Arles and the Van Gogh tour

#vangogh #arles #famouspaintings #rivieracruises

Leaving the boat to meet the tour guide, we were soon at our first stop on the riverside, where we overlooked a view painted by Van Gogh.  A picture on the wall showed the viewpoint from where he sat to do this painting, an early starry night scene.

The guide explained that Vincent arrived in Arles on 20 February 1888. After two years in Paris, he was tired of the bustle and demands of city life and longed for the sunshine and vibrant colours of the south. Arriving in winter, which was  probably not ideal, as the area was covered n snow! However,  he soon found the light that he was looking for.

Moving on, we stopped at a piece of open land,  and across the grassed area we could see the site of the Yellow House he settled into. Unfortunately, the building didn't survive the bombing of Arles  during  WW2.

Looking down on the floor, we noticed a metal plate with an arrow on it to show you a Van Gogh route to follow. However, our guide took short cuts because of her local knowledge. 
We soon arrived at the Arles' Roman Amphitheatre, where Bull fighting took place and still does today.  Vincent attended here on several occasions but in his painting preferred to focus on the colourful crowd scenes.

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As we moved through the streets, a church was pointed out,  which  appears in the centre of his famous Starry Night painting.

The arrival of Gauguin in Arles eventually led to the argument which resulted in the famous ear cutting incident. Our next visit was to the hospital that Vincent was taken to . Here he continued to paint and we saw the beautiful garden in the courtyard and another scene from a painting.

Finally, we made our way to one of the highlights of the tour, the Cage du Forum, where the cafe from his famous painting, 'Cafe Terrace at Night' still exists. It has now closed down, which is a shame as it would have been memorable to have a drink  there.

After an enjoyable couple of hours walking in Vincent's footsteps, the tour ended here. It was  certainly a highlight of the holiday.