Provence Part Trois: Arles

Bonsoir encore mes amis!  I know you've all been waiting for my next post on Provence, et voila!  After losing an hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings, the group was ready to go after some cafes au lait and breakfast at the hotel.  According to my friend Olivia (my roomie for the night at our hotel) I talked in my sleep.  I did give her advance warning because I sleep talk quite a bit (and in coherent sentences too).  Apparently I was sleep talking mais en Francais.  Perhaps that is a sign that I am getting the hang of the language!  We then left the hotel for the Roman ruins in Arles.

 First stop of the day was the amphitheater!  This is Arles' version of the Colosseum in Rome.  Back in the day, this is where gladiator fights and other spectacles were shown.  Today, the amphitheater still hosts bull fights!  The next one is on Easter weekend.  The whole town dresses in traditional Arles outfits and comes to watch the spectacle.

 It still amazes me how much stuff the Romans left....

All the scaffolding is set up for the Easter bullfights.  The "stadium" can fit several thousand people!  It has many exits so that the riled up crowd can sortie easily.  During the wars in the Middle Ages, the arches were closed up to provide the citizens of Arles a stronghold.

We then walked over to the Theatre Antique.  This classical Roman theater was built in the first century B.C.  Although much of the original theater has been destroyed, there stage and seating remain.  The columns were painted and supported the two upper levels.  Like the Amphitheater, this location is still in use today for music concerts.  I would love to see a show here!

 Looking over to the audience

 Stage and two columns

People Picture! 

After snapping some pictures with people in them (to prove we were there and that we have friends), we walked back to the main square to go underground to the old Roman Forum.  The modern city of Arles was built on top of these passageways and council rooms.  Cool!

 It reminded me of the Paris Catacombs, but it was a lot less creepy.

Back in the Provencal sunshine, we stopped to admire this 12th century church.  It might not look as impressive as Notre Dame, but the stone work and sculptures surrounding the doors are stunning.  

Behind the church were the cloisters........

 Yay for another people picture!

After all our sightseeing, we were hungry for lunch!  We headed back to the restaurant where we ate the night before.  On the way we passed the Cafe Van Gogh.  After a few years in Paris, Vincent Van Gogh moved down to Provence for some sunshine, rest and relaxation.  Arles is where he did some of his best work and was inspired by the colors of Provence.  This is the cafe he painted in Le Cafe le Soir. It was cool to think that Van Gough was painting a masterpiece at the same spot I was standing.   Everything looks exactly the same.... 

Cafe Van Gough

 Le Cafe le Soir

Our restaurant in Arles!  Yummy food and great ambiance.

After lunch, we loaded back onto the bus to spend the afternoon in Avignon before heading back to Paris.  Check back tomorrow for the lowdown on Avignon!

 

** On a side note, last night I reached a milestone with my host family.  My host mom told me at dinner that I looked, "mignonne, chic, et tres parisienne".  Great success.  I was very excited!

Bisous,
Allison