Un Jour à Arles

I haven't blogged for over a week now but honestly it's mostly because nothing exciting has been happening. My last few weeks have just been full of going to class, hanging out with people, and living my day-to-day life in Aix. Last weekend I didn't do anything and honestly it felt amazing. I had the opportunity to go climb Mont St. Victoire but a huge group of people went and I wasn't really feeling well. I didn't really want to go in a huge group and then be left behind, so I relaxed/cleaned my room which was really nice. 

This last week was also pretty uneventful except for last night. All of the ISEP students got together for a dinner sponsored by the program and it was so amazing. We ate at a restaurant here in Aix called Le Piston. We all got a 3-course meal and you could choose what you wanted as an appetizer, main dish, and dessert. For the appetizer I got a salad with raw marinated salmon which was delicious! Next I got pasta with scallops, zucchini, mushrooms, and red peppers which was also amazing. And for dessert I decided to get black currant ice cream in a dish full of champagne. :) I felt like royalty, it was so delicious and luxurious! Also it was really nice to get all of us together. I really like everyone in the program and we always have a great time together. :)

Salad with raw marinated salmon :)

Pasta with scallops, red peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini :)

Black currant ice cream with champagne :)

Today Jerrica, Jasper, Megan, Margo, Rebekah, Brae and I headed to Arles for an amazing day. We started out super early, getting to the bus station by 7:50 AM. The bus ride to Arles only took about an hour and a half or so and when we got there we walked through a street market to get to the office of tourism. Along the way I got something called brandade de morue which is a traditionally dish from Nimes. The basic brandade de morue is salt cod with olive oil which is what I got but sometimes they put more spices, lemon juice, and other ingredients in it.  I think it's rather delicious but no one else in my group agreed unfortunately. I also got some baklava in the street market. 

After finding the office of tourism, we headed to the Alyscamps. The Alyscamps are an ancient Roman burial ground and its one of the most famous necropolises of the ancient world. Roman law dictated that cemeteries had to be outside the cities' surrounding walls so the road leading out of Arles (Elisii Campi in Latin, Champs-Élysées in French, or Elysian Fields in English) became the burial grounds. The martyr Saint Genest was buried here and gave this particular cemetery its importance. And soon after that, the first bishop of Arles, Saint Trophimus, was buried here making it an even more popular graveyard. Alyscamps has even been immortalized by van Gogh's painting Les Alyscamps and Dante's writing in Inferno. Walking through the Alyscamps was actually really relaxing but the Church of Saint Honorat that is at the end of the site was extremely creepy. As we walked up to it, the courtyard was beautiful and welcoming. But the church was not well lit at all so it gave off this super creepy vibe. Also there were about a million pigeons in the church that kept cooing and pooing. The sounds of the pigeons reverberated off the walls making the whole place seem eerie and the floor was slick with pigeon poop in some areas which caught you off guard as you were walking around. Also there were some passageways that we walked through that were not lit whatsoever and that was extremely creepy. But all in all the Alyscamps was pretty cool.

Me laying in a sarcophagus

Eglise Saint-Cesaire-le-Vieux

Les Alyscamps

Les Alyscamps and Eglise Saint-Honorat

After the Alyscamps we all headed back into town to check out the Roman Amphitheatre which is actually a UNESCO site. It was built in the first century BC and it could seat 20,000 spectators at one time. Nowadays it houses bull fights, concerts and plays but in the past it showcased gladiator fights and even became a town with 200 houses and 2 chapels when the Roman Empire fell. In the 1800s it was restored to its ancient state.  The Amphitheatre was pretty amazing and so old. Walking through something that had been built in 100 BC just blew my mind. And to think that they had all of that knowledge about architecture, terraces, staircases for quick exits, etc. It was really quite an amazing experience. Also I decided to climb down into the arena (which I'm not sure I was allowed to do but did anyway) and it was really intimidating but awe inspiring to be down there. I can't imagine what the gladiators must have felt when they were forced to fight in that arena. It almost made me wish I could go back in time, be invisible and watch a fight. Not only to see the actual fight but to see the reactions of the crowd and what they wore and who they were. The Amphitheatre was really quite an amazing site in Arles. :)

