After a good night’s sleep, interrupted only by a subconscious need to check the score in the Oiler’s game at 3:30am, it was time to start exploring. Our lovely travel gurus Cathy & David arranged a private tour for us which included the weekly market at St. Remy and the Carrieres des Lumieres in Le Baux-en-Provence. The market was phenomenal. It happens every Wednesday with local producers and farmers bringing in amazing produce, meat, charcuterie, flowers, honey, bread, olive wood products, clothing and linens.

We left the market and headed to a nearby rock quarry for the Carrière des Luminations production. The quarry opened in 1800 and produced limestone products until 1935 when the demand for limestone tanked as new building materials were developed. In 1959 artists started taking an interest in the acoustic value of the old quarry. They initially presented opera in the quarry, but have expanded to consistently have a permanent sound and light show on the go since. The show we saw was based on paintings such as this one by Rousseau. The show is designed to immerse you in the painting by animating a number of different paintings and showing them to music on several surfaces (I.e., walls, floors and ceilings) in the abandoned quarry. It was overwhelming at first and then we got into the artistry of it all.

In modern times Arles is known for its hosting of a variety of artists who painted there, most notably is Vincent Van Gogh who lived here while addressing his serious mental health concerns from 1888-1889. He painted more than 300 paintings in that community.

We took the opportunity to stroll through the streets of Arles and were struck by the wonderful flowers growing in abundance. The smell of Jasmine was striking and lovely.

We finally found the Arles Ampitheatre in our wandering. You would think something this large would be easier to find. It was built in 90 AD and was the focus of the Roman occupation until the 5th century. With the fall of Rome, it then became a part of the fortifications of Arles and people started to build houses in it. In 1825 the movement began to change it into a national monument. The houses were expropriated and it was turned back into a performance arena that now hosts bull fights and concerts.

We had a relaxing evening on the ship. Supper is a wonderful time to socialize and eat amazing food. The wine, as one might expect, is delicious. More on that as we go. Tonight the ship moved to our next port – Avignon!