1. Arles is near Nimes airport, not just Marseille
2. If you are travelling via Marseille you can take the train direct from Marseille Airport to Arles.
3. The Van Gogh Museum in Arles is not always open.
4. Going to the Office for tourism does not guarantee getting as much information as you need.
5. You need all the time you planned for and more.
6. You might not be able to get there because of strikes.
7. Despite all this it is worth the visit and if you are lucky, you just might find Vincent.
I was lucky when I arrived it was towards the end of dinner service and it was wonderful to sit in the lee of the Roman amphitheatre and just enjoy a light lunch and a glass of red wine. After that I immediately headed over to the tourist office as I wanted to go to the Camargue on the Wednesday. My researches online suggested there was a bus to where the flamingos could be seen, but when I asked about that line, did not really get a response. However, I was given a schedule for bus 10 which went to the other half of the area including the salt. I dithered all night, try and find the bus that according to online info was going to the flamingo area, but not till the afternoon, or head out early and see the salt pans. In the end the salt pans won out, partly cos it was raining, partly cos I had had a terrible night sleep and I figured just keep going and return back early and partly cos time in Senegal had introduced me to salt pans and I also thought worse come to the worse I can just stay on the bus and come back and see if there is another bus in the afternoon. The rain lashed down on the way to Saltine de Giraud so returning seemed a credible option except that not an ounce of salt had been seen, so I got out and struggled through the rain to the Tourist Office who advised me that the walk to the observation place was about 2 k away. Luckily it stopped raining whilst I pushed against the intense wind to get there, just in time to turn straight back around again to catch the bus back.
Saltine is a slightly strange place but the workers houses are interesting. So I would say it was a sort of bleak masochistic pleasure that took me there. I now know if I want to go and really see the bits I want to see of the Camargue I have to go later in the year when the bus 20 runs all day. It is only signposted on some bus stops and confusingly there is another bus 20 which runs a different route so all things considered it was probably easier to take the route 10 which I did have info for, and had I been staying longer in Arles, I would have attempted to return to the Camargue the following day, however, the train strike curtailed my visit so I only had two nights there instead of relaxing three. Once back in a pouring wet Arles, I broke up cups of coffee, by dipping into the many free photographic exhibitions, but eventually drowned returned to the warmth of my B and B.
This place was relatively close to the centre, but making my way there the first night I missed a vital bit of information and landed up wondering around lost. Sadly no one recognised the address, but a kindly soul searched for their map and sent me on my way. All done in French so that was good. One of the attractions of the walk was the sight of an interesting building site in the distance. Apparently it is a photography college or something like that.
I need to come back to Arles another time and go to the Vincent Van Gogh foundation,but the good thing about it being closed is it makes you do other things and for a small town Arles is packed with things to visit.
I returned to the Information Centre to buy their pass for 4 monuments, and two museums. I did not have the time to do all the museums, but in theory you can use the pass for a month, I in the meantime did more monuments and museums than I realised were possible in one day. Amphitheatre, baths, theatre, are all testament to the power of the Romans. They do not feature in Vincent's work, except that there is a scene and comments on the excitement in the town following attendance at the bull fight. The church cloisters, (which included another free exhibition are upstairs which is interesting and emanate peace then finally out of the rain, the Reattu Musuem. Named after an artist I had not heard of before, this is a lovely place. The works are hung really well and in an interesting and arresting way. \Lots of great light and shade and good juxtapositions. Reattu produced loads of technically good art, his uncle I think it is Raspal, also painted and his picture includes a girl who loooked very likethe daughter where I was staying. Intriguingly Wikipedia says he was born and bred in Arles but was French Indian, but nothing more.
I was lucky when I arrived it was towards the end of dinner service and it was wonderful to sit in the lee of the Roman amphitheatre and just enjoy a light lunch and a glass of red wine. After that I immediately headed over to the tourist office as I wanted to go to the Camargue on the Wednesday. My researches online suggested there was a bus to where the flamingos could be seen, but when I asked about that line, did not really get a response. However, I was given a schedule for bus 10 which went to the other half of the area including the salt. I dithered all night, try and find the bus that according to online info was going to the flamingo area, but not till the afternoon, or head out early and see the salt pans. In the end the salt pans won out, partly cos it was raining, partly cos I had had a terrible night sleep and I figured just keep going and return back early and partly cos time in Senegal had introduced me to salt pans and I also thought worse come to the worse I can just stay on the bus and come back and see if there is another bus in the afternoon. The rain lashed down on the way to Saltine de Giraud so returning seemed a credible option except that not an ounce of salt had been seen, so I got out and struggled through the rain to the Tourist Office who advised me that the walk to the observation place was about 2 k away. Luckily it stopped raining whilst I pushed against the intense wind to get there, just in time to turn straight back around again to catch the bus back.
Saltine is a slightly strange place but the workers houses are interesting. So I would say it was a sort of bleak masochistic pleasure that took me there. I now know if I want to go and really see the bits I want to see of the Camargue I have to go later in the year when the bus 20 runs all day. It is only signposted on some bus stops and confusingly there is another bus 20 which runs a different route so all things considered it was probably easier to take the route 10 which I did have info for, and had I been staying longer in Arles, I would have attempted to return to the Camargue the following day, however, the train strike curtailed my visit so I only had two nights there instead of relaxing three. Once back in a pouring wet Arles, I broke up cups of coffee, by dipping into the many free photographic exhibitions, but eventually drowned returned to the warmth of my B and B.
This place was relatively close to the centre, but making my way there the first night I missed a vital bit of information and landed up wondering around lost. Sadly no one recognised the address, but a kindly soul searched for their map and sent me on my way. All done in French so that was good. One of the attractions of the walk was the sight of an interesting building site in the distance. Apparently it is a photography college or something like that.
I need to come back to Arles another time and go to the Vincent Van Gogh foundation,but the good thing about it being closed is it makes you do other things and for a small town Arles is packed with things to visit.
I returned to the Information Centre to buy their pass for 4 monuments, and two museums. I did not have the time to do all the museums, but in theory you can use the pass for a month, I in the meantime did more monuments and museums than I realised were possible in one day. Amphitheatre, baths, theatre, are all testament to the power of the Romans. They do not feature in Vincent's work, except that there is a scene and comments on the excitement in the town following attendance at the bull fight. The church cloisters, (which included another free exhibition are upstairs which is interesting and emanate peace then finally out of the rain, the Reattu Musuem. Named after an artist I had not heard of before, this is a lovely place. The works are hung really well and in an interesting and arresting way. \Lots of great light and shade and good juxtapositions. Reattu produced loads of technically good art, his uncle I think it is Raspal, also painted and his picture includes a girl who loooked very likethe daughter where I was staying. Intriguingly Wikipedia says he was born and bred in Arles but was French Indian, but nothing more.
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