Paris Days Seven – Nine: Auvers-sur-Oise, a Blogger Meetup (!!!!), and the Phantom of the Opera

Oh friends, it feels so sad to come to today – my final summary of adventures from our Paris trip.

I’ll ease myself gently out of Reflecting on a Super Fun Vacation mode by coming back tomorrow with a roundup of what everything cost.

Day Seven (Saturday)

Hooray. A day for sleeping in! We all woke up naturally – by this point we were mostly adjusted to the time change – and left our apartment in good spirits for our final day trip. We arrived at the train station ahead of schedule, so Indy requested time for car watching on Avenue Foch. He could. not. get. enough and literally asked – I think only half jokingly – Can you tie me to a bench and leave me here to watch cars all day while you go to Auvers?

Can you imagine the optics of that parental decision???!!!

Um, no. But we can spend 15 minutes looking at cars now. That seemed to appease him.

And then we were off to Auvers-sur-Oise, the last residence of Vincent van Gogh. What a delightful trip! I was surprised the kids were so enthused, but I think they appreciated the lack of crowds.

It was surreal to see so many of van Gogh’s famous paintings come to life in a town that has, in some ways, changed very little in the last 150 years. It was a quiet, sleepy Parisian town which only added to the appeal of the situation.

To start we stopped at an incredible patisserie right across the street from the train stop before heading out to see a few points of interest I had highlighted before we left for Paris.

For anyone reading here who might be going to Auvers, I’d say our only misstep was not going to the tourist information centre when we arrived to pick up a map. Scattered throughout Auvers-sur-Oise are a series of signs/paintings next to the actual location where van Gogh created that particular work.

The highlight for John was seeing Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption. He loves this painting and to stand in the very spot van Gogh would have been standing while painting the church was a profound moment.

I just got shivers looking at how closely the “today” picture mirrors what van Gogh would have seen in 1890. He painted this church about a month before his death.

With no fancy cars to see, Indy moved on to finding trees to climb.

Next we walked to see the gravestones of Vincent and his brother Theo. Theo died less than a year after Vincent in the Netherlands but his wife eventually exhumed his body and had it shipped to France so he could be buried next to his brother.

Père-Lachaise was a marked contrast to van Gogh’s tombstone. There was a single yellow flower and nothing else that would set this plot apart. The ivy blanketing the stones is from Paul Gachet’s garden; his son planted it between the gravestones so that Vincent and Theo would be united in death.

Will you look at this – the kids found yet another spot to become human statues! It is officially a family “thing”.

We walked from the cemetery toward to Château d’Auvers (in the vicinity of where van Gogh shot himself – not exactly uplifting). There is a trail that leads through a field where he painted another landscape scene. We didn’t dilly dally – despite the sunshine it was extremely windy on this trail and I was cold!

There was a small labyrinth at Château d’Auvers and Indy amused himself for longer than expected looking for – and I quote – “special rocks”.

This will obviously be more photogenic once all the shrubs and trees are green and the flower gardens are in bloom.

We wandered back to the heart of the town and stopped outside Auberge Ravoux. This was where van Gogh rented a room and it was here he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 29 July 1890…or did he? There is renewed controversy surrounding his death, with some convinced it was more likely accidental manslaughter based on surviving evidence.

The bottom level of this building is still an active restaurant; you can pay to go see the room where van Gogh boarded/died, but we were content to view the location for free from the street.

Directly across the street there was another opportunity to compare his painting vs. current reality.

We had just missed the train back to Paris, so we found a patch of sunlight and ate the sandwiches we had packed for a picnic.

We still had plenty of daylight left when we got to Paris so we took the kids to Galeries Lafayette to see the beautiful architecture (they couldn’t have cared less) and the rooftop view (about which they cared slightly more). This is one of the best – free! – panoramic views of the city.

The impressive building behind us is Palais Garnier – more about that location on our final day.

We found Belle more pizza per her request and John got a chicken sandwich. I can’t remember when or what Indy and I ate. Formal meal times mostly flew out the window this trip as we stopped wandering when we were hungry, allowing different people to request different things at different times. 

The kids were keen to have another early night (read: eat cereal in front of the TV), but first we did a little shopping. The LEGO store (John and Indy) and Sephora (Belle and I). This was Belle’s first time visiting Sephora (mine too), and it was extra fun that our first visit happened to be in Paris. I bought her lip gloss and a bottle of face serum she wanted to replenish as her main “souvenirs” from Paris. I also caved and spent $.15 on a bag because it made it all feel far more official and fun.

John and Indy picked out a LEGO set as our main family souvenir, and it is now built and awaiting a place of honour on a picture ledge we plan to hang in our family room.

After dropping the kids off at the apartment and resting for a bit, John and I walked to Trocadero to see the lights come on.

It never gets old.

It is so spectacular and magical and ALL OF THE THINGS. We enjoyed the view and then walked back to the sushi restaurant we had enjoyed the previous night…and it was closed for the Jewish Sabbath. We decided to wander for a bit and managed to happen upon an even better sushi restaurant, complete with a revolving belt. It was lots of fun and delicious. 

Day Eight (Sunday)

Our trip was winding down and, of course, that was precisely when we discovered a local patisserie that served the desserts of my dreams.

This tarte au citron was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. I do not throw that title around lightly.

Their hot chocolates and café au laits were incredible, too. The kids asked to be left back at the apartment – their loss, our gain; our time alone together talking over French patisserie was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

After picking up the kids we decided to head back to Montmarte; it was our last day with a metro pass so we wanted to make good use of our freedom!

Once we arrived we made a quick stop for hot chocolate and crepes…in view of Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Paris is so cool!

John and I didn’t eat, but the kids had nothing but glowing praise for this place.

