Arles: City of Bullfights and Antiquities

Ancient and alluring, our Arles hotel window overlooks the ancient Roman theater built during the reign of Caesar Augustus. Looking to the right there are streets of multilayered buildings with sienna colored tile roofs and columned balconies lining the Vieux Ville. To the left just out of sight is the amphitheater where they still hold bullfights each Easter weekend. Blowing through the opened window, the air is fresh and bright. I think I could look at the view for a lifetime. I don’t know why but Arles, a city I almost breezed by with just a day trip appeals to my spirit on a deep level. I’ve had this feeling of recognizance before: standing in Crete atop a stone altar, and more recently riding a bike through Dunedin. It feels like a recognition that somehow this place could be home, or perhaps once was (in more of a woo woo sense).

The city is busily preparing for Easter weekend and the famous bullfights. Unlike in Spain, the bulls here are not killed and quite often win. That was my understanding anyway, one of our taxi drivers contradicted this so . . .

I am deeply grateful that our hotel in Aix missed the mark so many times and we came to Arles for a longer stay than we had originally planned. What serendipity. I would not have wanted to miss this hotel or this city.

Our hotel is brilliant, even though our room is straight up about 3 flights of very steep stairs. Victor, the amazing concierge, hefted our bags up to our room. We found Hotel de la Calendal on Booking, but also recommended by Rick Steves, so quite the treat. When we arrived I booked the spa for an hour. After dragging our belongings, both old and new to the bus station in Aix, changing buses, and dragging them uphill to our hotel in Arles, I felt that Dana and I had really earned a spa treat. And treat it was! The pool with the fountains overhead, the ice cold bucket shower, a bit reminiscent of the ALS bucket challenge, and the oh so needed sauna, a big treat! We are truly lucky ducks.

Dinner and then on to explore Arles . . .