Blogs from Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 2

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 ... read more

We’ve been to the Camargue before but never to Arles so an obvious place to visit on this trip. According to the forecast, subsequently proved correct, this is the last day of this fantastic hot dry weather. Been very little rain here in Southern France since May. Didn’t want to waste the sunshine so took the tolled motorways all the way from Cannes to Arles so we got there quicker. It’s a lovely run, especially along the Provencal which follows the coastline but well away from it. We recognized Le Rocher de Roquebrun as we’ve stopped at Roquebrun sur Argens a couple of times. Changed motorways to L’autoroute du Soleil for a while then turned West towards Arles. Weather sure enough was glorious so once at the campsite we had a swim in the lovely big ... read more

A good sleep for our first night in the ship but we have an early start so that is a bit of a bugger. our tour to Marseille starts at 0800 so early breakfast and off. We are on the big red bus (groups broken up for ease of tour guides). Our guide speaks well so she has our attention, but as usual with tour guides, once they get the microphone in their hand they don't stop talking. Arrive in Marseille and start our walk. After about 20 steps all we get in our earpieces is heavy breathing. A bit off putting as at least 3 around us mention the fact she is almost putting the sky breathing on for us. But no, as we walk anywhere we get the huffing and puffing in our ear. ... read more

The Arles hotel we were was in the old city which dates, streets one car wide with impossible corners. We needed a code to make the street bolder disappear into the ground. The owner parks the car into an underground garage. The Hotel was build in the mid 1600, with walls one meter thick. Our room was partly below ground. The Amphi Theatres we visited are still part from the first century and Caesar August time. WE also went to the Van Gogh House where he lived till the end of his life. It was so interesting because we never knew he also did black pencil and pen drawings. The recently discovered underground city was two stairways under street level. When they worked on the Government building they discovered this whole city from around 2 B.C ... read more

This morning we had to pack up our bags again and continue on our way. We are going to miss Le Moulin des Pinchinats and our hosts Anne and Jean-Fraçois! This morning Anne served us dessert again for breakfast this time a delicious rhubarb and strawberry crumble. Bernie followed that with some muesli and yoghurt. I had upended my yoghurt onto my crumble to make sure that I ate my probiotics ... and could justify following up my breakfast dessert with a chocolate croissant. I will absolutely, positively not share an entree with Bernie at tonight for dinner! Since we travelled along the southern outskirts of Arles yesterday we thought that today's journey into Arles would be trouble-free I mean - we did a dry run yesterday, right?? Well, you would think so. We have been ... read more