Arriving..... Arles and St Remy

Day 1
So, after a slight delay, I safely made it from London Gatwick to Marseilles where I met the car...... No piccies just yet as she is filthy from sitting in the airport carpark for a number of months, but you can tell she's a pretty wee thing and we've got on rather well.  Top down and we were off to my home for the next 4 days, Domaine du Bois Vert just outside Grans. I have to say the directions from Google map were spot on, so would highly recommend..... as would I the accommodation - beautiful setting, gorgeous room with french doors out to a patio, oh and a pool as well round the back.

Day 2
After a tremendous sleep, today was an indulgence, not of wine, but of art.  As a little tip of hat to my father, I visited the town of Arles this morning.... walked the streets where Van Gogh painted, saw THE cafe, but also wandered through the charming streets and appreciated the amazing Roman remains (second only to Rome itself I am reliable informed!)

After a delicious (but somewhat overpriced) lunch, I travelled onwards to St Remy. This is where the hospital of Saint-Paul de Mausole is situated, famous as the sanitorioum where Van Gogh stayed while getting help for his mental illness and where he painted 143 oils and over 150 drawings.

As the daughter of an artist, I get a lot of the old "amazing light" and "vibrant colours" chat, but I have to say, having been there, I now know what everyone has been saying - it was as if someone switched my eyes to HD - the light was stunning - the definition of the trees and the hills against the sky was so clear, so crisp - well, it defies articulation! I can only comment that staying there would have inspired me to paint (who really, really can't) and it made me all the more sympathetic to Vincent Van Gogh's plight given that even all this beauty and colour couldn't save him from the demons ravaging his mind..... and it was from here that he went out and shot himself.

Sorry, a bit of a dark note to end on, but maybe some pics of the place will help you understand. There is also a walk from the hospital back into town which is marked at frequent intervals by copies of Van Gogh's paintings in front of the place where they are thought to have been painted.

PS Am getting used to having lots of car on my right, though it's still a bit scary on narrow streets; and am getting used to the gears on the wrong side too. Randomly, it's the seatbelt that gets me every time!