Sunday was laundry day, then some exploring around my “home-base” of Arles.
Did I mention how hard it is to pronounce Arles and be understood? Remember my marathon journey to get here? My last connection was from the empty & mostly dark TGV train-station (out in the middle of nowhere, rather than in town) to a bus to Arles. At approximately 10pm after 28ish straight hours of traveling. No bus station, like I for some reason expected, just a couple of shelters. So I approach the only waiting bus, whose driver speaks little English and eventually determine that he’s heading into Avignon (which I suspected). I try to ask him where to meet the bus to Arles (when I bought my train tickets back in Frankfurt, the lady had the schedule for the bus connecting me to Arles, so I knew there was one; I just wasn’t sure where to meet it at). And I got a very blank stare. Arles is one of the major tourist destinations in the area, so I knew it had to be a matter of pronunciation (mine, that is). I think I finally got through to him by spelling it.I’m still not completely sure I can pronounce it correctly. It definitely does NOT rhyme with “are” or “our”. And don’t even think about pronouncing the ‘s’ at the end. It starts with a big “ah”, followed by the French ‘r’ which gives me so much difficulty. My current theory is to start rolling the ‘r’ from the back of my throat and following it with a breath (like an ‘h’). Needless to say, when I think that hard about it, it doesn’t come out sounding very pretty.
Anyway. Arles has a well preserved arena just like Nîmes, although not quite as large. Interestingly, Arles is restoring their arena to it’s original glory. As in, they are restoring/repairing the stone face of the arena so that it no longer looks like an ancient ruin but instead looks brand new. The picture shows a restored section adjoining an original section. I have to imagine this is causing some controversy from a historical/preservation perspective (although, at least they’re not blowing it up for a parking lot). But, when they finish it will be amazing to see a “brand new” Roman arena.
Arles also is home to the ruins of a Roman theater. To be honest, this sight was a bit of a let down. The seating area is the best preserved portion and it was off limits.More interesting is the Romanesque entrance to St. Trophime Church. Recently restored, it is easy to make out the many details of the intricate carvings that relate a medieval interpretation of Judgment Day.
Arles other claim to fame is as the home of Vincent Van Gogh for a little more than a year. Some of his most famous paintings were painted here, including the “Café Terrace at Night”. The café still exists, but you really can’t recognize it (even with it being renamed to the Van Gogh Café, just to be sure no one misses it). Arles is also where Van Gogh went nuts after an disagreement with Gauguin and cut off part of his ear in grief. Arles (and several other nearby towns) play up their Van Gogh connection strongly. But, since there aren’t any of his paintings here, the experience is mostly disappointing.
I spent 4 nights in Arles. It was quiet & comfortable. My hotel was on a tiny street in what is described as an old manor-home. My room, while thoroughly modern, overlooked a delightful little courtyard inside the hotel. I also ate well in Arles. Two of my three nights I dined at a lovely little bistrot with a chalk board menu and an extensive, local wine list. The very nice lady who served me was excellent at pairing very reasonably priced wine with whatever meal I had ordered.