Arles, France 7 eve-morn

/ A most pleasant activity is to take an evening wander through the very quaint little back lanes of Arles. There are a few shops and restaurants in the neighborhood, but by and large we are going to be showing you typical residential area in the old town. There is a significant population living here in residential buildings that go back through the centuries.
The Arena is just another two blocks over -- the ancient Roman Arena is the biggest historic feature of town. It's really a remarkably well-preserved structure and especially lovely to see it at twilight, with the skylight behind, and the spotlights on the façade. Not much left of Van Gogh here, but there's a foundation in his honor next to the Arena.
This is just kind of an aimless stroll were going to lead you on, through some of the residential district. These little lanes are just a couple of blocks away from the shopping streets, and are especially enjoyable at twilight. You can simply walk along, enjoying the peace and quiet.
Then take a turn back into the busy part of town. At 7 o'clock 8 o'clock at night it's very much alive in the main square, the Place de la Republique, surrounded by plenty of shops, bars, cafés and restaurants everywhere.
Just a few blocks over is the Boulevard Lice, the main busy street of town and at this hour there are lots of people out. The streets are lit up nicely here in November. It's about 7 PM, so it's pretty dark already, but enjoys that lingering effect of the late twilight.
We come upon the old arcade which is a very famous place. This Hotel de Dieux used to be a hospital and this is where van Gogh was brought after he sliced his ear. Now, the building is a cultural center and a little shopping mall. Of course, Van Gogh lived in Arles, famously for just about a year during which he created 200 paintings and 100 drawings. It was a very prolific year for that great artist, right towards the end of his life.
Arles was a fortified town ever since its Roman origins nearly 2000 years ago, with a wall around it. You can see the remains of a Roman aqueduct which enabled them to bring water in from the distance.
And on top of it is the ruins of an old medieval wall that surrounded the town.
Just next to that wall on certain mornings there is a lively market where you can get fruits and vegetables, and you can have a snack while you're there. They've also got some souvenirs for sale, some T-shirts and clothing, and it's a place to hang out and watch the locals on parade -- a spot the, morning market in Arles just on the edge of the old town. You might even see groups of school kids heading for class.
Even if you're not buying any of these fruits or vegetables, it's always enjoyable to watch the market, even if it's a rainy morning as we had.
One of the great things that you might want to purchase while you're in Provence -- a really characteristic item -- are the fabrics, the colorful Provencal fabrics. These are all made here in the area around Provence, using very nice cotton material, and printed in with those characteristic pastel colors, the yellows, greens and oranges, depicting natural motifs of olives and herbs blended into the flowing, geometric patterns.