Roman Amphitheatre or Les Arenes

Roman Amphitheatre (Les Arenes)

Me standing in the Arena 

At this point in the day we decided to eat lunch. I had found a restaurant on the internet that was recommended. And it ended up being only a block from the Amphitheatre which was great. However when we got there, no one wanted to eat there but me. And I wasn't dying to eat there, but I'd gained a lot of experience (through GALA) in doing something someone else wants and regretting that I didn't do what I really wanted to do. So I told everyone I was going to eat there regardless of what they wanted and that they could go on. I kind of feel like this might have made me seem antisocial and weird but it's just not worth it to have even tiny regrets. And my meal was delicious! :) I got the house special pizza which was sardines, mussels, capers, and emmenthal cheese. It was so amazing and salty and gooey! :)

La Mamma Pizza (sardines, mussels, capers, and emmenthal cheese) YUM!!!

I ate pretty quickly because, let's be honest, no one likes eating alone. After finishing up I decided to head over to the Roman Theatre. It was built at the end of the first century BC and could hold up to 10,000 people in 33 rows. Nowadays it's a shell of what it once was but it was still really quite cool. I walked through it quickly though because I wanted to meet up with everyone at the St. Trophime cloisters. 

The Ancient Roman Theatre (Theatre Antique)

The stage of the Roman Theatre

The rows of seating in the Roman Theatre

Probably my favorite part of the day was Le Cloitre de Saint Trophime or the Cloisters of St. Trophime. Half built in the first half of the 13th century and the other half built in the last half of the 14th century, the cloisters very noticeably showcase Roman and Gothic architecture in the same site. As you walk into the cloisters, you feel like you're walking into Hogwarts. The same arches and stone halls and courtyard theme surrounds you. And it's amazing. There are statues upon statues of saints, monks, and holy characters built into the pillars and the whole place feels ancient yet real. There are two trees in the courtyard and a well in the hallway. If you climb the stairs, you reach the top and can walk on the roof of the cloisters which is just as amazing. Up at the top, you can really tell the difference between the Roman and Gothic architectures, from a bird's eye view. And honestly, I don't know what it is, but while the Roman Amphitheatre and Theatre were ancient and amazing, the cloisters and its inherent sacredness really inspire and amaze me more. Maybe because there's more beauty and detail in the structure, I'm not sure, but the cloisters were just breathtaking. 

Le Cloitre Saint Trophime

Megan wishing the Cloisters were Hogwarts :)

A well in the Cloisters

Le Cloitre Saint Trophime

Romanesque Architecture

Gothic Architecture

After the cloisters we all headed to the Crypts of Arles. :) Which actually sound really cool and creepy but were kind of a let down. The catacombs of Paris, which I visited last spring, were so much cooler.  Mostly because there were tens of thousands of bodies and bones. In the Crypts of Arles, there were no bones, no sarcophagi, no tombs, nothing really. So we walked through quickly and headed back out.

One of the tourist attractions in Arles is van Gogh and his life there. Arles is where he painted The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night which is a pretty famous painting. He also painted many other sites Arles, as well as making a statement by cutting off his ear. Around the city of Arles there are checkpoints showing his artwork and what he was trying to portray. So we went around and saw the Night cafe, the Starry Night, and where his house used to be. 

After that we decided to get some coffee and just chill out until we had to get to the bus station and head home. I slept almost the entire way home on the bus which was actually really nice. After eating dinner and hanging out with Rebekah for a bit, I came back to my room and am now just relaxing and uploading pictures. Later we might watch Sex and the City in French if we're awake enough. :) All in all it was a really great day and Arles has been one of my favorite cities so far. In the next months, I'll see what else France has to offer, but for now Arles is on the top of the list. :)

The Rhone