MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008

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All aboard – ship set sail at 6:45 am, heading northwest toward the Atlantic coast. The general plan is to sail each morning, stop for lunch and spend the afternoon and evening exploring towns and villages on our way to the beaches of Normandy.

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Our first exciting event of the morning was a fire drill – just to be sure that we could put on our life jackets, make it to the sundeck and find our fearless group leader. Guess now we are ready for anything.

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We did pass some nice houses along the way – this one looked like a good spot to spend a few days…

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Our first stop was not very far along – we docked at the town on Conflans, where the River Seine and the River Oise come together. Not only is this an important river town, Conflans has religious significance also; the relics of Sainte Honorine are kept at the Saint Maclou Church which is on the hill overlooking the town.

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We had a guest lecturer on impressionism to get us prepared for what we would see today and tomorrow. The Impressionist movement (first in painting and later in music) developed chiefly in France during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The word “impressionist” derived from Claude Monet’s landscape entitled ‘Impressions: soleil levant.’

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We then hopped on a bus and headed for the small village of Auvers-sur-Oise, famous for having been the subject of many painters. The town’s most famous resident was Vincent van Gogh, who stayed here for about 70 days before his death in 1890. During this time, he painted about one picture per day.

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Auvers-sur-Oise is a charming little town just for wandering about – winding, narrow streets, quaint houses, interesting architecture.

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But – Vincent van Gogh is somehow larger than life, even today. There’s a park in the center of town, with a large statue of Vincent the painter, all loaded up for a day’s work.

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Here is the town hall – in a photograph and as the subject of one of Vincent’s paintings.

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Here is the Ravoux Inn, where he lived above the storefront. The restaurant on the first floor has been preserved down to the pattern of the lace in the windows. Van Gogh painted his room, leaving behind one of his most famous works.

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The town’s church sits up on a hill overlooking the village. It was built in the 1700’s, on the site of several previous churches.

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We went up this stairway to the church, walked all around it and visited inside.

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This photo shows the church alongside of Vincent’s painting of same.

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From there, we headed still further up the hill to the wheat fields where van Gogh painted one of his final works, Wheat Field with Crows.

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Across the field is the town cemetery, where Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo are buried side by side. Vincent died July 29, 1890 after shooting himself in the chest while painting at the wheat fields; Theo lived another six months. Their grave is covered with ivy planted there by the doctor who took care of Vincent during his stay in Auvers-sur-Oise.

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Back to the ship in time for dinner, after which we had time to look around our port city, Conflans. This is the Hotel de Ville, or town hall.

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The Church of St. Maclou is up the hill (of course), dating back to the 11th century.

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Barges were an important part of life in this river town, and we were moored near an old barge that has been converted in a floating chapel. The barge chapel, named “Je Ser” (I am useful), was built in about 1919 to carry coal. It was turned into a chapel that seats about 100 people.

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In the other direction was Port St. Nicholas, a sort of floating village – dozens of old barges moored together. We were told that many of these are permanent homes for retired barge owners.

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Our ship was moored nearby – it really is a LONG boat.