John's Arles, Avignon

PONT AVIGNON ARLES 

The trip to see some Roman viaduct was cancelled because of flooding (I can't work that one out either!). Although many on the trip were disappointed I wasn't, in fact, for me it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

To get to AIx you first have to go through Arles, and Avignon.

ARLES

Arles means different things to different people. For most, it means the place of artists Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gough. A place of Mont Victoire, Starry Starry Nights, and the sick and tortured Van Gough chopping off part of his ear, and giving it to a prostitute.  For me, Aix means the birth place of the Gypsy Kings pop group, and the place where they first became famous.

After leaving Arles, we went to an olive mill to see how olive oil and other olive oil products were made, and participated in an olive oil tasting ( A bit like a wine tasting, but with olive oil.) The foodies in the group enjoyed all this, but I found it as interesting as the back of a bus ticket. However it was interesting to see how well the growers did and how hard they had to work given the very poor soil they had to work with.

AVIGNON.

Because the other place was flooded, this meant we could spend more time in Avignon. I LOVE AVIGNON!!!! Whereas Julie had an unhappy time here, because of reasons beyond her control, I couldn't get enough of the place! I spent all of my time just in the main square and a couple of side streets but it was enough to fire up the imagination and start making associations with things I had read, seen, and heard about regarding French provincial life, and things French in general. First I looked at the town square, then The Town Hall, which holds pride of place in the square. Finally seeing them together.

The town square is a magnificent place, rectangular in shape.If you imagine a rectangle with the top and bottom lines being the longest then you have got it. On the top line is the Town Hall, directly opposite is a large cafe with dozens of tables outside. 

It was in the Cafe that one of my travel companions named Keith had his first traditional French experience. He had ordered a meal and I a coffee, all delivered with Gaellic charm and pleasantry. Whilst we were dining, Keith  saw a friend and waved to her. The same waitress who had been all sweetness and light when we ordered became very, very upset when I explained to her that we didn't want anything else. Keith was a bit taken aback by her change in attitude. I explained to him that he had just had his first encounter with the traditional grumpy French waiter. But it was the Town Hall which really fired up my imagination.

The Town Hall itself and its parts is also a magnificent place. As in other places I have seen in France the Town Hall used to be "The Hotel De Ville." (The Town Hotel) which was always the biggest and grandest hotel in the town.

As I peeped in through an open window, I couldn't help thinking about some of the things I had read about French provincial councils, some fiction some fact, and this brought a smile to my face.

There is a fictional story set in a real town called Clochemerle. In the story, the Mayor to deliberately outrage the town (and ensure his re-election) deliberately builds a public toilet in the square. The outrage, division, and general chaos this causes is wonderful to read. Then I thought about the gravitas and intense and serious debate that would be given to the town's annual Marianne vote, which made me smile even more. To understand this you have to know Eugene Delacriox's French Revolution painting.

The flag carrying voluptuous woman in the painting is called Marianne. She is regarded as the epitome of French woman hood, the ultimate French woman. Each year every mayor in France is invited to vote for a Marianne from a list of contemporary famous French women. Some of the winners have been Sophie Marceau, and Laitia Castra.

I couldn't help thinking that Monsieur Le Mayor and the Council would elect to put aside debate and consideration of the budget appropriation bills in favour of spending more time relating to the Marianne proposal!

After having my imagination run wild and the hopeless romanticism necessary for being  a bit of a Francophile, it was time to get back on the coach, and get to Aix in time to unpack and go for dinner.