Malta to Arles

---

Early wake up....awake well before the 3.20am alarm...
Transfer pickup from the hotel at 4am at the airport before 4.30am. Yay!
Booked in online so just an easy custom process through to Departures. Our flight scheduled for 6.30am to Marsielle.
Buses out to the Ryanair plane on the tarmac and into our previously alloted seats. Left in the dark and arrived 1.40hr later just after sunrise. Quick customs check through and still only carrying 'carry on' luggage which makes for an easy arrival through customs.
Outside to catch the free bus to Vittrolles Airport Gare to purchase tickets and train ride to Arles (1/2hr trip). Everything went really smoothly and arrived at Arles Gare to pick up the free circut bus to La Roquette and from there a 5-10min walk to Rue du Baret.

Our abode is three stories on a quiet pedestrian street. The building is over 600 years old and beautifully restored once again in limestone. Our host Sabine & her husband have travelled extensively and decorated it with some of their memorabilia. Sabine came and met us at the end of her day school teaching and was able to give us some history on the place. It is built ontop of roman ruins as is most of the town. The museum houses a Caesar bust and boat from Caesar's time that were both found in a preserved condition at the bottom of the Rhone (on which this little town sits). Most of Arles old town has or is being restored by their owners and it is being very tastefully done which is the french style.The Mayor has indicated money to be injected into Social & all things Cultural. Sabine referred more than once to 'since the crisis' & unfortunately this did not become clear to us.....have to find out more... Arles arena has been restored to it's original state by using the same stone that was used to build it originally. Vincent van Gogh & Claude Monet hot spots around the town where they actually painted some of their scenes....'Starry Night Over the Rhône' .... 'Bridge over the Rhone'....
Dinner on the ground floor kitchen, dining & wee lounge area. Retired to second floor lounge, tv, reading, then to bed on the third floor.....better not forget anything from ground floor!
France impression on arrival is soooo clean! There would appear to be no excuse for the rest of Europe??

Footnote to Malta: A huge case against MP's corruption was currently in court. We read that a significant journalist with a high reputation for correct reporting was killed in a bomb explosion targeted to her car & that she had been reporting on the trials.

---