I started the day with a watercolor class. The model was the teacher’s painting of a scene from Giverny—water Lillies. It was lovely, but I finished early and dashed away with a quick “merci” when I heard that the local Christmas market had opened!
Onshore, the family was already inside the chateau. I raced past the Christmas Market (ooo!)and into the chateau. But the family had moved on to the chateau’s high tower. I had to catch up!
I used a bit of French to ask a vendor of homemade jewelry which way to the entrance to the Chateau de Guyon— she answered me in French. Très bien!
The chateau was gorgeous in a very rustic way. I was told to go upstairs and then up, up, up if I wanted to join my family in the tower. In the main room though, was just a grand piano, no stairs. Back down the grand staircase to the entrance. “Je ne comprend pas. Pardon mois, mais, où est l’entrée de la tour?” At that point, the young man walked me up the stairs, past the grand piano to a panel in the wall. Oh yes, he did know the secrets of this place. Push on the panel and voilà—a door opened and a rugged stairway appeared! “Merci beaucoup!” So up up up I went. Around a corner and at a rock-carved walkway, I saw Katie. They had just descended, without incident, 300 treacherous steps.
From there, we went into the pigeon cote, a room for 1,500 pigeons for the purpose of harvesting pigeon-poop. I kid you not! The chateau was big, built from stone, very cold, and mostly empty, but interesting. From there, we went to the Christmas market—our first ever. It’s like a giant fair with people selling spiced nuts, handmade faux fur neck warmers, ornaments, homemade earrings, and the most wonderful shadow boxes made from old-fashioned radio boxes. Very charming.
After lunch, we were back on the bus, heading for Anvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life, and perhaps his most prolific. Our tour guide, Virginia, started the talk as soon as the bus moved and an hour and a half later, I was asleep, but she was still talking. So much information about Van Gogh’s life! She was just talking about how close Vincent and Theo were and that after Vincent died, Theo only lasted another 6 months.
We went to Van Gogh’s church first, Notre Dame du Asumption. Van Gogh lost faith in God when his true love broke up with him. Van Gogh’s bug life dream was to have a wife and family. Sadly, he never achieved either. His personal discouragement became a discouragement of faith and yet still he painted the church. In the church, we saw statues of Joan d’Arc and St.Terese of Lisieux. Then off to the cemetery where we laid flowers on Vincent and Theo’s small and plain graves.
From there to Van Gogh’s room in the small hotel where he lived the last months of his life. The famous room is very small, now with just a chair. Very somber, very touching. We all walked quietly back to the bus and, now in the dark, we rode up the river to Vernon where the ship was waiting.
Dinner was A Taste of France. All the servers wore colorful berets and Paris aprons, très chic!