Searching for Van Gogh in Arles

Arles entrance

Wandering through the town of Arles, it’s easy to understand why Van Gogh got so depressed here and eventually killed himself.  Oh sure, he was fueled by absinthe and he was probably bipolar, but even with that, I can totally see how this town would depress someone after spending two years here. 

what vg saw

cafe de nuit today

VG spent two years living and working here.  He supposedly had no friends.  Now maybe that was his fault, but the French are not the friendliest people in the world.  I don’t find them rude, as some have said, but they seem to merely tolerate anyone non-French or from anywhere other than their home town.  In Arles, they have to be polite.  Their source of income is completely tourist-driven at this point.  Back in Van Gogh’s day, they didn’t even have to be pleasant in order to make tourist dollars. There were no tourists.  Gauguin came  to visit VG and hated Arles.

Arles locals are visible and they are clique-ish.  If you are there off season as I was, the locals hang out from early in the evening when they meet to have a pastis or an espresso.  Everyone appears to know everyone in this tiny town, and no one makes an effort to speak to you.  If you spend a few days there, you feel like an outsider.  I empathize with poor Van Gogh who spent two years in this isolation.

cafe de nuit

Arles Market Day

Arles Market Day

Arles Market Spices

 The first Wednesday in any month, the open air market in Arles stretches as far as the eye can see with all types of goods.  Two main streets are a tangle of shoppers and vendors vying for your euros.  You can separate the tourists from the serious marketers easily.  The regulars all come prepared with their wheeled baskets to get their fill of produce, meats, cheeses, fresh breads, olives, and fish.   Stands are organized by their products.  Fish vendors line up next to one another, as do the cheese vendors and the olive vendors and so forth.  I was especially intrigued by the stands that specialized in garlics.  Who knew there were so many kinds of garlic?

provence garlic

The aromas fill the air; herbs de Provence, lavender, the pungent olives, and fish all tempt you.  I purchased aged gouda, a boule, olives, and a small jar of tapenade and made a picnic lunch.  The olives were the best I’ve ever tasted.  The bread was crisp on the outside and airy on the inside, as only French bread can be.  The warm cheese and the bread melted in my mouth. 

french bread & gouda

 

Further down the rows, there were dozens of tables filled with clothing and shoes.   There were nice things, but no real bargains as far as I could see.  I did buy a pretty scarf for two euros though.  There were several bargain tables.  Anything on the table was one euro.  There were the predictable vendors selling table cloths and napkins made of Provençal fabrics.  They were all pretty and inexpensive.  The only problem was choosing which one to buy.

There was a family showing a goat and asking for donations to “save the animals.”  Whether or not the money goes to this cause, I gave them a couple of euros. I figured the goat had earned it after standing around being gawked at.     

Provence market goat

The locals warn you to beware of pickpockets here, since it can get fairly crowded.  The general food market is every Wednesday and Saturday.   

Arles Market