Arles Saturday Market

Having arrived in Arles last Saturday, after the market had closed for the day, we had no idea of what to expect.  All the guide books suggest that the market is worth seeing.  So we headed down to it, and found a major road was essentially closed and all the sidewalks and some of the roadway were taken up by vendor stalls.  Food seemed to be on the west side of the road, and everything else was on the east side.  Rather amazing collection of goods.  Many beautiful displays of food, and locals were doing their shopping.

Chateauneuf-du-pape

Traveling through the south of France we have encountered lots of vineyards.  However, the most impressive collection of vineyards and wineries that we have seen was in Chateauneuf-du-pape.  The ruins of the pope’s summer residence (from the period of the Avignon popes) are quite impressive.  The chateau sits atop a hill, with cooling breezes blasting through the windows this time of year.

Approaching the chateau from the north

Looking south at the ruins

The view from a chateau window

The chateau from the south

The entrance to the papal caves is to the left of the barrel

Inside the cave, the big vat to the right was for crushing, and the smaller vat collected the juice.  The wine was stored in amphorae.

The vineyards are extensive in virtually every direction.  To capture the sun’s warmth, and improve the microclimate of the vineyards, stones cover the vineyard floors.

Stones on the vineyard

View to the west

View to the south, towards Avignon

View to the east

Orange

We traveled north following a route determined by our GPS -- that was a little weird, on some tiny country roads, but eventually we hit the road to Orange.  The Roman theater in Orange is one of only 3 Roman theaters still standing in the world.  It is quite amazing in size.

After we left the theater, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe which the Romans erected on the Via Agrippa in the 1st century AD.  The carvings reflect Roman soldiers and their 49 BC victory over the chained, naked Gauls.

La Sorgue

We headed north to investigate a canoe trip down the Sorgue River.  We started at the end of the canoe run, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and then headed up to the source of the river in Fontaine-de-Vaulcluse.

The Sorgue was used for hydro-power with water wheels that powered silk factories in L'Iles-sur-la-Sorgue.  We visited several of them.

The source of the river is a deep blue spring.  Quite a beautiful site.

Aigues-Mortes

Yesterday we visited the ancient walled city of Aigues-Mortes, at the western edge of the Camargue.  The walls are in great shape, and the city is a refined place, with narrow, largely cobblestone roads.  They are celebrating the 800th anniversary of Saint Louis.  Some of the Crusades were launched from here, and as a result, some shops sell Crusade-themed memorabilia, along with much more traditional items.

The south east corner of the walled city

The south wall of the city

Saint Louis

One of the main shopping streets

Just inside the east wall

A shield displayed above one of the gate arches on the east wall

A nice sidewalk cafe on the St. Louis Square

Saint Trophime -- Eglise & Cloitre

In ancient Arles, the St. Trophime church and cloister, stone buildings that were constructed in the 12th and 14th centuries, are just around the corner from the Theatre Antique. The cloister is in remarkable condition, with statues of St. Trophime all around, and several great galleries in the styles of the 2 periods during which they were built.  One gallery is filled with tapestries depicting the Crusades.

The bell tower of Egilse St. Trophime

From the courtyard between the church and the cloister

Walkway adjacent to the cloister courtyard

Sculptural detail

The face of St. Trophime

The bell tower from the top level of the cloitre (quite an impressive stone roof)

St. Trophime

The carved doorway to  Eglise St. Trophime

Theatre Antique

Around the corner from the Arles arena is the old Roman theater.  It dates from the 1st century BC.  It was used for many centuries, then for hundreds of years the stones of this theater were used as building materials for other construction projects. Restoration began in the 19th century.  Some of the building techniques used in building the theater are quite impressive.

An artist's depiction of the original theater

The tower reflects the original height of the theater

The underside of an arch in the tower

The columns reflect the height of the original arcade

View from the top of the theater, showing the proximity to the arena

Our apartment is around the corner, between these buildings and the arena

At present, the theater is used regularly, for plays and concerts.  So far, the only entertainment we have seen is a talented jazz trumpet player, set up on the sidewalk, just outside the fence.