Arles: Southern France Then and Now

Starry Night Over the Rhone.

Beth and Rob caught a regional train on a cold windy morning to Arles, the town that inspired Vincent Van Gogh to portray the quiet countryside life of the French.  Stepping on the platform in Arles train station they felt the first cutting cold wind of winter weather since leaving Austria in November.

“It’s enough to make you want to cut your ear off.” Rob jested.

Cafe Terrace at Night 

After walking past the ancient Roman arena now used for summer bullfighting, they found a main artery leading to the Arles Tourist Information Centre. Once there they obtained a map with directions to scenes from Van Gogh paintings.

“Which one will we go to first? Café Van Gogh?” asked Rob.

“Yes.  There is a good vegetarian restaurant close to there.” Beth replied with an enthusiastic tone.

The Trinquetaille Bridge

Within a few minutes of mazing their way through Arles’ tiny streets they entered a tiny square that was home to the infamous café that Van Gogh painted in his work Cafe Terrace at Night (1888’s).  The owners of the cafe have maintained the colour scheme and the style of the tables and chairs of the painting completed more then 130 years earlier.  Because of the lack of patrons Rob surmised that the food at this café, like many tourist traps, was lacking in quality despite the suggestion of the exorbitant prices.

Garten des Hospitals in Arles

After they lunched at the tiny vegetarian café Fadoli Et Fadola, owned by an ex-patriot Canadian, they trudged through the cold, windy afternoon, hiking all of Arles to visit the places that Van Gogh frequented.

Moving along the wind-whipped banks of the Rhone they viewed the bridge that the master painted in The Trinquetaille Bridge, then looked southwest to see the Arles’ profile beside the Rhone that was depicted in Starry Night Over the Rhone. In the north part of town they stopped at a busy crosswalk to see a corner restaurant depicted in La Maison Jaune, Arles.  Though still in operation, it lost the neighbouring building which now remains only as a memory in the painting.

La Maison Jaune, Arles

 

As people who enjoy art, galleries, and exhibitions, both were captivated by the romantic charm of standing in places that inspired one of the most influential painters of all times. Prior to visiting the locations, they imagined the allure each space had.  However, the reality was that the most ordinary looking spaces had given him inspiration which added more mystique to Van Gogh.  Studying each space they were reminded that as time passes, people and places change, sometimes for the better, but always leaving, at least small traces of the past.