We quickly learned that Arles is pronounced without the “s”. It is famous because Van Gogh moved to Arles in February 1888 where he lived for about 14 months and created some of his now famous paintings. He also lived in nearby St Remy de Provence when he was in an asylum. And we soon learned Arles also has several marvelous Roman ruins.
We again selected a two hour walking tour of Arles, leaving at the decent hour of 9AM. We soon found ourselves viewing a 1st century CE Roman amphitheater that is still in use today. What is held in it is called a “Camargue bullfight (known as la course Camarguaise)” . The goal of the Camargue matador, or raseteur, is to pluck a ribbon from between the bull’s horns. The bull always survives and hopefully so does the matador! We also walked to several locations that had been immortalized by Van Gogh in some of his famous paintings.
Our local guide in Arles. They all carried these colored signs which we called “lollipops”. The color identified the tour you were on.
The remnants of the 1868 railroad bridge, Pont aux Lions’, destroyed in WWII.
Remnants of the 1868 railroad bridge destroyed during WWII.
This is the area where Van Gogh painted one of his famous paintings, Starry Night Over the Rhone.
Picture of the painting: Starry Night Over the Rhone, painted by Van Gogh in 1888.
The old protective walls of Arles.
A decorative building in Arles.
I love these old buildings.
A door in Arles.
A very old vine growing outside this home.
The Roman amphitheater in Arles.
The neighborhood outside the amphitheater.
Inside the amphitheater.
This amphitheater was used for gladiator battles.
Inside the amphitheater walkway.
The Arles amphitheater seated over 20,000 people. It was completed in 90CE and is still used today.
Explaining the “Bull Games” that are played here.
Our local tour guide explains how people often built homes in abandoned amphitheaters after the Romans left.
The Van Gogh painting showing people in the Arles amphitheater.
An interesting Arles home.
Another door in Arles.
Interesting gargoyle over the shuttered window.
The remains of a Roman theater.
A quiet small square in Arles.
The Obélisque d’Arles (“Arles Obelisk”) is a 4th-century Roman obelisk, erected in the center of the Place de la République, in front of the Arles town hall.
Inside the city hall.
The Church of St. Trophime, formerly the Arles cathedral.
Inside the Church of St. Trophime. It seems larger than when viewed from the outside.
Many women of Provence favor bright red hair!
This is the garden in the hospital Dieu in Arles, where Van Gogh stayed.
The Van Gogh painting called “Garden of the hospital in Arles”.
How to carry more than one child when using a bicycle.
Unique door knocker.
Another famous Van Gogh painting, called “Cafe Terrace at Night”.
Van Gogh 188 painting entitled “Cafe Terrace at Night”.
Cafe La Nuit, which Van Gogh frequented and painted.
Sadly the cafe is currently closed for lack of payment by the owner.
I liked the rounded tower of this building.
Statue of Frederic Mistral, the winner of 1904 Nobel Prize for Literature.
It was chilly but coffee drinkers were enjoying the sun outside of this cafe.
That vine has been here a very long time!
Many street corners have religious statues.
I could not resist buying (3 euros) some fresh strawberries at the local market while walking back to the boat.
After lunch we took an optional four hour tour to visit two small towns: Les Baux and St. Remy de Provence. As we approached the entrance of Les Baux, Yvonne said “we have been here before” to which I initially said “no way”, but as we walked further into the mountain top town I had to quickly admit we, indeed, had been there. Thinking back we visited this area as part of a Regent cruise in 2022 and obviously this delightful town was on the tour from the ship. It is a beautiful mountain village with spectacular views and delightful shops so a “revisit” was certainly welcome.
Olive trees along the roadside.
Scenery near the mountain village of Les Baux.
An abandoned fortress on a nearby hill.
The area near Les Baux.
Walking to the entrance of the town. Les Baux has a population of 289 and is considered one the the prettiest towns in southern France.
Rockery at the entrance to Les Baux.
There was originally a fortress on the top of the mountain here.
The cobblestone streets of Les Baux. It is uphill most of the way.
Another street in Les Baux.
One of many shops selling food and snacks in Les Baux.
The 12th century Romanesque chapel of St. Blaise.
The fortress ruins here.
The view overlooking the valley below.
This was a great place for a fortress as you had a commanding view of what lied below.
Another view of the valley.
The overlook in Les Baux.
The village is loaded with shops and restaurants.
12th century of St. Vincent in Les Baux.
Inside St. Vincent church.
1960 era stain glass windows by Max Ingrand and paid for by Prince Rainier of Monaco.
A local popular dessert called calisson, served at the holidays. It is made of a paste of candied fruit and ground almonds.
1974 murals by Yves Brayer inside the 17th century chapel of St. Blaise.
Ow there is a good idea on how to get fresh popcorn.
The visit to St. Remy was not as much fun as it was a larger city lacking the charm of Les Baux. It is famous because Van Gogh painted over 150 canvases while living one year at the St. Paul asylum, including the famous “Starry Night”. We all agreed we would have liked more time in Les Baux and less time in St. Remy.
Ancient Roman built in 10 BCE is all that remains of an original Greek town located here, called Glanum.
A very old Citroen. I am surprised it still runs!
A street in St. Remy.
Tempting but would not fit our decor!
Another tree lined plaza.
Views in the city.
Colorful building wall.
City square and landmark in St. Remy.
St. Remy is where the 16th century Nostradamus was born.
The birthplace of Nostradamus in St. Remy.
The 1814 fountain built to honor Nostradamus.
A shuttered window that caught my eye.
Tempting treats at a local patisserie.
These are popular, fairly expensive collectible figurines popular with people here.
Inside the St. Remy cathedral.
Treating ourselves to a crepe!
Had I seen this ahead of time I would have been tempted to have it rather than the crepe!
One last cocktail hour with Roberto entertaining us with his singing and piano playing, followed by our “last supper” on the ship, then by repacking our suitcases as we will be leaving the ship in the morning. The Rhône River cruise is about to end!
The evening dinner menu.
The small portion of pork tenderloin, pretty but would have liked more.
“Gâteau aux Noisettes”
Hazelnut and Caramel Cake, Chocolate Sauce. Tasty!
