11th - 16th August 2016
Arles
- We head to southern France to explore this gem of a City. Fantastic
Roman remains, amazing contempory art scene and a super chilled vibe...
This is the perfect destination for a long weekend away.
France has so much to offer, we head south to Arles... and enjoy getting to know this vibrant City. The weather was kind as we explored the culture, foody bits and the many sites of architectural interest. We were also lucky to be in the City during Les Rencontres d'Arles 2016. This annual summer photography festival, founded in 1970 by the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, the writer Michel Tournier and the historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, is simply epic... and a must see for any keen photographer. Housed in diverse locations of historic interest across the City, this is a show that has something for everyone... it runs from July through to September. The Guardian has a great review here.
France has so much to offer, we head south to Arles... and enjoy getting to know this vibrant City. The weather was kind as we explored the culture, foody bits and the many sites of architectural interest. We were also lucky to be in the City during Les Rencontres d'Arles 2016. This annual summer photography festival, founded in 1970 by the Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, the writer Michel Tournier and the historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, is simply epic... and a must see for any keen photographer. Housed in diverse locations of historic interest across the City, this is a show that has something for everyone... it runs from July through to September. The Guardian has a great review here.
Thursday 11th - Travelled from the Island to King's Cross St. Pancras and caught the 15:31 Eurostar to Paris. (Picked up Dave's watch from the Storytellers)...
We enjoyed our on-board meal and complimentary drinks. We start our
break with 1 night in Paris staying at a super little apart Hotel - 1er Étage Marais
is half hotel - half apartment... a very cool experience situated in
the streets behind the Pompidou. We pop around the corner to do the Pompidou before it closes. A small local bistro satisfies our desire for food and nosh.
Friday 12th - A muggy day in Paris that soon becomes hot and clear. We took a stroll through Paris before making our way to the train station to catch the 11:41 fast train to Arles. The four hour trip goes quickly... we zip through the beautiful countryside, the sky getting clearer as we head south.
We arrive in Arles on time and it's baking hot. A quick stroll through the beautiful streets and we are at our Airb&b rental. Julia greets us and we check out the fab apartment. After a quick freshen up we head out to explore. The terrace of our apartment is the perfect place to celebrate Dave's significant birthday in style. We watch the sunset and count the shooting stars in the wonderful starlit sky. Bliss!
Saturday 13th - It's a beautiful day in Arles, we breakfast in and prepare to explore the town. First stop the massive street market that sells everything from the latest polyester fashions to sachets of herbes de Provence. Next up a visit to the brilliant contemporary art gallery... The Musee Reattu which houses a good collection of Picasso portraits and other significant works by a collection of artists. Our hunger for art is further satisfied with a visit to the Foundation Vincent van Gogh. A really lovely collection of the painters works and an interesting temporary exhibition by the British artist Glenn Brown. Time to head back to the apartment to chill. Early eve we enjoy live music in the Voltaire district. A dinner of scrummy pizza ends the day perfectly.
Sunday 14th - A stunning day in Arles. We have a light breakfast and head out to explore Les Rencontres d'Arles. Our full day ticket allows us to visit all the varied sites on the programme. First off we visit the exciting new art space on the outskirts of the town. LUMA Arles will be an impressive multi space venue when finished and is already hosting some interesting shows... The stunning installation by William Kentridge - 'More Sweetly Play the Dance' left us both speechless, just beautiful. Youtube link here. Next we start our tour of the town based venues. We tick off nearly all the shows. We see funny, distressing, conceptual, vintage and documentary... Don McCullin, Charles Fréger and the Fabulous Failures are just a few of the memorable collections. Today has been amazing. We celebrate with a cold beer and discuss our creative adventure. We dine in tonight at the apartment and cook up a trad French style fish one-pot-bake... Lovely way to end the day.
Monday 15th - Another hot day. We breakfast early so we can catch the 10:00am bus to the beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. On the way we pass wild flamingos in the lagoons, black Bulls in the fields and white horses on the scrub land. Once we arrive at the cost, we notice that the bay is made up of many smaller horse shoe baylets, each surrounded by stone groins. We walk away from the bank holiday crowds and find a quieter bay to swim and take a bit of sun. Time for lunch!... Les Launes, a small restaurant overlooking the marina catches our eye... I try muscles for the first time, they were delicious. Dave had a starter of muscles with a delicious topping and fresh sea bass for main. My massive pan of muscles was superb, all mopped up with baguette. Pud was apple tart and a selection of local cheeses. All washed down with a fruity rose wine... Wonderful. We wander the streets after lunch to take in the sights and take another dip before boarding the 5:00pm bus back to Arles. A light meal back at base, up on the terrace before watching the night sky and counting shooting stars. We also met Raymond, a local kitty who came to say hello from across the roof tops.
