The Events of Wednesday, March 30, 2011

                With an earlier start this morning, we were able to be on the road at 9:30, zooming toward Arles, for another cultural experience. France is definitely a unique country, with a great blend of cultures, cuisines, and cool sights. To learn more about the culture of Provence, we listened to an interesting podcast by Rick Steves. It told all about the region from seafood to bullfights and markets to hidden gems. Listening, we began to get excited for our day, for we were headed to one of those hidden gems, Wednesday is market day in the town of Arles.

                Arriving in Arles, the vast market stalls stretched along the road for quite a ways. As one might imagine, it was quite difficult to find parking. There was one central rotary with four or five exits. We tried each one, drove a couple miles in circles, and ended up with no parking spot, free or otherwise, within reasonable walking distance of the market. We eventually found a garage that would work for us, found a spot, and headed into Arles’ town center. Note: we aren’t quite sure how to pronounce “Arles”. Coming from Italy, we were used to accenting the end of the word, like in “lasagna” or “piazza”. But in France, the end of the word is usually dropped, as if it isn’t worth saying. And then they kinda blend all the other letters together. So, with Italians pronouncing it like /ar-LAYS-ah/ and Americans saying it /arr-LAY/, to the French it is /AHH-ll/. Quite interesting.

                The colorful market stalls stretched along a road ringing the city for about a third of a mile. There was quite an array of goods. Bags, clothes, accessories, souvenirs, and, as Mom says, “international flea market items” (cheap band-aids and flashlights) filled the first half. Then there was a sudden change in scenery as we passed into the food section. Now, booths with fresh (and cheap) produce, breads, cheeses, and meats released their mouth-watering scents into the crowds.

                We read that the weekly markets are the best place to purchase picnic supplies. With this in mind, we decided not to bring the picnic lunch we packed and instead pick up goodies as we went. At the first bakery stall, we purchased some flaky, croissant-like pastries filled with chocolate. We couldn’t resist the temptation, so they made a nice midmorning snack. As we headed down the rows, we picked up a baguette, some pain maison (a soft, round bread), Granny smith apples, melt-in-your-mouth Clementines, and gigantic red peppers.

                We had a couple of interesting experiences purchasing cheeses and salami. As we passed a cheese booth, the owner/worker inquired about our Stanford sweatshirts and began talking to us in relatively good English. He told us about a few cheeses we sampled and had us compare their ages. It seemed the longer the cheese aged, the sharper it became. He fed us sample after sample, instructing as he went and finally persuaded us to buy a chunk of sheep’s cheese. Then, a little later on, we entered a sausage/butcher’s shop to sample some salami. Although the sample was not the best, we ended up finding delicious salami and purchasing a couple hundred grams. At a second cheese stand, we tested a few more types of cheese. All were delicious, but the Blue de Cex and Canlat entre Deux were especially delicious. It was great to sample all these fabulous cheeses, for free, and pick the best.

                With all our supplies purchased, we found a lovely park to sit down and enjoy the meal. It was delicious. Our next stop was the Tourist Information Center, where we found maps and good information. The three sites Lindsey had planned for us were all covered under one ticket, a €9 combination ticket. Then we found out that we kids, since we are under 18, get in for free. When we went to a separate counter to purchase our tickets, the cashier told us about the family discount. Not only are the children free, but, since it is a family, the adults get in on the reduced price. So we got what we expected to be €54 for the day’s sightseeing for a measly €14! Awesome!

                We first headed to Place de la République. This lovely square is built around an ancient Egyptian obelisk. On one side stands the St. Trophime Church and Cloisters. We saw the fascinating tympanum (the semicircular area above the large wooden doors) with intricately carved figures. Christ sits on a throne on Judgment Day, surrounded by symbols of the four evangelists. Matthew is a winged man, Mark a winged lion, Luke is a winged ox (looks more like a flying cow), and John is a winged eagle (don’t eagles already have wings?). Since the church was closed until 2, we ventured inside the cloisters.

                Honestly, the cloisters weren’t much. It was a nice Romanesque arcade surrounding a paved courtyard that used to be a cemetery. The capitals (tops of the columns) were nicely decorated but covered in plaster, not marble. Come on. If you are going to have fake columns, why not at least make them look real and expensive? All the rooms were empty except for one hall with some old tapestries. And we were constantly being chased by a French field trip group.

                More field trip groups were clustered outside the church, so we hustled in for a quick look. There was more Romanesque architecture, tall columns, and bare walls. Near the apse were several large chapels with nice sculptures and some fabulous stained glass. We exited and walked over to the Classical Theater. Again, it wasn’t much. This was a thriving theater in ancient times. But when the Roman Empire fell, the theater fell into disrepair. During the middle ages, it served as the town’s quarry. Want a nice chunk of marble as your cornerstone? Get it at the theater. It slowly shrunk and crumbled until, in 1840, it was preserved. There are only two pillars left standing among the ruins of what was once a grand theater. We read the information about the theater from our guidebook before heading on to the stadium.

                This amphitheater was more intact but a little less visit-able. We were able to climb the stairs into the main seating area, view the arena, and walk the dark passageways leading around the central ring. Since renovation and construction work is in progress, the main attraction, the tower, is closed. Oh well. The stadium was remarkably similar to the Colosseum in Rome. It has the same basic floor plan and is a little smaller, but more intact. The arena has some interesting history. After Rome fell and the stadium fell into disrepair, a medieval village grew inside the structure. 200-something homes were in the theater. Those houses have been since torn down, but the arena is still used for bullfights.

                Our next stop was the Place du Forum, where, in Roman times, the forum stood. Only a few bits and pieces of the original structure remain, embedded for eternity in the wall of Hotel Nord Pinus. This square was where Van Gogh painted his famous Le Café du Nuit. The Café du Nuit still exists. Having filled our history quota for the day, we headed to fill our stomachs with unique ice cream at Soleilei’s. Our guidebook listed that this shop specializes in unique Provençal flavors like olive oil and garlic. However, it did not list that it was closed until the beginning of April. Aww shucks.

                We headed back towards the parking garage. Our route took us through Place del Republique, where Mom noticed a museum about bullfighting. We stuck our heads inside and found out it was free. Great! Free museum! A lot of modern art, some of which incorporated some aspect of bullfighting and costumes of matadors filled the plain Romanesque church. It was really strange—strange art in a strange setting.

                Back at the car, we grabbed a quick snack and headed home. Mom threw together a delicious meal of Pasta and Pea Alfredo (we couldn’t find fettuccine anywhere!). After dinner, while Mom, Abby and I played some ping pong, Caitlin and Dad worked to plan our time in Spain. Before we knew it, it was time to head upstairs, climb in bed, and have pleasant (or extremely bizarre) dreams.