€2 Trip: Arles, France

Gallo-Roman ruins, Van Gogh, and French Donuts: 3 prominent themes of today's €2 day trip to charming Arles, France. Even with our diverse group, this village had something for everyone. Here's a closer look:

Arles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nestled between two branches of the Rhône River, that dates back to the 7th-century BC Gallo-Roman era. In retrospect, I feel like the city is one of the most history and culture-rich areas that I've visited thus far. Also, it's one of the easiest to get to using the insanely inexpensive Ticket Treize bus program.

We had a little issue with the scale of our map, which was about the size of the city itself, thinking that only the major streets were represented. Therefore, we ended up walking the town forwards and backwards a few times. C'est la vie! We got to know Arles pretty intimately with this non-method, and ran into some very interesting things par hazard.

Firstly, because it was market day, we explored the diverse tables and stands. Even with the "staple" market items that characterize our region, (bright ceramics, herbs/lavender, tablecloths/linens, olives, cheese, honey, etc.) I am always shocked to see what "international fare" pops up. This time, it was rich, cakey donuts. I indulged myself with a chocolate hazelnut one...

To everyone's delight, L'espace Van-Gogh was right around the corner. The site is the hospital that Van Gogh stayed in December 1888, after his ear incident, and again in January 1889. He stayed in Arles for only 14 months; impressively, he created over 200 tableaux during this period, including The Yellow House, Café Terrace at Night, and my favorite Starry Night Over the Rhône.

At the hospital itself, he painted Garden of the Hospital in Arles, and Portrait of Doctor Félix Ray, among others.

The courtyard's bright yellow arches and bright flowers seemed so familiar. The only thing that had really changed is the size of the trio of bushed in the foreground of the above painting.

Also, the perspective was difficult to reproduce due to the fact that Van Gogh painted Garden of the Hospital in Arles from the upstairs balcony.

We stumbled upon this ancient Gallo-Roman aqueduct not too far down the road. I say stumbled because we had little to no clue where we were going! I was impressed by how carefully each stone had been fit together, and how moss has overtime taken up residence between them.

The Cemetière Centrale was my favorite random find. I could have spent hours wandering the isles of above-ground tombs, some dating back to the 1786, and many from the Great War era. 

Each grave is still decorated with live plants, statuettes, and plaques engraved with loving sentiments. I was especially fond of the photographic cameos that give life back to whomever lies encased in stone there. For a dedicated photo-rich post of what I found there, click here.

Arles is plenty small to navigate in just a few hours, but it easily merits an entire day or more. There are so many special places to have a look at, including this lookout point over the city's ample tiled rooftops.

Something I've learned in Europe is to never deny yourself the chance to explore a church, no matter how small. It's impressive the passion and care the religious will put into creating and maintaining a house of the Lord. If the cloisters or sanctuaries are open, it's worth a look!

Inside L'eglise Notre Dame de la Major, the most detail-oriented crèche I have ever seen. From candle light in the windows, to water in the olive oil mill, to a fire in the blacksmith's hearth, the craftsmanship was tip-top. Not to mention it was gigantic. Again, NEVER walk away from an open church! 

You may be surprised at the feelings that rise up in a 12th-century building, period.

The two-tiered Roman amphitheater of Arles is big enough to seat 20,000 and was built around 90 A.D.

It's still used today for bull fights and concerts, so the bleachers have been restored. But, as you can see, a lot of the original stone rests in its natural state. The building features an impressive 120 arches.

I didn't pay to go in, but one of our history buffs went inside and loved it. From chariot races to bloody battles for sport, the terrain has seen a lot of action!

Could you imaging living across from such an impressive structure? The mix of residential and historical buildings lined up on its winding hilly roads give Arles a unique ambiance that I haven't felt anywhere else.

Isn't it magical?

Not to mention, I'm a sucker for any building with colored shutters, of which there were plenty at every turn. Arles is a definite must-see village.

In the main square, La Place de la Rébublique, rests La Cathédrale Saint-Trophime. I LOVE this building. It's front entrance tells the story of the apocalypse in the form of Romanesque carvings, and it's red wooded doors are scrolled over with wrought iron braces. Craftsmanship like this simple hasn't existed since the early 12th century when this masterpiece was built...

As we wound town from our little jaunt, having seen everything we had planned to, and more, we stopped by the café that Van Gogh had painted multiple times in tableaux such as Café Terrace at Night, and Night Café. So he wasn't that creative with names...

Unfortunately, it was closed, so we settled for the one next door.

Then we ambled down to the Rhône River, not far from where Van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhône.

Though it wasn't night time, I can see what drew him to it.

It was absolutely serene. 

As you can tell, I had a lovely experience in Arles. I hope you enjoyed exploring it a bit with me!

Thanks for reading.