Day Twelve: Monday, Sept. 29th, 2008
On our way to Arles today we stopped in St. Christol at a local winery (Chateau des Hospitaliers) for a tour, wine tasting and lunch. The winery is a family operation run by Serge and Sylvie and they were terrific hosts. They have built their winery from the ground up; truly, Serge did the building himself, and they are being environmentally friendly with everything in their operation, from the construction to the harvest.
The wines are marvellous and starting at €3 a bottle the price is definitely right. During the wine tasting we also got to sample their apple cider made from the apples grown in their orchard and it was the best apple cider I have ever tasted.
After the wine tasting Sylvie and Serge invited the group into their home on the winery property for a wonderful homemade lunch. There was a variety of salads, cheeses, and breads and fresh apple tart for dessert. It was a great meal in a lovely setting.
By 2:30pm we were back on the road and heading towards the Pont du Gard. What an amazing engineering structure. And we had perfect weather and by visiting late in the day the afternoon sun was illuminating the structure for more great photo opportunities!
At 5:30pm we were on our way to Arles. We arrived at the cute Le Calendal Hotel. This hotel is in a perfect location. Just out the front door lies the Ancient Theater and to the right is the Roman Arena. If a central spot is what you are looking for in Arles this hotel is it. The room had ample room and the lobby and restaurant were bright and inviting. The breakfast offered at this hotel was by far the best of the whole trip. There was a really nice variety of pastry, meats, cheeses, eggs, juices and coffees. 
After we freshened up we went on short walking tour with the group to get familiar with the town and then we had dinner on our own. I really wanted to try Le Cilantro, which was listed in the Pudlo book and conveniently located down the street from the hotel. But it was a Monday night and unfortunately it was closed…a good reason to go back to Arles!
We walked around the old town area for a bit and found a place listed in the Rick Steves’ guidebook that looked good, called La Pailotte, so we went in. This was another good pick. I really wanted to try the bull and it was on the menu and it was delicious, wrapped in phylo dough. Mom had the pork which was also very good. We both had the eggplant and tomato puree for the starter and for dessert we both had the blanc fromage with fruit and chocolate sauce. The whole meal was terrific.
We ended the night with a short walk back to the hotel looking forward to a full day exploring Arles tomorrow.
On our way to Arles today we stopped in St. Christol at a local winery (Chateau des Hospitaliers) for a tour, wine tasting and lunch. The winery is a family operation run by Serge and Sylvie and they were terrific hosts. They have built their winery from the ground up; truly, Serge did the building himself, and they are being environmentally friendly with everything in their operation, from the construction to the harvest.
The wines are marvellous and starting at €3 a bottle the price is definitely right. During the wine tasting we also got to sample their apple cider made from the apples grown in their orchard and it was the best apple cider I have ever tasted.
After the wine tasting Sylvie and Serge invited the group into their home on the winery property for a wonderful homemade lunch. There was a variety of salads, cheeses, and breads and fresh apple tart for dessert. It was a great meal in a lovely setting.
By 2:30pm we were back on the road and heading towards the Pont du Gard. What an amazing engineering structure. And we had perfect weather and by visiting late in the day the afternoon sun was illuminating the structure for more great photo opportunities!
At 5:30pm we were on our way to Arles. We arrived at the cute Le Calendal Hotel. This hotel is in a perfect location. Just out the front door lies the Ancient Theater and to the right is the Roman Arena. If a central spot is what you are looking for in Arles this hotel is it. The room had ample room and the lobby and restaurant were bright and inviting. The breakfast offered at this hotel was by far the best of the whole trip. There was a really nice variety of pastry, meats, cheeses, eggs, juices and coffees. 
After we freshened up we went on short walking tour with the group to get familiar with the town and then we had dinner on our own. I really wanted to try Le Cilantro, which was listed in the Pudlo book and conveniently located down the street from the hotel. But it was a Monday night and unfortunately it was closed…a good reason to go back to Arles!
We walked around the old town area for a bit and found a place listed in the Rick Steves’ guidebook that looked good, called La Pailotte, so we went in. This was another good pick. I really wanted to try the bull and it was on the menu and it was delicious, wrapped in phylo dough. Mom had the pork which was also very good. We both had the eggplant and tomato puree for the starter and for dessert we both had the blanc fromage with fruit and chocolate sauce. The whole meal was terrific.
We ended the night with a short walk back to the hotel looking forward to a full day exploring Arles tomorrow.
Day Thirteen: Tuesday, Sept. 30th, 2008
This morning we met our local guide, Jacqueline, for an hour and a half walking tour or Arles. We saw some of the spots were Van Gogh painted and several of the Roman ruins. At the end of the tour Patrick gave us our museum passes and we had the rest of the day on our own. Mom and I started at the Roman Arena which is still used today for bull fights. It is in remarkable condition and while we were there a portion of the outside of the structure was being cleaned; it was a big contrast to the un-cleaned portions.
During our walking tour earlier in the day we found out there was an exhibit of Christian LaCroix dresses at the Reattu Museum and we decided to go and see it. Wow! Doesn’t even begin to describe these dresses which I thought were works of art on their own. Apparently LaCroix is a home town boy of Arles and many of the dresses in this exhibition were inspired by some of the artwork displayed there. It was a great exhibit. 
