Arles

Wandering around Arles after the excitement of the Course Camarguaise was a nice way to settle the nerves. A nice pot of Rosé went to work effectively as well.

There were lots of festivities going along with the bullfights, and the central square was packed.

The cafe which Van Gogh painted so famously. It's been painted bright yellow so it looks more like the glow of lamplight at night depicted in the painting.

I've been on such a Van Gogh kick lately! I was trying to finagle a stop in nearby St Remy where he lived as well, but no such luck this trip.

The weather was beautiful and people were out partying pretty hard, with several bars on the square absolutely blasting music, and several live bands playing on the street. Not exactly relaxing as we pushed our way through the square, but it was a good fun crowd to mingle with. I'm not sure where the cutoff line geographically is, but in the south they greet each other with three cheek bises, just like they do in Switzerland. It makes it awkward when you aren't expecting that third peck.

It's a charming little town, with roman ruins integrated into the slightly more modern city. We were here a couple years ago and it was kind of a treat to be back. I'm not normally a repeat destination seeker, preferring to try and see as much as possible.

A walk along the Rhone proved a bit quieter than the area around the arena. It's a nice and windy walk, with views of the city and bits of the 2000 year old ramparts still holding things together.

The ruins of the Roman baths:

Back to Paris now, where the sunny springtime weather hasn't quite caught up and I've been begging off mediocre strawberries and asparagus at the markets. According to one farmer, his crop is a full six weeks behind where it should be, so I have to somberly eat my cabbage soup and wait a bit more before the greens come in.