Last visit of the season

Today we headed down to les Saintes Maries de la Mer for the last time this year.  We rented bikes and rode along the edge of the etang (lagoon), along marsh land, and fields of taureaus (bulls) and chevals blancs (white horses).

Bulls are an important part of the culture here, and their images are everywhere.  Here are two statues that are next to the arena.

Here are two views of one street in town.

And the beach. 

Roman holiday

Today is a national holiday in France, Ascension Day.  Many, many French people were out enjoying the day, traveling by car and bike.  We opted to head to some Roman ruins that we hadn't previously seen, Glanum, just south of Saint Remy de Provence.

This archaeological site was built upon in several eras.  The Hellenistic period was the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.  The Romans took over during the reign of Augustus (63 BC to 14 AD).  The town was abandoned in 260 AD, then largely buried for centuries.

Highs and lows

Within a block of each other, we have encountered the spectacular vaulted ceilings of Eglise St. Trophime, and a prison where justice was meted out in the 13th century, adjacent to the city hall.

St. Trophime ceiling

Another angle of St. Trophime's ceiling

The prison

The proximity of these two buildings isn't that surprising, but when the front doors were open yesterday, we walked inside, and discovered a dungeon that was used to hold Arlesiennes before they were shipped off to Nazi death camps.  That was very sobering.

The dungeon

Art!

Today we toured the current exhibition at the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles.  There were 5 Van Gogh paintings on site, and about 30 paintings by Niko Pirosmani, a Georgian painter of the early 20th century.

First, a few Van Gogh's.

Flying fox, 1884 (Before he came to Arles)

Madame Ginoux, 1890 (A frequent subject and classic Arlesienne, Painted after his time in Arles)

And now, a selection of Pirosmani's.

The Caretaker

Physician on Donkey

Sanglier (wild boar)

Tatar fruit merchant

Quite interesting art, along with a documentary film.

Memorial Day

We have lots of red poppies, the official flower of Memorial Day, blooming here right now, so I sharing some photos of them, in honor of Memorial Day.

And one war memorial, from World War I.

As it is Sunday, time for a little religion

This afternoon, we visited Eglise St-Trophime.  This church sits on the Place de la Republic in Arles.  The construction of it began around 1100.  The carved doorway was added around 1190.  It is quite an impressive structure.

Viewed from the west

View from the SW

Detail of the door

The carvings above the door, complete with angels, an especially comforting sight today

Carvings on the right side of the door

The side of the church and tower, viewed from the courtyard to the south

A day with the bulls

We have been trying to attend a Course Camarguaise (non-lethal, Camargue-style bull "races") this year.  The first one we wanted to see was cancelled, which we only learned about an hour before the event.  The second one we were considering was in an arena with a tiny capacity for audience.  Today, we drove to Salin-de-Giraud and enjoyed the event in a small arena (only 4 rows of seats).

The event was very festive, and most of the people attending it were locals.

Traditionally, Arlesiennes (women dressed in the classic style of Arles), precede the runners into the rink.

Six Arlesiennes

The Arlesiennes and the 10 runners

The runners try to remove strings and rosettes that have been affixed to the bulls horns.  We watched 3 bulls.  The runners often jumped the low wall around the arena to escape the bulls.  Today, 2 of the bulls jumped the wall.  This happens fairly often, so everyone knows what to do when the bull gets behind the wall.  Interesting experience.  No bulls were harmed. 

Countryside

Today we rode bikes about 40 km (round trip) to Mas Thibert, along the canal path.  It was overcast, and not too warm.  On the way back, we had a great time, watching European bee eaters nesting in burrows at the edge of the canal.  They are beautiful birds that look something like a kingfisher, with a rust-colored back, and blue belly.  They are colonial nesters.  The colony we saw might have had 80 or 100 birds.  We weren't able to get close enough to photograph them, but it was a treat to see so many of them.

Instead, I'm sharing a few photos of the French countryside from today.

Vineyard

Farmland

Wild roses (I think)

And our lunch in Mas Thibert: three things that Grandmere taught me when I spent the summer with her (and Bori enjoys ordering): le pain, le beurre, et la confiture.

Bori with his bike along the Rhone

An afternoon at the forum

Place du Forum, of course.  This ancient ruin isn't much more than a couple of columns, affixed to a more modern building, but the square it graces is a popular spot.

The ancient columns

The top of a column, and detail above it

The center of the square is filled with outdoor tables for the many restaurants that line the square.  We go their for cafe in the afternoon sometimes, on the end of the Place opposite the columns.

The yellow awning marks the Cafe du Nuit (the night cafe) painted by Van Gogh

Just across from the colums

The far end of the Place

I wonder what the Place was like during Roman times.