We decide to take a brief coffee break at about 12:30pm and stopped at Café de la Major a cute little coffee place not far from the Reattu Museum. After getting sufficiently caffeinated we set out meandering along the streets and did some window shopping. We went back to the Van Gogh hospital for a look around and then took a walk to the Ancient History Museum.
It was a bit of a walk to the Ancient History Museum from the old town area, but not more then 20 minutes. I really liked this museum, it was set up in a very user friendly way. From the outside this giant blue and glass building didn’t really impress, but inside the space was open and light and the exhibits were placed in an easy to follow order. 
The descriptions were in French, but we were given an English translation book that helped us figure things out. I liked the mosaics and the models of the Roman ruins the most. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. We were able to see all we wanted in just over one hour.
From the museum we walked back to the old town along the river and found Soleilei. This is a little ice cream shop at 9, rue du Dr. Fanton. We each had a cone with one scoop of olive oil ice cream and one scoop of chocolate, it was a great combination! Who knew olive oil ice cream even existed…not me!
After our ice cream break, we walked to the Ancient Theater and had the place practically to ourselves. I must have been doing ok with my French at this point because when I said “Bonjour” to the woman in the ticket booth, she asked me (in French, of course) if I would like the brochure/guide to the site in French…I had to smile to myself, I guess I had mastered the correct pronunciation of Bonjour! But I asked for the English version.
We didn’t have to meet the group until 7:15pm for dinner, so we went to the Forum Plaza where there are several cafes and we had our evening aperitif.
For dinner we met the group for THE BEST group meal of the whole tour. The name of the restaurant was Corazon. Mom and I started with the eggplant and goat cheese starter, it was so good I don’t even remember what the other starter choice for the group was. I could have probably made that starter an entire meal, but it didn’t stop there! Both mom and I chose the lamb shank in orange and ginger glaze for our main dish. The lamb was “fall off the bone” tender, we didn’t even need to use a knife. It was served with sweet potatoes. As if that wasn’t perfect enough, I had the chocolate molten cake for dessert which was absolutely decadent and mom had the trio of sorbets which included peach, pear and I can’t remember the third flavour). This was another delicious meal and a great way to end our stay in Arles.
Tomorrow we are off to the Les Baux and the ochre cliffs of Rousillon.
This morning we met our local guide, Jacqueline, for an hour and a half walking tour or Arles. We saw some of the spots were Van Gogh painted and several of the Roman ruins. At the end of the tour Patrick gave us our museum passes and we had the rest of the day on our own. Mom and I started at the Roman Arena which is still used today for bull fights. It is in remarkable condition and while we were there a portion of the outside of the structure was being cleaned; it was a big contrast to the un-cleaned portions.
During our walking tour earlier in the day we found out there was an exhibit of Christian LaCroix dresses at the Reattu Museum and we decided to go and see it. Wow! Doesn’t even begin to describe these dresses which I thought were works of art on their own. Apparently LaCroix is a home town boy of Arles and many of the dresses in this exhibition were inspired by some of the artwork displayed there. It was a great exhibit. 
We decide to take a brief coffee break at about 12:30pm and stopped at Café de la Major a cute little coffee place not far from the Reattu Museum. After getting sufficiently caffeinated we set out meandering along the streets and did some window shopping. We went back to the Van Gogh hospital for a look around and then took a walk to the Ancient History Museum.
It was a bit of a walk to the Ancient History Museum from the old town area, but not more then 20 minutes. I really liked this museum, it was set up in a very user friendly way. From the outside this giant blue and glass building didn’t really impress, but inside the space was open and light and the exhibits were placed in an easy to follow order. 
The descriptions were in French, but we were given an English translation book that helped us figure things out. I liked the mosaics and the models of the Roman ruins the most. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. We were able to see all we wanted in just over one hour.
From the museum we walked back to the old town along the river and found Soleilei. This is a little ice cream shop at 9, rue du Dr. Fanton. We each had a cone with one scoop of olive oil ice cream and one scoop of chocolate, it was a great combination! Who knew olive oil ice cream even existed…not me!
After our ice cream break, we walked to the Ancient Theater and had the place practically to ourselves. I must have been doing ok with my French at this point because when I said “Bonjour” to the woman in the ticket booth, she asked me (in French, of course) if I would like the brochure/guide to the site in French…I had to smile to myself, I guess I had mastered the correct pronunciation of Bonjour! But I asked for the English version.
We didn’t have to meet the group until 7:15pm for dinner, so we went to the Forum Plaza where there are several cafes and we had our evening aperitif.
For dinner we met the group for THE BEST group meal of the whole tour. The name of the restaurant was Corazon. Mom and I started with the eggplant and goat cheese starter, it was so good I don’t even remember what the other starter choice for the group was. I could have probably made that starter an entire meal, but it didn’t stop there! Both mom and I chose the lamb shank in orange and ginger glaze for our main dish. The lamb was “fall off the bone” tender, we didn’t even need to use a knife. It was served with sweet potatoes. As if that wasn’t perfect enough, I had the chocolate molten cake for dessert which was absolutely decadent and mom had the trio of sorbets which included peach, pear and I can’t remember the third flavour). This was another delicious meal and a great way to end our stay in Arles.
Tomorrow we are off to the Les Baux and the ochre cliffs of Rousillon.
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