Arles is famous for being the town where Van Gogh lived and scenes of which feature in many of his paintings. Strangely, we found very few signs of his having lived there. We stayed in an ACSI site L’Arlesienne, which boasted of a pool (closed) and hot water in the showers etc. Barely warm and the showers were effectively outdoor being placed under a high galvanised iron roof. This didn’t invite staying long in the shower!
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Anyway, there is a bakery about five minutes walk from the campsite and across the road from the boulangerie is the bus stop for the twenty minute ride into Arles. The wind had blown all night but we were spared the promised showers so we took the bus into town and enjoyed a relatively wind-free day.
At the tourist info office, we bought two passes of €15 each which entitled us to visit four museums or places of interest. After two places, we we were up on the deal so what seems like quite a heavy outlay, is actually a bargain. Because there is a lot to see in Arles. Not as much as in Aix but it is a lot smaller. There are lots of twisty, medieval streets and loads of tree lined squares, mostly surrounded by cafés.
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At one of them, nearby the Café Van Gogh (which he frequented) now closed, we had lunch of tartiflette ( potatoes, cheese, lardons and garlic) which was yummy served with a salad for €19 each plus drinks. We sat next to an elderly Canadian couple who had cycled there from Rotterdam and were cycling, on conventional i.e. not e-bikes, around France for another month or so! Puts us to shame.
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After lunch we visited the Cloister of St Triomphime. This was the first of our paid-for visits and justified, in my view, the whole of the €15 price of the ticket on its own. The Cloisters were commenced in the 12th century and completed in the 14th. As a place of contemplation they were lovely.
From the Cloisters, we went to the Amphitheatre where these days they hold bull-fights but in Roman times there were gladiatorial contests and man vs beast fights. Judging by world events, we haven’t moved much further forward. It was easy to imagine what would have been one of the last sights for some as they entered the arena!
The main Van Gogh museum that we wanted to visit was unfortunately closed for building work so we walked to the river, The Grande Rhône, to spots where apparently Vincent chose for some of his perspectives. Quite an impressive river and again, more of the narrow streets.
There was barely a mention of Van Gogh and we didn’t find a statue of him though there could of course be many of them that we missed. We saw some street art that is less Banksie and more wan*sie…….
By now, we were a little footsore so we visited the Ratteau museum, not an artist either of us has heard of and we were a little disappointed to see so few paintings by other artists, although there were a few Picassos. So I’m carping really.
Anyway, before heading back to the bus stop for the return trip to the site, we visited Roman warm baths at Thermes de Constantine. No water anymore but it was interesting, none the less. Apparently, bathing was in the nude with men and women having different nights though it was possible to have mixed bathing on certain days.
All in all, we very much enjoyed Arles. The campsite was adequate and we had another night of horrendous wind. We are going to Ispagnac about 120 miles away where we hope to be away from the mistral.
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Anyway, there is a bakery about five minutes walk from the campsite and across the road from the boulangerie is the bus stop for the twenty minute ride into Arles. The wind had blown all night but we were spared the promised showers so we took the bus into town and enjoyed a relatively wind-free day.
At the tourist info office, we bought two passes of €15 each which entitled us to visit four museums or places of interest. After two places, we we were up on the deal so what seems like quite a heavy outlay, is actually a bargain. Because there is a lot to see in Arles. Not as much as in Aix but it is a lot smaller. There are lots of twisty, medieval streets and loads of tree lined squares, mostly surrounded by cafés.
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At one of them, nearby the Café Van Gogh (which he frequented) now closed, we had lunch of tartiflette ( potatoes, cheese, lardons and garlic) which was yummy served with a salad for €19 each plus drinks. We sat next to an elderly Canadian couple who had cycled there from Rotterdam and were cycling, on conventional i.e. not e-bikes, around France for another month or so! Puts us to shame.
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After lunch we visited the Cloister of St Triomphime. This was the first of our paid-for visits and justified, in my view, the whole of the €15 price of the ticket on its own. The Cloisters were commenced in the 12th century and completed in the 14th. As a place of contemplation they were lovely.
From the Cloisters, we went to the Amphitheatre where these days they hold bull-fights but in Roman times there were gladiatorial contests and man vs beast fights. Judging by world events, we haven’t moved much further forward. It was easy to imagine what would have been one of the last sights for some as they entered the arena!
The main Van Gogh museum that we wanted to visit was unfortunately closed for building work so we walked to the river, The Grande Rhône, to spots where apparently Vincent chose for some of his perspectives. Quite an impressive river and again, more of the narrow streets.
There was barely a mention of Van Gogh and we didn’t find a statue of him though there could of course be many of them that we missed. We saw some street art that is less Banksie and more wan*sie…….
By now, we were a little footsore so we visited the Ratteau museum, not an artist either of us has heard of and we were a little disappointed to see so few paintings by other artists, although there were a few Picassos. So I’m carping really.
Anyway, before heading back to the bus stop for the return trip to the site, we visited Roman warm baths at Thermes de Constantine. No water anymore but it was interesting, none the less. Apparently, bathing was in the nude with men and women having different nights though it was possible to have mixed bathing on certain days.
All in all, we very much enjoyed Arles. The campsite was adequate and we had another night of horrendous wind. We are going to Ispagnac about 120 miles away where we hope to be away from the mistral.