Tuesday 16th - A little cloudy this morn but still muggy. Today we leave Arles to head home via Avignon. We catch the 10:00am and enjoy the 20 minute trip to Avignon. Once in the City we explore the older quarter and walk up to the Cathedral. Very impressive and a City worthy of further exploration. We catch the 12:17 bus to the airport and await the 15:20 flight back to Southampton. Avignon airport is small, very small. There are toilets, a seating area and a food and drink vending machine... that is it!...
We loved this trip away, everything was simply perfect!
Friday 12th - A muggy day in Paris that soon becomes hot and clear. We took a stroll through Paris before making our way to the train station to catch the 11:41 fast train to Arles. The four hour trip goes quickly... we zip through the beautiful countryside, the sky getting clearer as we head south.
We arrive in Arles on time and it's baking hot. A quick stroll through the beautiful streets and we are at our Airb&b rental. Julia greets us and we check out the fab apartment. After a quick freshen up we head out to explore. The terrace of our apartment is the perfect place to celebrate Dave's significant birthday in style. We watch the sunset and count the shooting stars in the wonderful starlit sky. Bliss!
Saturday 13th - It's a beautiful day in Arles, we breakfast in and prepare to explore the town. First stop the massive street market that sells everything from the latest polyester fashions to sachets of herbes de Provence. Next up a visit to the brilliant contemporary art gallery... The Musee Reattu which houses a good collection of Picasso portraits and other significant works by a collection of artists. Our hunger for art is further satisfied with a visit to the Foundation Vincent van Gogh. A really lovely collection of the painters works and an interesting temporary exhibition by the British artist Glenn Brown. Time to head back to the apartment to chill. Early eve we enjoy live music in the Voltaire district. A dinner of scrummy pizza ends the day perfectly.
Sunday 14th - A stunning day in Arles. We have a light breakfast and head out to explore Les Rencontres d'Arles. Our full day ticket allows us to visit all the varied sites on the programme. First off we visit the exciting new art space on the outskirts of the town. LUMA Arles will be an impressive multi space venue when finished and is already hosting some interesting shows... The stunning installation by William Kentridge - 'More Sweetly Play the Dance' left us both speechless, just beautiful. Youtube link here. Next we start our tour of the town based venues. We tick off nearly all the shows. We see funny, distressing, conceptual, vintage and documentary... Don McCullin, Charles Fréger and the Fabulous Failures are just a few of the memorable collections. Today has been amazing. We celebrate with a cold beer and discuss our creative adventure. We dine in tonight at the apartment and cook up a trad French style fish one-pot-bake... Lovely way to end the day.
Monday 15th - Another hot day. We breakfast early so we can catch the 10:00am bus to the beach at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. On the way we pass wild flamingos in the lagoons, black Bulls in the fields and white horses on the scrub land. Once we arrive at the cost, we notice that the bay is made up of many smaller horse shoe baylets, each surrounded by stone groins. We walk away from the bank holiday crowds and find a quieter bay to swim and take a bit of sun. Time for lunch!... Les Launes, a small restaurant overlooking the marina catches our eye... I try muscles for the first time, they were delicious. Dave had a starter of muscles with a delicious topping and fresh sea bass for main. My massive pan of muscles was superb, all mopped up with baguette. Pud was apple tart and a selection of local cheeses. All washed down with a fruity rose wine... Wonderful. We wander the streets after lunch to take in the sights and take another dip before boarding the 5:00pm bus back to Arles. A light meal back at base, up on the terrace before watching the night sky and counting shooting stars. We also met Raymond, a local kitty who came to say hello from across the roof tops.
Tuesday 16th - A little cloudy this morn but still muggy. Today we leave Arles to head home via Avignon. We catch the 10:00am and enjoy the 20 minute trip to Avignon. Once in the City we explore the older quarter and walk up to the Cathedral. Very impressive and a City worthy of further exploration. We catch the 12:17 bus to the airport and await the 15:20 flight back to Southampton. Avignon airport is small, very small. There are toilets, a seating area and a food and drink vending machine... that is it!...
We loved this trip away, everything was simply perfect!
10 out of 10.
