home

France 2007

top

 

Prev
Tuesday July 10,2007
Day 14 - Beynac-et-Cazenac to Carcassonne

Wednesday July 11, 2007
Day 15 - Carcassonne to Arles

Next
Thursday July 12, 2007
Day 16 - Arles

Wednesday morning it was cloudy and threatening to rain again. Dusty walked around the block and unsuccessfully tried to try find milk for breakfast, then waited for sunlight for perhaps 20 minutes to take pictures of the fortress. Eventually he gave up on the sunlight, went back to the room, and we all went to Le Cite to buy souvenirs and croissants.
Carcassonne

Carcassonne
Notice the different type and style of brickwork
The tops of the walls and roofs are all reconstructed (fake)

Carcassonne - the drawbridge

Carcassonne - the drawbridge

Carcassonne - between the inner and outer walls

Carcassonne - between the inner and outer walls

We drove on toward Arles. We were early – it was around 1pm by the time we reached Nimes, only half an hour from our hotel. We decided to try to see the sights in Nimes, but we didn’t feel we had too much time because we wanted to see the bull races at Arles at 5pm. We found the Arena in Nimes, found the parking garage, and found dozens of other people all trying to find spaces in a quite packed garage. Eventually we found the exit to the parking garage, tried to find another, drove by the Maison Carree, and soon gave up trying to park and went on to Arles. We found our hotel - Hotel du Musee - and a parking spot and got checked in. They told us the garage was full and we needed to make reservations for the garage, but when I pointed out that I had asked for parking in the garage in my email, it was no longer full. The room was very nice and huge – it was impossible to believe that this hotel and our last hotel in Carcassone were both rated 2 stars – they were certainly the opposite ends of the spectrum. We wandered Arles, quickly finding  Place Republic and St Trophime Church.

St Trophime Church - early Christian sarcophagus in Arles

St Trophime Church - early Christian sarcophagus
The heads and arms were vandalized during the Revolution

St Trophime Church in Arles

St Trophime Church

Republic Square in Arles

Republic Square
The obselisk was one end of the Roman Circus
St Trophime Church is on the right



St Trophime Church
 The Fountain in Republic Square in Arles

The Fountain in Republic Square

Arles Theatre

Theatre

We then wandered past the Theatre, and found the line to buy Bull Race tickets. In France they don’t kill the bull – instead about a dozen insane young men try to snare a ribbon looped between the bull’s horns. A bench lines the inside of the arena, and the men use it as a step to leap over the arena’s inside wall and onto the outer wall to relative safety. There were perhaps a thousand people in the sweltering arena, over half of them tourists. The Bull Race - Courses Camarguaises – was interesting. Each bull runs around for about 15 minutes, which seems a lot longer. The second bull was truly pissed – no one got close enough to get a ribbon – and they were all quite careful around him. He used his horns to throw up two of the boards around the arena, then ran around the ‘track’ between the stands and the arena, chasing everyone into the arena until he ran back to through a door returning him to the arena. Later another bull jumped clean over the boards into the track. After total of 6 or 7 bulls – we didn’t keep track – and 2-1/2 hours later half the spectators had left.

Arles Arena

Arena

Courses Camarguaises in Arles

Courses Camarguaises
He's about to leap over the red wall onto the outer wall, grabbing the railing.

Bournel Courses Camarguaises in Arles

Courses Camarguaises
Bournel is reaching for the ribbon between the bull's horns

We stay until the end, then found The Forum and had a completely forgettable meal at Le Tavern du Forum featuring red banners and a pirate logo – avoid it at all costs. The two staff (one waiter, one waitress) were terribly overworked and not very friendly or efficient. The cook couldn’t quite figure out how to prepare pasta properly, which is something even novices like the Ketchums usually get right. 
.
Prev
Tuesday July 10,2007
Day 14 - Beynac-et-Cazenac to Carcassonne

Wednesday July 11, 2007
Day 15 - Carcassonne to Arles

Next
Thursday July 12, 2007
Day 16 - Arles