River Cruise Diary – Arles, France

Some ‘River Cruise Diary’ this is. We’re on the fourth story and haven’t cruised a meter yet. We’ll get there. The tour manages to show you enough interesting sights before you begin floating. As noted in the last post, we’ve finally boarded a river boat…but won’t set sail until tomorrow. This allows us to wander the charming city of Arles after dinner and do it again in the morning before shoving off.

Arles is the last downstream town on the Rhone River before it branches into the delta that is the largest wetland in France. Originally an important Roman settlement, it was the center of grain production for the western part of the empire. By the 4th century, it became the capitol of Gaul and points west.

Roman Coliseum, Arles, France (21 April 2006)

The most striking building in town is the

Roman amphitheater.

Built in the 1st century, it seats 20,000.

After welcomes, safety instructions and our first meal, we had the evening to wander about the ancient streets and numerous Roman artifacts.

In the morning after a walking tour, we split up. Beck took her family to the market district in one part of town while I returned to the ancient arena of blood sports. The arena is still used today for concerts and bull fights but, being French, the contests don’t end in the death of the bull…just its exhaustion and embarrassment.

Breaking News – French Protest in Arles (22 April 2006)

The old town square had an ancient church, the Hotel de Ville and our first French protest march. Signs we couldn’t understand, flares, noise makers and angry marchers. It was nice to get the full French immersion so early on the trip.

Hotel Dieu, Arles, France (22 April 2006)

Arles and its region have always drawn artists to its color and light. Most prominent among them was Vincent van Gogh. He lived in Arles for 15 months toward the end of his life. He was artistically stimulated by the area, but his mental health was deteriorating at the time. This was where he cut off his ear and this hospital, ‘Hotel Dieu’ where he was treated, also became the subject of two paintings.

Garden of the Hospital in Arles (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh

The Last Judgement, Church of St. Trophime, Arles, France (21 April 2006)

The Church of St. Trophime is a UNESCO World Heritage property. The site has been a Christian church since the 5th century. The present church dates to the 12th century and is rather unassuming in its Romanesque simplicity. However, the tympanum of the ‘West Portal’ has one of the finest surviving sculptures of the period…the main reason for the heritage recognition. I appreciated the display more as the trip continued after seeing so many other old church sculptures that were beheaded by zealots during the Revolution.

Roman Amphitheater, Arles, France (22 April 2006)

I have a picture that is a close-up of a single sneaker on the vast floor of the arena…a simple composition of wall-to-wall dirt and this one shoe. Can’t come up with a fitting title yet, but I want to imagine one that implies the bull won that encounter.

After lunch on the boat, we started upstream toward the next stop, Avignon.