On Day 3 of our trip in Provence, we headed to the quaint city of Arles. Arles had been home to Van Gogh for about 15 months during his life (1888-1889). Many consider his time in Arles as his most productive and creative time as an artist. He painted 186 paintings including Starry Night & Cafe Terrace at Night.
We walked through an outdoor market, enjoyed a delicious lunch, and walked in the footsteps of Van Gogh seeing the many sites of his paintings.
Starting our walk through Arles
Roman Coliseum
Love these quaint pedestrian-only walkways
Mediterranean olives
Lots of cheeses to choose from
And spices too
Near the market, we found a playground :)
Place de la Republique
Van Gogh's "Le Cafe le Soir"
This cafe is not the original from Van Gogh's time. The original was destroyed in WW2. Historians believe this one is within about a block of where the original cafe was located. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were there.
This cloister is part of the St. Trophime Church. This cloister was constructed during the Medieval Age. Notice the barrel vault that was common during this time.
Aidan and Colin are standing like the apostles at the corner between two different cloisters. In one direction, you see a barrel vaulted ceiling. As stated previously, this was built during the medieval period. Below, you will see another cloister. It took so long to build that this cloister was built in a completely different style. Notice the pointed arches of the Gothic period.
Gothic cloister
Cloister courtyard
St. Trophime Church and cloister (the church dates back to the 12th c)
Shrimp a la provencale....Mmmmm!
Beef Bourguignon
A tribute to the artist
Van Gogh's "L'entree du Jardin Public"
View of what Van Gogh painted
Roman Amphitheatre of Arles
It dates back to the 1st century. Much of it is in ruins.
Concerts and other events are still performed here
The Coliseum is not far in this very walkable city
Only 2 pillars remain of the 2-story grand stage that was once part of the amphitheatre.
Love this little pop of yellow in this scene from the top of the amphitheatre
At the top :)
Notice the bowed step...wonder how many people have traveled these steps over the centuries...? (Looks like the one below it is new.)
Details
Pillars left standing from the Grand Stage
The row buildings near the Coliseum.
At the Coliseum, Arles hosts both provencal and spanish bullfights. Even the sand was still stained from the last fight. It was built during Julius Caesar's reign in 90 AD and holds 20,000 spectators.
Check out this outdoor portion of the restaurant from the picture below. Love the cafe table and the bike resting against the wall....
We would have stopped in, but it was also closed.
Van Gogh's "Le Jardin de la Maison de Sante a Arles"
View of the gardens now
Imagine living in one of these rowhouses...
Van Gogh's "La Nuit Etoilee" (Starry Night)
It wasn't night yet, but this is a view of the Rhone river that Van Gogh had
Writing postcards on the train after a day in Arles with their giant pencils!
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