Yesterday, we arrived at the last stop on our river cruise – Arles. This city dates back to the 7th century BC and has many Roman sites including the Arena and the Theatre. It is also known for inspiring the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh arrived in Arles in early 1888 and during his 14 month stay he created over 200 paintings and 100 drawings. It was here that he painted many of his best known works including Sunflowers, The Yellow House and Starry Night over the Rhone.
It was Saturday and the locals headed to the market to do their weekly shopping. The street was lined with stalls selling fresh produce, eggs, meat, fish and fresh breads along with a variety of clothing and housewares. There was a carrousel dating from 1900 keeping the children occupied.
A short drive from Arles, perched high on a rock, is the village of Les Baux-de-Provence. It has many troglodyte dwellings carved directly into the soft limestone rock off the Alpilles. A troglodyte is a person who lived in excavated rock shelters. It has beautiful sweeping views of the valley below. A definite must see.
Located in Fontvieille, a small village in the heart of the Alpilles, is Moulin a Huile du Mas Saint Jean, an oil mill where four generations of the Sourdon family have produced fine olive oil in a typical “mas” (a traditional Provençal farmhouse) dating from the 12th century. The property located next to the Saint Jean chapel, a building dating from the 11th century, has more than 5,000 olive trees growing in this protected area.
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