The jambon's connected to the cornichon

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Geo: 43.6767, 4.6278

Best hairdryer yet!

We started out this morning with a walk around Arles with a local guide. Very grey skies, but not raining. Our hotel is between the Classical Theater and the Roman Arena, so we started outside the Theater. It was built by the Romans in the first century B.C. and excavated during the 18th and 19th centuries. In its heyday, it was much larger than what you can see today; it could seat 10,000 people who came for plays and other spectacles. It fell into disuse and was used during the Middle Ages as a quarry for building other buildings in the city (e.g., St. Trophime church). Whereas Greek amphitheaters were built in the best spots acoustically, the Romans didn't really care. However, the acoustics in this theater were so poor, that they invented the idea of a back wall for sound to bounce off of. So you had the stage where the actors were, scenery upstage, and then the wall. Additionally, to keep spectators dry or out of the direct sun, there was a giant semi-circular awning that could be pulled up from behind the audience toward the stage. We had to guess who operated the awning and, of course, we guessed slaves. Yes; however, there were also old seamen involved because they knew all about sails and riggings.

Our local guide, Isabelle, led us to Place de la République (prior to the French Revolution it was called Place Royale) and into the lobby of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). There were two lion statues from the Middle Ages -- St. Mark is the patron saint of Arles -- and a copy of the Venus d'Arles, the original of which is in the Louvre. But the really interesting thing was the ceiling. It's a "flat" vault. I can't really describe it, except to say that it's a very shallow vault decorated to look like a maze. Actually, I couldn't tell if it was decorated like that, or it was actually the position of the stones that made it look labyrinthine. Whichever, it was very interesting and I've not really seen anything like it before.

We went into the St. Trophime church. It has an amazing Romanesque entrance but, unfortunately, just three days ago scaffolding went up in order to fix some previously and poorly repaired masonry. We could see just enough to regret our timing. The interior is very dark because there are no windows, and it's full of side chapels with saints' relics. As you walk farther into the church, it suddenly turns Gothic, and there is light coming through the clerestory. It's definitely the prettier section of the church, but the Romanesque part feels ... I don't know. Holier?

Forum Square is where the Roman Forum used to be, though it was situated on an east-west axis. Now it's north-south. It's where Vincent van Gogh painted the Café la Nuit. The café is still there and something of a tourist trap according to Isabelle. For one thing, the owners have painted it a bright yellow to match the painting. However, the only reason van Gogh painted the exterior that color was because it was lit by gas lamps, giving it a soft yellow glow. Also in the square are two columns from the Roman Forum, which today support the north wall of a hotel.

We briefly went to the Espace van Gogh, which is a lovely courtyard and garden (and some exhibition spaces) in the old Hôtel Dieu. "Hôtel Dieu" was a common name for a hospital, and this particular one was built in 1573 and used right up until the 1980s. After a terrible argument with Paul Gauguin, during which Vincent somehow managed to lose his earlobe, he was taken to the Hôtel Dieu. His doctor decided Vincent should be on a sort of day release program, but eventually he advised the troubled artist to seek help at the mental hospital in St. Rémy. Vincent checked himself in in 1889 and stayed for roughly a year. It did him a world of good (probably because he couldn't drink himself silly on absinthe), but in the spring of 1890, after he had been out of the hospital for some time, he walked into a field and shot himself. He died two days later.

Our walking tour ended at the Roman Arena, built 1,000 years ago. It's a lot like the Colosseum in Rome, but a little more intimate. The usual Roman entertainments took place there: chariot races, gladiator matches, wrestling, fights between exotic animals, executions via lion. We saw a little lion creeping around. In fact, it strolled into the sandy ring and proceeded to have a little poo. Best sandbox ever!

Now they have the occasional rock concert -- both Sting and Elton John have played there -- as well as both bullfights and bull games. Bullfights are what you think they are: there's a matador, and his job is to kill the bull. Bull games are different. There are black bulls from the Camargue region (they look a lot different from the big Spanish bulls) and there are contestants. The bulls' horns are decorated with ribbons, and on top of their heads is a cockade. The contestants have little hooks, and the object is to try to remove the ribbons and the cockade. Successful contestants receive prizes, with the cockade bringing the biggest reward. The bull usually wins because, believe it or not, it's not easy to remove a ribbon from a running bull!

When the walk was over, I went back to the Espace van Gogh to do a little bit of shopping, and then I returned to the hotel to get some lunch. They have counter service, and I got a sandwich Parisien (jambon, butter and cornichons on really good bread), which I ate in the very pleasant courtyard.

We had been given a museums-and-monuments pass earlier, so I eventually went back out to see the Réattu Museum. It's housed in the former Grand Priory of the Knights of Malta. One wing contains mostly Neoclassical art (mostly by Jacques Réattu) and a little bit of modern art. They've got a roomful of Picasso drawings, as well as one of his paintings (donated by Pablo himself). The other wing contained an exhibition of photos by Lucien Clergue, who seems to have enjoyed photographing nudes, sand, and nudes in sand. Apart from the Picasso room and a few other pieces, the building was far more interesting than its contents.

The Baths of Constantine were half a block away so I figured I might as well see them. They're mostly ruins, but you can still see fine examples of the hypocaust system and an intact semi-arch.
On the way back to the hotel I decided to go inside the Classical Theater. Turns out that seeing it from outside is nearly as good as seeing it from inside. I climbed up to the nosebleed seats and looked out the back. Our hotel was right there, and the Roman Arena just to the left. Talk about a great location! It started to rain hard enough for me to put up my umbrella, so I went back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

At some point, I also saw the Cloister of St. Trophime, and the Cryptoporticos, underground arches that the Romans built to support the upper end of Forum Square. Most of the arches were at or above street level 2,000 years ago. It's creepy and pretty drippy.

When I went out again, I saw Vicki and Stan sitting with a man with a dog. I walked around the block to see what there was to eat, and came back to Vicki and Stan. Vicki told me that the man was selling postcards that he had painted. He lived just down the road, so many of the cards were scenes of the immediate area. He was awfully sweet, as was his dog, and the postcards were rather nice, so I bought one. I asked him if he would sign it, and here's what he wrote, slowly and carefully (in French, naturellement): "Best memories of Arles to Teresa. Marin Patrick - 30 September 2014." Not exactly earth-shattering, I suppose, but he was just so nice, and he was really happy that I understood what he was talking about when he couldn't find the right English words. Plus, his dog was soft.

Around the corner was one of the restaurants recommended in Rick Steves' book, Le Grillon, so I went there. Nancy and John were already there, and after a bit George and Luvina came in as well. As I was finishing up, Steve and Lynel arrived. So, basically, one quarter of the group showed up. I had a tartine (open-faced sandwich that's a bit like a pizza) with jambon, Gruyere, and olives, and a beer. Yummy.

Now I have to try to repack my suitcase because it's getting a bit out of hand. It's truly time now for the expansion zipper!

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Photos

Fountain
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a swan or a serpent.

Detail from a painting by Antoine Raspal
Reattu Museum

Constantine's Baths
Good view of the hypocaust.