We are docked in Arles today and this is the end of the boat trip. we will be on board tonight and leave the boat tomorrow.
Today we go on another optional tour. First we visit an olive oil manufacturing facility for a tasting. And then we visit the beautiful hilltop village of Les Baux.
The olive oil trip was more interesting than I thought it would be. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the trip through the country side was very nice.
The shots below are just some pics of the equipment used during the processing of the olives into olive oil. I'll spare you the details.
A shot of some of the olive trees.
They have a bug here called a Cicada. There are millions of them and they are really noisy. They are everywhere.
Below is a video - which is really only an audio - that shows what these guys sound like. Turn up your volume.
After the olive oil tasting tour we visit Les Baux (pronounced Lay Bo as opposed to Lez Box). The full name is Les Baux-de-Provence.
A huge, ruined, fortress on top - that we didn't visit because of 1) I needed a beer and 2) we ran out of time (because of 1).
A couple shots of the fortress on the top of the rocks. The bus couldn't go up there and it was quite the slog up hill. (Reason for needing a beer.)
Some shots of the surroundings:
It overlooks a fantastic valley.
It's mostly just a touristy town and, according to our guide, has only 20 full time occupants. Lots of souveneir shops, restaurants, etc. Been there done that type of thing.
In the afternoon we go on the walking tour of Arles.
Arles is somewhat famous as it was where Vincent Van Gogh lived and painted some of his best know works.
He lived in a small house just in the other side of this park. Th ehouse was destryoyed in the second world war, as was mutch of Arles.
Arles is also know for its well preserved Roman Amphitheatre.
The interior. The top row of seats are metal as the original stones were removed ages ago to build other things. They use the
They use the amphitheatre these days for bull fights. They have two types of fights: one where the bull is killed (ba$tards) and one where the bull is not killed.
Bums with single dog (rare).
Also in Arles is a well prserved Roman theatre. A theatre is different from an amphitheatre in that it is only a 180 degree theatre. It is only a semi-circle.
They hold musical concerts in this one.
Another funky little restaurant at the side of the road. These are everywhere.
One of the jarger squares in Arles. The obolisk is something like 1600 years old and was erected by the Romans.
A very old doorway.
After Van Gogh cut his ear off he was treated at this hospital.
One of the few home owners who cares about the exterior of his house.
Two drunk bums with dogs.
As noted earlier sometimes they stack the boats as there are not enough berths. The video below shows a boat docking beside our boat.
In the evening the captain took us on a cruise to The Camargue. This is an area where the Rhone empties into the sea and which is full of wild life. We didn't see any. We did see a nice sunset though.
More fireworks tonight because it is Bastile Day. July 14th is the day the French celebrate the commenceet of the French Revolution.
