Arles in a Flash, the Camargue, and the Sea

[htmb]

If there was just one town in southern France that I had to pick for a return visit it would be Arles. I'm not sure how much time we spent walking around the old town, but it had to be less than two hours. I've kicked myself repeatedly for not reading up a little bit before our visit. Arles is the kind of town I could spend a week exploring. It has a little bit of everything: gorgeous colors and light, history, architecture, Roman ruins, a major waterway, and then some.





































For some reason, I spent more time outside the church, rather than inside taking photos.

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Of course, the coliseum was more than impressive.

[bixaorellana]

Just beautiful and so interesting. I'm intrigued by the fact that we took such completely different photos inside the church. You really captured the stained glass, besides. Also, you got some good shots of the bottom part of the coliseum, whereas I think I only took one. I love all the shutters & windows in the town.

[htmb]

The narrow streets were loaded with charm.



















Properly exploring the shores of the Rhone could take many days.

[htmb]

And, then we were off to other places...

[Deleted]

You should probably not travel with madmen who whisk you around without giving you a chance to catch your breath.

[bixaorellana]

Echoing what I said above and then some.

I understand and agree with what you say in the OP about devoting time to Arles. Really, though, the way we saw it was perfect for the kind of trip we were on. That is, we got to see and truly experience a great deal of southern France without later thinking that any one place got too much attention at the expense of another.

[htmb]

Aug 15, 2016 14:21:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

You should probably not travel with madmen who whisk you around without giving you a chance to catch your breath.

Don't get me wrong. In no way was I complaining. I thought the way we did it was brilliantly planned and I'm deeply appreciative.

[htmb]

Aug 15, 2016 3:14:21 GMT bixaorellana said:

Just beautiful and so interesting. I'm intrigued by the fact that we took such completely different photos inside the church. You really captured the stained glass, besides. Also, you got some good shots of the bottom part of the coliseum, whereas I think I only took one. I love all the shutters & windows in the town.

Sorry, Bixa. I meant to respond before, and I appreciate your kind remarks. I don't remember being inside this church for very long. In fact, I barely recognize my own photos. I know I ran hot and cold when seeing churches on this trip. For some reason, I just wasn't into this one, but after reading up a bit I see I missed a lot of note. Of course, it's impossible to do it all on any type of a trip, but we did get in a good sampling.

As for the coliseum, I do remember sticking my camera lens through the fence to try and capture more close ups of the interior.

I, too, loved the shutters and windows. The doors were interesting, as well. We visited a lot of little towns and villages that, I think, I'd be done with after a day or two, but Arles looked to me like a place I could settle into for several days of exploration. If I ever consider staying somewhere in the south of France for an extended period, Arles would certainly be on my short list.

[htmb]

Zipping along to the south of Arles we entered the region of the Camargue and headed directly towards the Mediterranean.








We saw many white horses from the car windows, as well as lots of stables offering rides, but the following is the only photo I managed to get, unfortunately. I think I was too busy soaking it all in to take many photos at this point.







We eventually came to La Ville des Saintes Maries de la Mer.


The current Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer was built from the 9th to the 12th century, as a fortress and a refuge. It can be seen from 10 km away. It has a fresh water well inside, for when the villagers had to take shelter from raiders. In the 9th century, the town suffered raids from the Mediterranean Sea by the Vikings and later from the Saracens. In the 15th century, someone "discovered" the relics of Mary of Clopas and Mary Salome, who were said to have arrived there by sea (together with Mary Magdalene). The 500th anniversary of this event was celebrated in the 20th century by Pope John XXIII.

In 1720, the town was spared by the plague. During the anti-clerical fervor of the French Revolution, the church was partially destroyed and the stones recycled.

In 1838, the town was renamed Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, after the three Maries (Marys) of its catholic and local history. Shortly afterward, the pilgrimage was instituted. A narrow-gauge railway line to Arles operated from 1892 until 1953.

