Kyriad Arles

Curse the Mistral - it has been blowing for 3 days non stop and it is gale force and freezing cold. It appears to have abated slightly this afternoon and our local guide informed us that it stops after either 3 days, 6 days or 9 days so we are hopeful. Last night it ws like sleeping under a jet ready for take off all night. Poor Big Mama got rocked around and it takes a lot to move her. A big ...

... across the street – La Palette Gourmande (29 Rue Roussy), but we thought we would wander around and see what else was on offer. However, while we were doing our washing in the nearby launderette, it started to rain. At first it was just a gentle refreshing shower, but became a thunderstorm lasting for hours. By dinner time it was still lashing down, so we ran the 5 metres across the road.

We were rewarded by one of those ...

... driver behind us). Ok, so he was waving and flashing behind us and we had no idea what he was going on about so we figured he was either mad or had never seen a car with a right side driver, but then later realized when he drove by that he was only pointing out that the bulb had blown.

Finding the resto was a bit of a challenge, the 3 others (4 including the one we found out was closed on the website before ...

Lucy asked for it and we got it. Today we experienced the beginning of the Mistral season. Each fall and winter Provence is swept by a wailing wind. Lucy made the mistake of saying that she'd be interested in being here for that. She got her wish and our last day was very windy. Luckily, the temperature held and we stayed comfortable, despite having bits of sand and debris swept into our eyes as we walked around.

We visited three towns ...

Believe me you don't want the story but here are a few photos and videos of what was a wonderful adventure for the most part.

The bull running was a random and free event - just next to lovely beach. Camargue horses are breathtakingly beautiful in the wild.

Unfortunately no photos of characterful and cultural city of Arles because only took the camera out one day - the day we went to The Camargue obviously.

... up to a great vantage point to see great views of the bridge and the Rhone valley. After relaxing a bit up top, I made my way to the Palace of the Popes. It was built in the 1300's and was the Pope's residence for a while as it was unsafe to stay in Vatican City at that time. It was massive! It was empty inside and was unfurnished, but you had an informative audio guide that described what each room was and its purpose. It is so neat to see such massive ...

... feel easier. I could easily explain my problems with connecting, ask for an extra key, and ask about nearby restaurants. How pleasant it is to come home to France :) Now for some pictures. Arles is known for its roman Colosseum. And they still have bull fights in it, just to keep the blood fresh..arg. On the flip side, its also known as the home of Vincent Van Gogh. I know little else about this village ...

... off the entire city of Arles came to watch and only then did the fun get started!! A fireworks display like never seen before, the French really know how put on a show! As the oooo's and aaah's rang through the crowd, my father and I watched as the pyrotechnics shot out from the riverbank, as well as, from two speedboats zipping around the river. It was a phenomenal event of sight and sound! Once the show ended we headed for Place de la Republic where a ...

... didn't know any information about the civil war (which I might add has a different name in French than English so you can't just write Guerre Civile). She was so angry that she talked super fast through the whole lecture and, well that was just perfect. Now I really may not know what is going on. But, she did give us a chance to retake it so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Lunch wasn't much more exciting. I sat by Bruno ...

... got a glimpse of what other types of music were in the streets. We ended up hanging out by the African music because there was a ton of dancing in front of their stage. One guy thought he was Michael Jackson but he for sure wasn't (and he smelled really bad). I had a bottle of wine in my purse that we shared between all of us. Apparently drinking in the streets is perfectly legal here. We walked down the street ...