Van Gogh's garden

After being diagnosed with a mental disorder Van Gogh was admitted to a hospice in the city of Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed while in isolation here. Visitors now have the opportunity to walk through the gardens of the mediathèque where Van Gogh spent the final years of his life. After seeing the flowers of the courtyard in full bloom, I could better appreciate the liveliness of his painting of the same scene.

Mysteries of the Underground

The temperature cooled rapidly as we descended the narrow stairway beneath the town hall. A musty odor grew stronger with each new chamber we entered. Finally, we ducked through a improvised hole in the ancient masonry ceiling and emerged into a large underground liar. By the echoing of our voices, we could sense that the room was massive. Once our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, we realized that we were standing among the porticos of the ancient Roman forum of Arles.

Arles offers visitors a rare chance to fully experience engineering marvels of a Roman city. The big three attractions include the amphitheater, theater and baths. However, hidden two stories beneath the modern-day streets, visitors can still walk the streets of the ancient Roman city in the crypts of Arles.

Walking through the dark passages, it's easy to let your imagination run wild. I felt a little like Indiana Jones. Of course, the crypts are now a big tourist draw, so it's adequately lit and fire evacuation routes are listed. Still, I wanted to speculate how the underground passages might have been used in medieval times. Were they inhabited by gangs of thieves and gypsies, or was it more like a garbage heap? Do you think people would have fled into the tunnels if Arles had been the target of Allied bombing in World War 2. The potential for that kind of speculation really made this tour special.

Arles, Roman Metropolis

I first visited Arles two years ago. The well-preserved Roman ruins captured my imagination. I wrote the following account in a local restaurant that very day. On my second visit, I was equally impressed with the city.

(November, 2007) The Roman Amphitheater or Arles sits at the highest point in the city and still dominates its surroundings. Amazingly, even though the structure was built in 90 A.D., it is still being used today - regularly showing bull fights since 1830. The monument is 136 m (~450 ft) long and is ringed by 60 arches. Twenty thousand spectators could have been comfortably seated to watch gladiator duels and exotic animals fight. In the middle ages, the structure was converted into a fortress. At that time, over 200 homes and two churches took up residence within the friendly confines.

I entered through the front gate, just like a typical Roman would have done. It wasn't hard to imagine the bowl filled with thousands of spectators. I hiked up to the top of one of the medieval towers for a bird's-eye view. From that vantage, I could see all of Arles, and I imagined how medieval watchmen would have been able to spot invaders from miles away. Only a slight metal grandstand reminded me that it was 2007. Having worked on some stadiums back home, I was surprised by how little the basic arena concept has changed.

Next, I viewed the ruins of a Roman theater. The structure was originally built up off of ground level and included two levels of seating and huge stage area. In ancient times it would have looked much like a modern performance hall. History has not treated the first century B.C. structure as well as the adjacent amphitheater. Only the lower seating bowl and two of the hundreds of ornate columns that would have decorated the structure still remain.

Entertainment may have been for special occasions, but every afternoon, the Roman population would visit the baths. The process included a sauna treatment, hot bath, lukewarm rinse, some laps in the swimming pool and finally a massage. Much of the Roman baths of Arles remain to this day. Unfortunately, only a half-dome remains of the roof, and most of the floors are also gone. This allows modern visitors to walk through the ancient furnace rooms.

I had a great time exploring the Roman ruins, market squares, and natural wonders of Provence. It is easy to see why so many people continue to visit the region in search of a muse. A special experience awaits those who can draw inspiration from the magnificent historic structures.