विश्रम् - Vishram

  We had a museum pass while in Arles and were able to tour some of the Roman sites.  Of note is the museum from the late-nineteenth century which used wax figures to portray everyday scenes of Arlean life.  It was a pioneering thought to think that future generations might be interested in the current day.   The Roman Colosseum in Arles A burial ground in Arles.

 The Pont du Gard was a Roman aqueduct built around the year 55 AD to carry water over 50 km from the hills to the Roman colony of Nemausus.  The Romans placed high value on water and bathing.  The water system permitted well off Romans to have running water in their houses.  While in Arles, we also visited the Roman baths where everyone was allowed to bathe and it was the only place in Roman society where there was no class distinction.

 We hunted down places where Van Gogh had painted and also visited the sanatorium where he lived.  This was a building dating from the 1100s.  There are plaques in towns marking where he painted showing the painting in front of the scene he had painted.   It was interesting to see the artistic licence that he had taken in interpreting the scenes. The cafe in Arles that VanGogh frequented.   The sanatorium where Van Gogh stayed. His bedroom in the sanatorium.

 We had a wonderful time experiencing the areas away from the coast.   Lots of interesting villages and towns and great castles. The ancient farmhouse where we stayed.  This has been a place of hospitality to pilgrims travelling from Rome to Portugal since the 1000s.