Something old, something new

Today, we parted ways with Volvo, after a series of at least 4 Cross Countries, over 25 years, and 9 years with the latest.

Good bye Volvo

And after trying on a bunch of hybrids at 6 or 7 dealerships locally and in Eugene, we moved into a Toyota Camry.

Hello Camry

Hi Ho Silver.  Away!

Exit walking

Arles is a great place to walk around.  Many people walk into town from the train station, pulling their roll-aboard bags or wearing backpacks.  Over the last few years, many of the streets have been torn up and replaced with a type of cobblestones, and electronic pylons have been installed in many roads that provide access inside the old city.  There is definitely less car traffic, which makes walking safer.

This is what the city looks like near the newly-restored gates of the city.  I walked there this afternoon.

Looking out the gates

Looking in from near the gates

The Roman arena peeking out at the end of the road

We head to Paris tomorrow.  Au revoir Arles!

A final art show in Arles

Van Gogh and the Stars is the exhibit that just opened here at the Fondation Vicent Van Gogh.  The centerpiece of this show is the Starry Night painting which was painted by Van Gogh, in 1888, looking out over the Rhone River, just a few meters from where it is currently displayed.  It is on loan from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. Lovely piece.

The works of other artists who connected to the stars in various ways were presented as well.

On the way to Tuonela (1888-1894) by 
Akeseli Gallen-Kallela, the most famous Finnish artist

Meeting the Stars (1982) by 
Frederic Bruly Bouabre, an Ivory Coast artist

Self-portrait (2021) by
Smith, a French artist who had a fragment of a meteorite planted under his skin
in 2017 to be "a child of the stars"

Samedi

Saturday is usually dominated by being the big market day.  But today, once the market cleared out, all kinds of other things were happening.

I was walking through the Place de la République and noticed that lots of people seemed to be quite dressed up.  As the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and a huge church open onto the Place, we have occasionally seen wedding parties there.

Today, after hearing a cheer, I watched the young bride and groom come out of City Hall and pose for photos.

As I turned around, I discovered a different generation that was all dressed up: older people in Arlesian dress from the 19th century.  Men in top hats and tails and women in their long skirts.

We are leaving soon, and I will definitely miss the eclectic mix of sights on my walks here.