I didn't take any photos between Marseille and Arles as we were in a hurry to cover the 90 or so kilometres between the cities. We were were a little worried after hearing about the winds on the plains of the Camargue, but as it turned out we had a strong tail wind most of the way, and made good time. It was a dusty, busy road with lots of trucks going to and from the massive port operations on the coast so we were glad to get through quickly.
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| Arles |
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| The spot where Van Gogh painted 'Starry Night over the Rhone' |
We had booked an Air BnB for a few nights in Arles as there was rain forecast. We negotiated another narrow European apartment staircase with our bikes and settled into the cosy apartment just as the first few drops of rain started falling.
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| Roman Amphitheater. In keeping with the history of violent and cruel sports held in these stadiums in ancient times, the amphitheater is now set up for annual bullfighting events. |
The next day was spent looking at the Roman ruins of Arles and following the 'Van Gogh Trail' - a series of locations in the town where some of the painter's most famous canvases were created. He only spent a year in Arles before going a bit crazy and cutting his ear off; but it was an extremely productive year and the trail was an interesting way to explore the old town of Arles.
The next day we ditched the panniers and went on a 90km circuit around the Camargue National Park. It was a good day out and we saw heaps of flamingos, semi-wild Camargue horses, and Sarah ran over a snake(!).
Unfortunately I didn't get a shot of the snake; the first live one we've seen here (he didn`t seem too harmed by being run over but he probably had a sore back!).
- David
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