Arles Well That Ends Well: Day 15 - Wandering the Streets of Arles - Hey Buddy, You're Going the Rhone Way - Rhone Source to Sea 2018 - CycleBlaze

October 18, 2018

Arles Well That Ends Well: Day 15 - Wandering the Streets of Arles

I just couldn't help myself. The cheesy pun in the journal title just made me do it.

But really, Arles is a wonderful place to end a very relaxed tour, and I can't think of a better time of the year to do it than right now.

This is a very chilled out place in October. Sure there are still columns of Vikings getting disgorged every morning from the tour boats, but you can count the boats on one hand now. I shudder to think what August would be like when the boats would be moored three abreast at the docks. But now it's October and it's great.

We did the bucket list thing right off the bat this morning and headed straight for the Roman amphitheter. We weren't the first folks there this morning like we were in Orange, but we weren't far off.

If you've been to Rome you've seen this stuff before, then the take away from Arles (or Orange, or Nimes, or Lyon ... or for that matter all the way to Hadrian's wall on the boarder of Scotland) is the extent of the reach of the Roman empire. If you've not been to Rome, well first off, go. And if you decide not to go to Rome, then come here and see what they did. You will be amazed.

Simply astounding architecture and design from 2000 years ago.

Once we had toured the amphitheater we set off for the modern era Museum of Antiquities that depicts and displays the various artifacts and treasures of Roman era Arles. However, while on the way there we checked our watch's and guess what, it was lunch time. We were right by the restaurant we ate in last night, and there was an equally intriguing but somewhat more humble family place right beside it that was just opening up for lunch. It was an absolute classic. Folding tin tables and chairs set out in front, a simple plat de jour with whatever they picked up in the market that morning, and the local neighborhood as dining companions. Simply marvelous.

Lunch consumed, we made it to the museum ... quite interesting ... and then we returned to the real life museum of the back and side streets of Arles. We more or less just wandered and took in whatever came around he next corner. I'll let the pictures describe what that was like.

To end the day, and our Rhone adventure, we dined at Chadron , a pop-up restaurant concept where guest chefs come in for a few weeks or months , ply their trade, and then move on. Right now there is a couple from Vancouver in residence, purely coincidental, but their take on the Provence pantry was a little bit of home for us ... Pacific Noethwest does France ... all-in a great day with a great finish.

Tomorrow it's the train back to Geneva, Saturday is 'logistics' day, and Sunday morning we fly home.

It's been a wonderful trip in a beautiful part of the world. We will return.

SOTD

Gogol by Chili Gonzales

.... this just has Arles coursing through it

As you may have picked up if you've been reading along ... I like cats, and there are lots of them around here.These three, a mom and two nearly grown kittens, were still wandering around in the early morning. Within a few minutes, as people started to invade their domain, they were no longer to be seen
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The arena is still in regular use. Bull fights are regularly held here, although I don't think it has nearly the following as it does in Spain
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Precision cat sitting .... my last shot of these guys before they went underground ... I found it quite exceptional how their markings were nearly identical .. rare in my view with feral cats
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... just think, is your house or place of work still going to be standing yet alone functioning 2000 years from now?
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K heading up to the upper (low rent) level of the amphithetere
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The stone work and overall symmetry of the building was astounding
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... unless you see it, and the columns of Vikings, every day .... just another day in Arles to this guy
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.... yep, still the same
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Classic blue shuters
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Never ending maintainance, even if your house is only 400 years old
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... a little sepia to add an historic feel to the roof tops of Arles
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No sepia on this, real colour and texture on the amphitheater stone work
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Nice morning sun illuminating one of the gargoyles ....
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And it want just cats inhabiting the amphitheater ... pigeons in almost every nook and crany
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love this view along the top of the amphitheater
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... and this one too ... beautiful stone work and nice morning light
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... on to the Arles street scenes ... the only thing missing is a chic lady riding this ...
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... and the scene of our timeless Provencal lunch
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... fish soup with croutons, rouille and grated cheese
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... followed by loup de mer (sea bass) with red Camargue rice and braised fennel
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the lovely lunch time restaurant
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.. just anither lively street and café in Arles
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... good luck getting your F-150 down this street
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... classic
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...and even more classic
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.... and more still
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a model of the amphitheater in the Antiquities Museum depicting how it looked and functioned. hey had a retracting roof / sun shade suspended by ropes above the arena Montreal tried this in 1976 and to this day has not got it right!
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Even to this day Roman era artifacts... some quite large, like a 25 m long boat, are still being found. This was excavated from the Rhone on 2005
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We also went to the Reattu Museum of art ... they had a fairly extensive collection of Picasso sketch's ... like this one@
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... and what's a museum in France without a crucifix sculpture .... the lighting on this one was exception IMHO
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... and I quite liked this guy
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There was photo exhibit of Tour de France ... mostly working level shots of team mechanics and the like ... however, what cyclist wouldn't recognize this look!
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many of the works were quite simple and incorporated the light to make the piece
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I really like this one ...looks like Saskatchewan
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... although the artist thinks it's Burgundy!
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a few shots of our dinner - six courses ... this was a great salad with roasted tomatoes, hazelnut humus, rice cakes, eggplant and roasted garlic
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This was a sea bass in a Kaffir lime curry sauce .... you'll have to take our word on this ... it was superb
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and another very local bottle
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...ending with a succulent lamb shoulder with braised kale and mint
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.... although I see these as one of the most ungainly vehicles ever made, and the fact they look like they are made of paper and wire hangers, they are amazingly durable and are to France what the Beetle is to Germany .... the inimitable Citroen 2CV ... the truck version (seems very odd to add that!)
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