A French woman speaking Spanish - tres sexy!

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Geo: 44.0964, 4.45083

Up early to catch a train. Breakfast was included - cereal/milk, cake w/ butter and crappy watery juice. Slept on train to Arles, did nothing else. Went to Musee Reattu (art) - not very good; did not understand the French descriptions so there was no historical context for me. Also too hot to concentrate.

Had a picnic by the amphitheatre - assorted herb cheeses, pate, and bread. Tasty and cheap, but too rich and got a little gross at the end. Too cheap to buy tomatoes - would've made it much more enjoyable. Still beats McDonald's any day!

It was a great place for a picnic - shady with music (some "medieval" band). Like something from Robin Hood. The heat is inhumane. I'm glad I'm not wearing any pants. Literally! Nothing but a wife beater and sandals. Maybe I would've had more luck with Isabel that day if I wore more clothing. Then she would've heard my words better if she wasn't shrieking and covering her eyes.

Went to a park and slept for awhile to avoid the heat. After, the Musee de l'Arles antique. Neat, but nothing special. Mostly Roman ruins - I'll see lots of that in Italy. Checked into the hostel - hot again. Getting sick of this.

Hung out at the hostel a bit then off to dinner. Arles has a confusing layout so I got lost. Dinner at Le Pistou. Started with a volaille (poultry) salad. Cukes, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, lettuce, endive, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Great, but volaille needed a little more salt. Entree - bull cooked in wine sauce. Very rich, not sure if it's the bull sauce or the wine that contributed to this. It was stewed with pine nuts and served with a baked potato (w/ herb sauce) and roasted tomato. Heavenly - the wine sauce was great with bread. Massive portions.

Dessert was a delicious chocolate cake (le mi-cuit chocolat). Not too sweet. A nice delicate balance. France is worth the trip just for the food. Waitress was very pretty and spoke some Spanish. The restaurant focused on regional specialties but had a Spanish theme. I think I found the only thing sexier than a woman speaking Spanish - a woman speaking Spanish with a French accent!

I asked her if I could move the beds apart, but she only gave me a puzzled look (happens to me every time!!!)

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Photos

1.
Picnic in Arles ....

2.
... while sitting at the base of this!

3.
You can see the contrast between the areas of the Arena that have and have not been restored.

4.
It's Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise!!!! How could they be so rude to call him Cantaloupe? His head is fairly smooth ... more of a honeydew, I think.

5.
Cool sculpture, taken in a park.

6.
One more operation and Michael Jackson's nose will also be reduced to only a hole in his face. He's already whiter than the sculpture, though.

7.
Roman tiled floors on display at the museum in Arles.