Arles a City of Antiquity

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We had chosen to stay in Salon de Provence, not because of its wonderful sights, but because it was central to many of the places we wanted to visit in the region and Arles was one of them.
A quiet drive along the N113 took us into Arles where we found a convenient, free, all day carpark. A quick visit to the Tourist Office soon had us armed with maps and information about Arles. The city has a history going back to at least 1 BC and the Roman occupation. It was obviously a very important city at the time. The important sights we visited included the amphitheatre, theatre, Roman baths and the Cathedral Saint-Trophime. The region is obviously proud of its historical past and vast sums of money are being spent on restoration and preservation of these sights. The theatre and amphitheatre are well used today. The amphitheatre is used for sport and the French version of bull fighting where the bull does not get killed. It still gives us a strange feeling entering this arena knowing its past history and present day activities.
We had picked a good time to visit as the attractions were quiet and the streets easy paced, so we felt very relaxed wandering the city. There were several school groups on trips and at one stage we were confronted by a tour group on bicycles coming towards us along a narrow street. Some of the cyclists were more concerned than us and looked quite uncomfortable riding in confined places one after another.
During our trip we have often seen signs of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and once again we have seen the signs through the city of Arles. The start of our European adventure in Lyon gave us our first glimpse of the Rhone River. In Arles we were again standing on its banks. In a little under a month we shall be seeing it near its source while travelling on the Glacier Express. Both the pilgrimage route and the Rhone River have helped link our trip together and added an extra unexpected dimension to our enjoyment.

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