buildings and cast iron fences. It was a little chilly, but the weather was perfect for a picturesque view of the town. The sky was looming with grey clouds, but allowed streaks of sunlight to peak through, creating a beautiful backdrop. The simplicity of our day astounds me because it was truly amazing and unforgettable. Meandering through the winding, hilly cobblestone streets was wonderful.

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We also got a chance to visit the famous sites of Auvers-sur-Oise... made famous by Vincent Van Gogh himself! Some of the cool places included his grave, his house, and the church that he painted. Everything was so beautiful. His grave was beautifully decorated, and very unique compared to the others in the cemetary. He was lain next to his brother, both covered in green leaves. I stood at the foot of his grave and was amazed to think that I was standing there, gazing at his influential name. On the way back down the hill, we stumbled upon the church that he painted, with a replica of the painting outside of it. It was so cool to see the contrast between the colorful strokes of the painting and the dark stone of the church.

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It was a very brief trip but it was a wonderful oportunity to experience a small town outside of Paris. Truly a very French experience. It felt as though I had stepped into one of Van Gogh's paintings. The colors were so vivid and the angles and details were distinct. Perhaps if I stayed there long enough I would have become another stroke of color in Van Gogh's vision...

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