We had an early start in Arles. Parking near the Rhone River at Porte de la Cavalerie, we noticed right away that four riverboats were already anchored. Kate commented how they stack up next to each other, literally attaching their gangways to the boat next to them.
We started our visit "walking in the footsteps of Van Gogh" - using Rick Steves' excellent tour. In 1888, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh spent the last two years of his life furiously painting his most brilliant paintings here in Provence. The walk includes seven "easels" marking the places he painted. We didn't make it to all of them, but did enjoy the ones we saw.
Van Gogh's Yellow House
Although the house was destroyed by a WWII bomb, it is amazing that the building and bridge behind it still remain today.
One stop we made, near the amphitheater, isn't actually an easel but a viewpoint of the Alpilles mountains far in the distance. We could clearly see three miles away to the medieval abbey of Montmajour, amazed that Van Gogh was willing to haul his easel that far in a day. Beyond the abbey the highest point we could see was the hill town of Les Baux, which was interesting because we had just spent the day there two days ago.
Arles' Roman ruins are one of the first things that attracted me to Provence. There are two major structures remaining: an amphitheater and a theater.
Arles Roman Amphitheater
"It is just like the Colosseum"--Kate
Today it hosts bullfights, plays and concerts.
The amphitheater sparked our discussions: 1) This is not a Colosseum; there is only one and it is in Rome, named after the colossal statue that once stood outside, and 2) During medieval times the stadium became a fortified town with 200 homes inside. Standing next to the small amphitheater, the concept is nearly unfathomable.
Not nearly as large as the Colosseum, the Arles Amphitheater is surrounded closely by homes and businesses.
On our way to the easel "Jarin d'Ete", we ran into the immense Arles Saturday market, and abandoned the rest of our Van Gogh tour.
Arles Saturday Market
This market definitely wins our recommendation. Not only is it huge and has a variety of everything, many prices are 25-50% less than what we had already paid. We were determined to walk to the very end of it at the Tour de l'Ecorchoir but could do without the cheap junk there along Boulevard Georges.
Incorporating markets into day trips means we can't buy dinner.
This vendor was popular probably due to his quite reasonably priced selection. In addition to cute bunnies, he sold a variety of fowl: chicken, quail, ducklings, geese, etc.
For breakfast we had a strawberry tart!
Arles' Place de la Republique
From Arles we took the road out to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the unique Camargue region. This area, Western Europe's largest river delta, is famous for its bulls, white horses and flamingos. We went to see the French town infused with Spanish influence, and sit on its sand beach.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
According to the legend, the three biblical Marys arrived here across the Mediterranean Sea - hence the town's name "Three Marys of the Sea". As the supposed burial place of St. James' mother, Mary Salome, it was once a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Eglise des Stes-Maries church
The Camargue Cross is the emblem of the church.
I thought it was cool that you can climb on the church's roof. (We didn't though.)
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer's beach
I was glad to see the area, but we won't go back. Gypsies are drawn here by its black gypsy Saint Sara; I do not like when they touch me and get into my personal space. The sea's water seemed almost stagnant: its surface was laced with sunscreen oil, a maxi pad, and bare boobs belonging to women who should be fully clothed. The latter (Greg's contribution) makes for repeated conversation, asking each other why?
Greg wasn't thrilled I asked him to turn around for this lone flamingo, sarcastically stating it was plastic. I didn't dare ask him to turn around when I spotted a flock!
Flamingos are definitely not the most interesting animals. But they are here in the wild, where they flock for the salt and to reproduce.
Wild white Camargue horse
Logistics:
- There is a lot of free (and pay) parking around Arles. If you google "Arles patrimoine mondial pdf" you should find a great map.
- The tourist office has four self-guided walking tours.
- I contacted tour guide Alice Vallat for a tour of the old roman town and Van Gogh, but decided not to commit to any time frame during our Provence stay.
- Going both in and out of Arles, our GPS wanted to take us right down the (closed) market street.
- On the road to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, there are several places that offer horseback riding.
- Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer has plenty of free parking, except the pay parking lots along the beach.
- We ate lunch at Le SanBurza, which must have had bogus reviews on Tripadvisor. Its burgers were absolutely nothing to write about. Classic (no cheese) 4 euro, plus 4 euro more for a drink and fries.