We planned to take the funicular to the the top (included in the metro pass) but the lines were RIDICULOUS. Montmarte was extremely busy on the weekend, which made me very, very thankful we had crossed off most of our planned adventures on a weekday.

We wandered through the streets with no particular destination in mind. We bought a few souvenirs for the kids to bring home for their friends. When we came to the main art market (Place du Tertre), we ended up buying a small line drawing to add to our collection (€40). It was unique and unlike anything we own. The artist was sketching the whole time we were with him and he had personality to spare. 

I had heard glowing praise about Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It was supposed to offer incredible views of the city, have a “temple”, and two suspension bridges. Well. The view was fine, but the “temple” and bridges were cordoned off so our cross-city metro ride was mostly a waste of time. Win some, lose some. In the summer it would be a lovely place to picnic.

We headed back toward our apartment, walking the length of Champs-Élysées for the first time on our trip.

Belle and I window shopped while the boys admired cars. None of us bought anything.

Belle and I ended up heading back to get some groceries and go to a café together while the boys – and you’re not going to believe this – sat on Avenue Foch watching cars.

The kids wanted to chill in the apartment, so John and I gladly went for an evening stroll around Paris together.

IT WAS MAGIC.

M.A.G.I.C.

Our first stop was the Louvre/Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

Then we walked along the Seine all the way to the Eiffel Tower.

Eventually we ended up at the same sushi restaurant (Matsuri) we went to on Day 8. And thus ended another fantastic day of adventures.

Day Nine (Monday)

How could it possibly be our final day?

When we arrived the trip seemed to stretch so far in front of us. And now it was almost over?

Determined to squeeze the last drops of enjoyment out of our time, John and I went to get coffee and a pastry at our new favourite spot (Chez Meunier) while the kids stayed back at the apartment watching Dude Perfect. After a very leisurely stay at the café, we picked them up and walked down the opposite side of Champs (for, you guessed it, more car spotting). As we wandered we talked about the trip – Top Five Lists (rides at Disney, things you’ve seen, friends you’d want to bring to Paris, favourite things you’ve eaten here) and other interactive conversational games. We did this for HOURS. I was definitely “talked out” by the end but it helped solidify memories for the kids and is a special memory for me from the trip.

We no longer had our metro passes so we were determined to walk as much as possible and save the cost of metro tickets! We ended up in the Latin Quarter, stopped for some food…and then met up with Suzanne. As in our beloved blogging friend.

YES. I MET THAT SUZANNE (and her husband + Clara) IN PARIS!!!

We had less than an hour to hang out (but we managed to squeeze in sampling cream puffs from Odette together – we were in Paris after all), but Clara and Belle were literally linking their arms and whispering to each other a few minutes after meeting and begging for addresses so they could start pen-palling.

It was adorable.

Suzanne was every bit as lovely in person as I imagined her to be and my only regret is we didn’t have more time to hang out in Paris together!

After walking Suzanne and her crew to their next stop, we strolled along the Seine, bought a few final souvenirs, and made our way to Palais Garnier.

Of all the things we did in Paris, I consider this to be my big “splurge.” You can visit the opera house during daytime hours for a relatively low price (€40 for the whole family). But I had read that the grand staircase was always covered in crowds. Plus, since we weren’t going to Versailles, I wanted to be able to “appreciate” the opulence without a huge gaggle of tourists (of which I know I am one). In the end, we opted for an after-hours mystery tour. When the opera house closes for the day, they offer a few guided tours that take you through a near-empty Palais Garnier.

Instead of €40 we spent €104 (*gulp*) but it was worth every extra penny.

We had a very engaging tour guide (William) who talked about the history of the opera house (opened in 1875), how the legend of a phantom came to be, and then took us on an hour-long exploration of the building.

The grand staircase was everything I had hoped it would be – stunning.

We actually got to go inside Box #5 which isn’t available for rent and is designated for the “phantom”.

The interior of the private boxes were beautiful and everything was covered in red fabric – floors, walls, and furniture.

We walked back down the main staircase for a chance to sit inside the auditorium.

When we arrived at the opera house there was a big sign outside saying that there was no access to the auditorium. This is very common since it’s an active opera house and they don’t let people in during rehearsals. I knew there was always a good chance we wouldn’t get to see inside the famous spot, but I was still very bummed (they don’t announce in advance when you will/won’t be able to view the auditorim).

Turns out, that didn’t apply to the after-hours tour groups!!!!!

Hooray. It was opening night for the opera Il Viaggio, Dante and I thought of Diane frequently during this tour!

The tour guide told us many interesting facts that I can’t remember now (but I remember they were interesting!), we got to see the famous chandelier (which did fall in 1896, killing a woman in the auditorium, inspiring part of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 Le Fantôme de l’Opéra), and the whole thing was an experience I would 10/10 recommend.

Once outside we made our way to the nearest metro station and headed for our apartment to pack. What an incredible trip, with memories to last a lifetime!

What an incredible priviledge it is to be able to see the world, expose our kids to different cultures and languages, and make special memories that will be treasured by all of us for the rest of our lives.

Especially Indy, what with all those fancy car sightings…

Your turn.

• When you visit a museum or other tourist spot, do you typically book guided tours? (Palais Garnier was the only guided tour we took while in Paris.)
• How much do you think this trip cost? 9 nights + 2 travel days for four people – food, flights, transport, accommodation, activities, souvenirs. I’ll accept guesses in CAD, USD or EURO, just specify the currency in your answer (sadly, there is a big discrepancy). Whoever is closest to the actual numerical value by 8 pm AST Monday will win bragging rights AND I’ll mail them a souvenir from Nova Scotia.
• Would you have stepped on the “cursed” stair in the opera house?