Source




The first things I noticed were the pale buildings built with tile roofs to reflect the sun.




The town seemed like a classic, summertime beach town. There were crowds of people, lots of restaurants, and shops selling a variety of items.

[htmb]

As Bixa mentioned in her thread, the church was not very impressive. Plus, the crowds made it more difficult to take photos.

From the same source as above,
The town is also a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies), who gather yearly for a religious festival in honor of Saint Sarah. Dark-skinned Saint Sara is said to have possibly been the Egyptian servant of the three Marys. In another version, Sara was a local woman who welcomed the three Marys on their arrival. A statue of Ste. Sarah is in the crypt of the church, which also encloses a 4th-century BC taurobolic altar once dedicated to the cult of the Indo-Iranian god Mithra.



















Here's the statue of Saint Sarah, located down in the crypt.

[htmb]

The church may not have been all that impressive on the inside, but the rooftop views were fabulous.




And there's the Med!

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We could see the Camargue spread out to the north.

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At the airport, on my way back from France, I happened to buy a magazine called GEO (August 2016 issue) that contains an article about the Camargue, along with a two page spread featuring the May 24 ritual of immersing the statue of Saint Sarah in the sea.

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We walked over to the beach where a lot of folks seemed to be enjoying the water.

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After a quick stop for baguettes...







We found ourselves back on the road.

Here's a little more of the Camargue.










As we headed in the direction of Marseilles we passed several fields of sunflowers.









It was all quite beautiful in a wild, kind of way.

[bixaorellana]

*Applause!* You really captured the visits to Arles, the Camargue, and the sea -- lovely pictures and great narrative. I just love the road pictures taken on leaving the Camargue.

[htmb]

Thank you, Bixa. Lots of lovely things to see, for sure.

[mossie]

You have really captured the essence of Provence, that strong hot sun and the blue, blue Med.

[breeze]

Your photos make Arles look very appealing.

Sometimes you can fall for a place because the day is sunny, the temperature is just right, there's a certain indolence on the streets, the trees are green and cast shade just where you need it, a silhouette makes you think of Marcello Mastroanni in a hat....

[htmb]

This is so true, breeze, and it's something I had been thinking about this morning as I posted photos from Avignon. My first trip there had been pretty awful, mostly due to the stifling heat and humidity, but my second chance turned out to be a much better experience by far.

[Deleted]

There was an interesting report about Arles on the morning news today. This week, they are holding the Olympiades of antiquity in the Roman amphitheatre (the specialist being interviewed made it very clear that it should be called an amphitheatre and not an arena, even though the city of Arles itself calls it an arena). The participants are obliged to make their own authentic costumes, protections and weapons (since weapons are involved in ancient games) -- and of course chariots. There are also theatrical excerpts, and music. And it's all free, except for the Roman food.

festival-arelate.com/site/

Here is a video of last year's event.

[htmb]

Aug 17, 2016 13:47:28 GMT kerouac2 said:

The participants are obliged to make their own authentic costumes, protections and weapons....

I think one or two of those guys are wearing depends for costumes.

From this point forward I will call it an amphitheater. This festival certainly looks more appealing to me than the Feria d'Arles.

[Deleted]

A wonderful report HTMB. Thank you.

I think Breeze's comment in reply#20 just about says it all.

[htmb]

Thanks, Casimira. I agree, though I think Marcello Mastroanni was actually part of our group.  

[Deleted]

Sept 20, 2016 22:41:07 GMT htmb said:

 I think Marcello Mastroanni was actually part of our group. 


_{Figures, 2 North American hussies, what was I thinking?}

[htmb]

       

Yep, that's us. Two femme fatales.

[lugg]

Loved reading this report its got a bit of everything, you certainly travelled wide and far this holiday.

[lugg]

Real pleasure to re read this report --(just re reading this as possibly going to have a side trip from our base in Narbonne shortly.) I need to see if its doable as a day trip Im guessing it is .