Spring seems to come a little early this year. At least for my anyway, perhaps it's normal for the south of France to be warm and green in the first few weeks of February, but it's certainly been a shock for me. The weather has remained in the sixties most days and with the sun shining and the birds chirping, it's hard to remember that it was Christmas just over a month ago. In the spirit of the good weather Amy and I decided to check out the little town of Arles yesterday, which is about an hour away. I'd heard that Arles has one of the prettier Saturday Markets in the region and we headed straight there when we stepped off the train. I don't know if I would say it was the prettiest, but it certainly was large, and full of interesting and yummy looking things. Like doughnuts! I think the last time I'd tasted a doughnut was probably sometime last spring at Grandma's in Bozeman. They were only 50 centimes and oh so beautiful in their colorful glazes. Amy and I both opted for chocolate and look there was even caramel pipped into the center for an even more deluxe experience!
As a tourist destination, Arles was a letdown, though a very pretty city. I had wanted to visit because of its connection with Van Gogh, who lived there in the Yellow House for much of his later life. Many of his famous paintings were painted there as well. Though no actual Van Gogh's remain in the city, there is a Museum dedicated to his memory with recent works done by various well know painters in tribute to the artist. It was interesting but certainly not fabulous. The cultural museum was interesting enough, it had several rooms of artifacts and descriptions of traditional Arles' culture and customs. We even got to chat with some young girls that were done up in traditional grab. There are a few scattered Roman ruins as well including a well persevered arena, but nothing terribly unique or fascinating. I am a little disappointed that I'll be away during the Running of the Bulls in March. I would have gone back for that, but I might return for a Bull Fight later just the same. I'm still torn between considering it animal torture or cultural heritage, as custom has been used as an excuse to continue immoral practices since the beginning of time. There were also a few nice Picasso Sketches in another art museum that I enjoyed. It's been fun to follow his footsteps around the Mediterranean and through time.
Honestly the nicest part of the day may have been soaking up a little sun at a shabby little cafe on their terrace. Amy and I ordered Mango Smoothies, which turned out to be delicious, and I lunched on fresh goat cheese (a regionally traditional little wheel of Picodon) and rolls from the market. The owner brought us a little plate of sugar crepes to taste and then chatted with us for a while about France and our studies. It was incredibly pleasant. Now I'm spending a lazy Sunday counting my pesos and making tough decisions like: should go to Stolkholm in March or Portugal in April...
Spring seems to come a little early this year. At least for my anyway, perhaps it's normal for the south of France to be warm and green in the first few weeks of February, but it's certainly been a shock for me. The weather has remained in the sixties most days and with the sun shining and the birds chirping, it's hard to remember that it was Christmas just over a month ago. In the spirit of the good weather Amy and I decided to check out the little town of Arles yesterday, which is about an hour away. I'd heard that Arles has one of the prettier Saturday Markets in the region and we headed straight there when we stepped off the train. I don't know if I would say it was the prettiest, but it certainly was large, and full of interesting and yummy looking things. Like doughnuts! I think the last time I'd tasted a doughnut was probably sometime last spring at Grandma's in Bozeman. They were only 50 centimes and oh so beautiful in their colorful glazes. Amy and I both opted for chocolate and look there was even caramel pipped into the center for an even more deluxe experience!
As a tourist destination, Arles was a letdown, though a very pretty city. I had wanted to visit because of its connection with Van Gogh, who lived there in the Yellow House for much of his later life. Many of his famous paintings were painted there as well. Though no actual Van Gogh's remain in the city, there is a Museum dedicated to his memory with recent works done by various well know painters in tribute to the artist. It was interesting but certainly not fabulous. The cultural museum was interesting enough, it had several rooms of artifacts and descriptions of traditional Arles' culture and customs. We even got to chat with some young girls that were done up in traditional grab. There are a few scattered Roman ruins as well including a well persevered arena, but nothing terribly unique or fascinating. I am a little disappointed that I'll be away during the Running of the Bulls in March. I would have gone back for that, but I might return for a Bull Fight later just the same. I'm still torn between considering it animal torture or cultural heritage, as custom has been used as an excuse to continue immoral practices since the beginning of time. There were also a few nice Picasso Sketches in another art museum that I enjoyed. It's been fun to follow his footsteps around the Mediterranean and through time. 
Honestly the nicest part of the day may have been soaking up a little sun at a shabby little cafe on their terrace. Amy and I ordered Mango Smoothies, which turned out to be delicious, and I lunched on fresh goat cheese (a regionally traditional little wheel of Picodon) and rolls from the market. The owner brought us a little plate of sugar crepes to taste and then chatted with us for a while about France and our studies. It was incredibly pleasant. Now I'm spending a lazy Sunday counting my pesos and making tough decisions like: should go to Stolkholm in March or Portugal in April...
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