Day 14 - Arles

I’m a big fan of the French Impressionists, so I couldn’t be this close to where Vincent Van Gogh painted so many of his beautiful pieces and not go see it for myself. Julie decided to stay in Avignon for the day so I took the train there myself. Super easy. Just one stop from Avignon and about a 20 minute ride. The weather so far on the entire trip has been fantastic. We had one partial day of rain in Portugal and other then that all blue sky. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier blue sky then here in Provence. It’s a cornflower blue that just is spectacular.

As many of you know I’m a big fan of Rick Steves, so I just ripped his Arles section out of my Paris book to take along. He has a great walking tour of Arles that hits all the major sites, so why attempt it on my own? While there are almost no original paintings left in town from Van Gogh, there are steel and concrete easels at a number of the places he painted in town of his famous works so you can stand where he stood and see what he saw and painted. Cool! Arles also has some of the best preserved Roman ruins dating back over 2000 years, and I wanted to see that as well. I had read that you can buy what is called the Liberty Passport at the Tourist Office or any of the major sites and it covers 4 monuments and 2 museums for 12 euros, so even if you’re only seeing two sites it is a good value.

Arles is quite a bit smaller then Avignon, so was easy to cover in a day. So here you go! Come along on my day!

The Yellow House. The actual house Van Gogh lived in was in front of this building but was bombed accidentally in 1944. But this building is also in the painting and still stands.

Roman Arena over 2,000 years old. Still in use today. A mini version of the Colosseum in Rome.

Jardin d’Ete. Looks exactly like the painting!

Cafe at Night - Cafe la Nuit today.

Top left - a street I loved, Top right - a flowery courtyard of a hospital Van Gogh was treated in that he loved to paint, Bottom left - Roman Classical Theater, Bottom right - St Trophime Cloisters.

A delicious lunch at Au Brin de Thym. I am loving their vegetarian plates in France. Black rice, roasted and fresh veggies and fruit. A taste sensation in every bite. And a delicious dessert made of meringue, whipped cream and berries. Decided if I put on a few pounds here it’s worth it!

Time to head back to Avignon. I’m so glad I got to see Arles. Now when I see a painting done by Van Gogh I will always be reminded of this day💕

The last dinner in Avignon. I love the chicken in France but this was the first time I saw it on the menu so had to get it. It’s always so moist and this was no exception. Served over garlic mashed potatoes and stuffed with mushrooms. Julie ordered it also. Magnifique!! At Le Vintage Restaurant.

Travel and especially Avignon make me so happy! That’s the Avignon Bridge in the background.

I’m trying not to be sad about having to leave Avignon, and just be grateful I got to be here. Plus we have more to explore in France! Next stop Lyon. Check back again. Au revoir🙋🏼‍♀️