Arles

Arles (kind of pronounced awl-luh in France as Rob found out with some difficulty with his ‘Missouri English accent’) is about an hour and a half south of Gigondas, and we, that is Rob, Sarah and Sarah’s parents Chris and Mick, spent the day there to get a little closer to Arles’ most famous resident, Vincent van Gogh.  The city of Arles has done a wonderful job of paying homage to van Gogh, who lived there for two years after living in Paris with his brother Theo. 

 

Here in Arles, van Gogh was inspired by the provençal light, and it is where he cut off part of his ear in an absinthe-induced fury.  There are easels placed throughout the city in the places he painted his masterpieces, so one can get the idea of what van Gogh possibly saw and his artistic interpretation.  We walked the city, finding the van Gogh sights.  One of our favorite spots was seeing where van Gogh’s ‘Café at Night’ was painted.  The café is still there, probably much as it has been for a century or two, with people sitting and enjoying a slow Sunday afternoon.  In fact, in Roman times this square was a gathering place as well, the ‘Place du Forum’, the political and religious center of Arles.  The Roman arena still stands in Arles, a testament to its long history.  

The top photo is Chris, Mick, Sarah and Rob standing under the plane trees in Arles.  The middle picture is van Gogh's Café at Night, and underneath it is Rob and Sarah standing in the very same spot.  Magic.