Arles and the Camargue

  We split today between 2 places - the fantastic history in Arles and pure fun and beach time in the Camargue (Stes Maries)

Arles is again a slag heap of Roman ruins. An Amphitheatre, Roman baths, an arena and and number of other ancient relics litter the town. The architecture is similar but different that the arena in Nimes. It's not in great shape but a reconstruction (to the tune of 170 million Euros) is well under way. Hmmm - which do I prefer - viewing the original ruins regardless of thier condition or looking at a reconstruction....

In addition it was bombed heavily during the war and there is still evidence of this to be seen. The Rhone runs along side the town giving it a tranquil and beautiful appearance. Van Gogh lived here and painted many famous works. Included here is the cafe he painted in "Le cafe du nuit"

Here's another shot of Brigitte who left her top at home. Clearly distressed, I've had to point out that the gates to the amphitheater is no place to be topless unless she'll be pole dancing on stage later on. Even in the very liberal south of France you can only go topless on the beaches. Below are a couple "artistic" shots. Note the ring on the hand of the doorknocker on the left. Just 2 examples of the little things along the way.

 

Arle has the narrowest streets I have seen so far. Hilda took us  through these streets looking for a hotel last night and at times there is only 4-6 inches on either side of the car. (We are driving an Opel Corsa which is only slightly larger than my scooter - good thing) At one point we came to a T at the end of the road and there was no possible way of getting left or right without serious damage to the car. We had to back up 100 meters or so with 6 inches on each side of the car. No dents so far....but glad we took the insurance package. I have no idea how courier and trucks get product delivered.

And now back to Stes Maries which is famous for the Camargue horses and bulls. This ancient breed of horses are intelligent and beautiful to watch. Grey in color, (not white according to Stevie) these horses are everywhere in the Camargue which is mostly composed of the marshy delta of the Rhone river. Between the pink flamingos, grey horses and black bulls its quite the spectacle. Stevie, not surprisingly wanted to ride one of these beautiful animals. We found a stable (the road has at least 50 stables with hundreds of horses) where they agreed to do an advanced ride with a single guide rather than a group. Off she went and had the opportunity to gallop the horse numerous times. She confessed later that it was by far the fastest she had ever gone on a horse and loved it. Perfect - my daughter the daredevil.....

 

And while Stevie was riding with the wind, Brigitte, Jake and I headed for the beach. There are at least 5,000 people at the beach and while a bit crowded, it is a massive beach with room for all that and more stretching kms along the coast. No wonder Ernest Hemingway came here to "get away from it all". I'm sure at one time it was a beautiful seaside fishing village but is now a premier holiday destination for folks from all over the continent.