Back To Sunny Provence, South France: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (La Camargue) and Arles (Part 8)

We left home exceptionally late and had a late breakfast. I was excited about the trip that day because I had pre-warned hubby about a sought-after kitchen item I wanted months before the Summer hols.

We left for La Camargue at 12.30pm. The GPS calculated a distance of 106 km from our holiday home.  It was the farthest distance  we’d travelled from origin to destination yet.

When we reached the Camargue, it was 1.30 pm ~ in the nick of time for some local dishes of the region. Lol!

What better way to indulge in moules et frites (mussels and fries) and le steak de taureau (bull steak) ! 

The Camargue is home to black Bulls, prevalently white horses, migratory birds and pink flamingos. 

We were at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the capital of the Camargue. It’s a coastal town  situated in the Rhône river delta, hence, our lunch of mussels and bull steak befitted our trip there excellently. 

Walking in the centre of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer reminded me of some coastal towns in Belgium. 

It’s a charming little town, very clean, with touches of Spain; after all, the Camargue almost bordered Spain.

This floral corner was a popular photo shooting spot. I had to take several shots before I succeeded in getting the view without earthlings *big smiles*

My Quest Ended …

I know we could find this salt in some of our local supermarkets, but, it was not the same as buying it in the manufacturing town itself.  La Camargue! 

The trendiest salt used in most health-conscious kitchen is fleur de sel (flower of salt).  

My jaw dropped looking at the many types, colours and flavours of the salt displayed. It’s definitely not the cheapest salt type around. The fleur de sel from the Camargue was priced at Eur 2.50 per 100 g. I bought the big pot of 1kg, which was slightly cheaper than buying in break-bulk, plus a pot with a personal label!

I was a happy bunny 😉

Before leaving the town, we strolled along the coastline, which I later learnt about the close link with our next stop. 

Arles

We left La Camargue at 4 pm for Arles. Like the Camargue, Arles is a city on the Rhône River in the Provence region of southern France.

Arles is famed for inspiring the paintings of the Dutch painter, Vincent Van Gogh. That was precisely why we visited Arles that late afternoon. We headed for the Fondation Van Gogh where contemporary arts are displayed. 

Vincent Van Gogh 

The story of Vincent Van Gogh is rather poignant. He had not known fame or fortune during his lifetime, but he left a legacy of his thousands of artworks for us to appreciate. By the way, he sold only one painting during his lifetime, and became renowned after his suicide, at age 37, which followed years of deprivation and mental illness.

I was so glad I found this painting of the fishing boats on the Beach of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. We were just there that afternoon! 

Vincent Van Gogh painted this painting in 1888 when he lived in Arles and took a trip to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

As you can see, the painting of the fishing boats became a centre of attraction that afternoon. Lol!

Same Theme, Different Colours, Same Painter

If you noticed, the early paintings of Van Gogh when he was in the Netherlands, were always dark and bleak, as can be seen below (top left) of the Avenue of Poplars in Autumn, painted in 1884 in Neunen. 

When he moved to the Provence, his paintings were more colourful, as depicted on the painting of Pine Trees in the Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889.

On the other hand when he was in Paris, he painted the Blossoming Chestnut Trees in Auvers-sur-Oise (1890) with minimum colours, ie, mostly greens and blue/purple. 

Vincent Van Gogh was considered a lunatic and a failure or loser in his lifetime. He exists in the public imagination as the exemplary and misunderstood genius where insanity and artistry converged.

Le Café La Nuit Vincent Van Gogh, Arles

One must not leave Arles without visiting Place du Forum. That’s where the painting of Vincent Van Gogh’s yellow café came to life! 

And by the way, the song, ‘Vincent’ (Starry Starry Night),  by Don McLean was written in tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. The painting Starry Night over the Rhône was painted in Arles in 1888.

We walked away from the hustle and bustle Place du Forum glancing back at the yellow café for the last time. 

We left Arles at 8 pm. Unfortunately with the longer hours of daylight, we did not experience a starry night. 

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!