This
morning it was a one hour drive from Marseille to Arles (92k's)
through a small section of The
Camargue... a river delta where the Rhone meets the sea. It has
exceptional biological diversity and is home to unique breeds of
Camargue Horses, Camargue Bulls, and to more than 400 species of
birds including Pink Flamingoes! Our first surprise was to see flocks
of Flamingoes walking through the shallow water of the salt marshes
looking for food.
After
an early check in at our hotel we spent the rest of the day
exploring Arles.
Our second surprise for today is that Arles was once a provincial
capital of ancient Rome and is known for many remains from that era,
including Arles Amphitheatre, now hosting plays, concerts and
bullfights!
The
arena dates back to the first century A.D. With a length of 136
meters and a width of 107 meters, the arena was one of the largest in
Gaul and could accommodate 21,000 spectators.
The
facade has a double row of arcades with 60 archways and four arches
used as main entrances. Seating for the spectators was once on 34
rows of tiered steps. During the Middle Ages, towers were added to the
arena. The amphitheater is still used today as a venue for
bullfights, shows, and other events.The
bull fighting season begins tomorrow...there are posters all over town.
We
were told the French form of bull fighting is a bloodless spectacle
(for the bulls) in which the objective is to snatch a rosette from
the head of a young bull. Before the bull fights,
an abrivado—a
"running" of the bulls in the streets—takes place, in
which young men compete to outrun the charging bulls. The course
itself takes place in a small arena. For a period of about 15–20 minutes, the raseteurs
compete to snatch rosettes (cocarde)
tied between the bulls' horns. Afterwards, the bulls are herded back
to their pen by Camarguais (cowboys) amidst a great deal of ceremony. The stars of these spectacles are
the bulls, who get top billing and stand to gain fame and statues in
their honour, and lucrative product endorsement contracts.
The
first “running” of the season will take place tomorrow at noon. I
am pleased that we will be gone by then...I don't think I could cope
with it.
The Roman amphitheatre was set up for the bullfights tomorrow
afternoon...
Some
photos Andrew took under the arena...
Next
stop at
the centre of historic Arles, the Place de la République has an
ancient Egyptian obelisk that is 15 meters high. The obelisk was
found in the amphitheater and placed here in 1676. On the north side
of the square stands the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), an elegant
building constructed in 1673-75. Its bell tower dates from 1553 and
came from the building that previously stood on the site.
The
main reason I wanted to come to Arles is because of its fame
for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh. We
retraced the steps of Vincent van Gogh by following the trail of
painting sites to see the scenes where the artist created some of his
most well-known works.
Other
sites on the Van Gogh Trail include the Van Gogh Café with its
lively outdoor terrace on the Place du Forum that provided the scene
for the Café Terrace at Night
painting.
and
this is the location of the celebrated Starry
Nights painting.
It's
been a beautiful sunny and warm day...we've walked 9.71 k's today.
Au
revoir for now xx
