Days 57-59: Arles and surrounds

Disclaimer: All voyages in this blog are being taken safely in the comfort of our imaginations - based on our plans and intentions for travel in 2020. What is reality after all?

Our initial intention was to spend a few days in Marseilles - which would have been a new destination for us - but, as we researched this and searched for appropriate accommodation, we found it difficult to find something suitable with secure car parking. So we decided that we would plan to come to Marseilles on some future trip by train, unencumbered by a vehicle.

This time, as we widened the possibilities for those few days, we decided we'd stay in Arles again.

We'd been here in 1988 and enjoyed it (apart from the midges), so re-created some of the places we'd visited, and found a few more. We were staying in a lovely garden apartment just five minutes' walk south of the main city, with easy local street parking, so we used this as a base to wander in and around Arles, and then drive further afield during the three full days we were here.

Arles and the immediate surrounds

Our first walk into Arles led us inevitably to the Roman amphitheatre, glimpsed initially down a small street:

This opened out into the roads that circled the ancient structure:

We bought a combined ticket for several of the historic places around the town, then dived in and wandered through the passages under the tiered stands:

before climbing to the top for a view over the walls and the arena:

This is still used for concerts - and famously, was once the site for Picasso to depict bullfights:

Everything is really close in this old part of the city. Nearby is the Roman or Ancient theatre:

And a short distance away, the Church of St Trophime:

The highlight of this (and we do like these) is the cloister:

with its carved pillars and capitals:

A little further away - we debated about walking to it (an hour +) or driving (10 minutes) ... and driving won out in the heat of the day - was the ruined Abbaye de Montmajour:

It loomed over the trees as we approached:

Inside, it was pleasant place to wander round, and again visit its cloisters:

A little further along, and on a minor road (and we're now glad we elected to drive!), we found the Aqueduc Romain de Barbegal. Our road cut right through it:

We parked and wandered along it for a while:

Back in Arles, it was time for some lunch in one of the lovely tree-shaded squares - the Place du Forum:

before we went to the nearby Thermes de Constantin:

We had a look round, but there's a sense that once you've seen one under-floor heating system, you've pretty much seen them all:

Wandering back towards our apartment, and passing near the St Trophime church again, we re-found one of the fascinating places we'd visited previously: the Cryptoportiques du Forum. You enter these via the town hall foyer:

We had a joint ticket with many of the other sites (Amphitheatre, Thermes, St Trophime Cloisters, Alyscamp, Ancient Theatre), so went straight on in:

We were let down a staircase into the basement:

These tunnels were built as the foundation of the Roman Forum, which extended from the present day Place du Forum to the Place de la République. It consists of three double parallel tunnels in the shape of a U:

It served for a while as a prison, and then as storage tunnels:

You can still see some of the columns and statues stored in there:

Then a walk - but not too far, to the edge of Arles, following a sign to a bridge:

We recognised it, just off a minor road:

by the handy paintings we always carry with us:

The original bridge was in bad repair for many years, and was totally destroyed during the Nazi occupation - then rebuilt (so it's the 'original' - like the axe which simply has a new head and handle):

Finally, in our suburban Arles peregrinations, we returned close to our apartment to visit the Roman cemetery, the Alyscamps:

Again we were guided by our photographic record. (It had been a long day, and we were a little wearied by all this exercise - but not quite ready for a long lie-down.)

Arles and the wider surrounds - north

Another day we drove in a loop west and north, initially to the town of Nîmes. We parked and wandered into the Roman gates:

Coming in from the north of the old city, the first building we saw was the Maison Carrée ('square house):

This is an ancient Roman temple, one of the best preserved Roman temples to survive in the territory of the former Roman empire. Across the old city to the south side next, to see Nîmes' Roman Amphitheatre - possibly in slightly better state that that of Arles:

A drink nearby:

before we wandered back to our parked car, via the ruins of the Temple of Diana in the Jardin de la Fontaine:

and the Tour Magne (Great Tower) at its most northern end, at the highest point in the city:

This is the only remnant of the ancient Augustan fortifications. It was originally a dry-stone oval tower, with a maximum height of 18m and part of a rampart. It was later used to defend against the English during the Hundred Years’ War.

We then drove about a half hour north-east to the Pont du Gard. When we previously visited here (again in 1988), we were able to drive under the bridge, park right next to it, and walk across the water channel at the top - a considerably scary adventure even for our younger selves:

Now it's much more controlled. We had to park some distance away (for a largish fee) and walk there:

The road underneath it is now pedestrianised:

and while we could peer into the water channel:

the only way to do the 'top' walk is be a pre-arranged (and probably expensive) tour:

So we didn't. Onwards south east to Les Baux-de-Provence, in rugged country - the Alpilles:

This area (in Provençal: Lei Bauç de Provença) gets its name from the Provençal word bauç for a rocky spur. The discovery of aluminium ore in the area in 1821, led to this ore being named bauxite. (Trivia time.)

As we got closer, we could see the Château des Baux on a crag.

We had a quick look at the area, though there were lots of tourists here:

However, what we had come to see, and had booked for, was a look at the now disused stone quarries (carrières) nearby. In particular, we parked and visited the Carrières de Lumières:

Inside, there are vast spaces, which are a spectacle in themselves:

But what we had booked in to see, was a one-hour sound and light show spectacle:

This has laser light projections on the rough-cut walls and floors, with a music soundtrack. The current one was a show around Dali and Gaudi:

There were also some 'teasers' of other shows they had done:

some with a specific local flavour:

and others just for us:

It was quite spectacular, helped by a limited number of people allowed in for each show (which is why it is pre-booked). And not too expensive.

Back into Les Baux village itself, for a quick crepe, before we headed back to Arles:

The wider surrounds - south

Our final tour using Arles as a base, took us through the Camargue (nature area) to the sea. The first stop was at an Ornithological park at Pont de Gau:

We wandered along the tracks and had a look from viewing platforms over the swamp and lake areas:

A strange creature wondered who were were:

But what we had some to see were the flamingos:

The road went on to Saint-Maries-de-la-Mer, but a quick visit assured us that this was mainly a busy beach holiday place, which had little to attract us, so we headed back to the walled town of Aigues-Mortes: