Today, we were both thinking of a croissant for breakfast, but we don't know any place within walking distance to get them, on a Sunday morning. So after some green tea and cereal, we set out in the car for a new town: Saint Gilles. It isn't too far, and we had been thinking about going there for over a year.
Located on a canal just west of the Petit Rhone, Saint Gilles was at one time much closer to the Mediterranean, and a very important port. The Rhone delta expanded, and eventually the canals silted up, and St. Gilles could no longer function as a port. The town is also located along an important religious pilgrimage route, to Santiago de Compestola in Spain (westbound) and Rome (eastbound).
In Saint Gilles, we found a bustling little town with locals sitting
in the cafes rather than the tourists that fill many of the cafes in
Arles. We had cafe creme and croissants, and the sun was shining. It
was market day as well. A nice little stop. We will have to return
to dig deeper into its history (after we can locate a detailed map of
the area).
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| A lovely building next to the cafe |
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| Le cafe |
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| Le marche |
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| Boats along the canal, as seen from the walkway under the bridge |
The sign below appeared to be a permanent fixture that is posted on the bridge into town. This makes me wonder exactly how often they have bull demonstrations.
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