Thursday 12 September

Up fairly early but moved very slowly.  Richard went to the showers while I was still in bed, but I also went before he came back.  On my way back I noticed that the weather forecast seemed better, though still a bit windy.  I mention it to R when I get back and he says he has read it too and we are leaving right away.  We belt down a bit of breakfast, and I rush around trying to stow things while R goes up to the Office to pay.  However when he has gone the French couple from the boat next door advise me that it is not a good time to go east.  The local wind has dropped, but the forecast is still for gusts of wind up to 45kts near the headland and from there to Marseille.  As that is direction we are headed for I run after Richard.  He looks at the forecast again and agrees with them, so we will stay here for one more day.

So it is over to plan A, which is to catch the bus into Arles and have a look around.  We have not been there since our belated honeymoon 44 years ago!   We expect it has changed.  We have a bit of time to put the boat in order and to read the newspaper!  Yes, we have finally got connected to the port’s internet and have been able to download the Times and the Archers.  So civilization makes it to the Camargue at last.

So we catch the bus with no trouble.  It stops within yards of the Tourist Office, so we are able to get a map of the city and have the main sights pointed out to us.  We see the Roman Theatre first.  It was quite an edifice in its time.  All enclosed and with roof blinds to keep the sun out!  Now it is mainly a ruin.  Only a few walls remain.  Otherwise it is just an open air auditorium, but impressive. Then off to the Roman Amphitheatre, used for Gladiatorial games in the days of the Romans, but now a bull ring!  It has been heavily restored and is very impressive.

Then we just walk around the old town finding a number of ancient buildings until we get to the main cathedral church, St Trophine.  It has a very impressive front, but the church itself is closed, so we can’t say what it was like.  Next to it there is the Cloister which we did go into.  That is in the process of being extensively restored, so a lot of it is covered up where the restorers are working.  It will be lovely, but not so good as the one in Moissac.  It is now still only 3:00pm and the bus doesn’t go back until 4.  So we walk the shopping streets trying to find an Orange shop to top up our internet machine.  We can’t find one and no one we ask knows of any shop, so we are out of luck.  At least for the moment we are connected, but we really hope to leave tomorrow. 

The bus trip home is good although the bus is full of school children.  We were going to eat in today, but Richard fancies the little seafood restaurant across the way for our fasting oysters.  When we get there they are fully booked for all inside tables.  I am all for just buying oysters to take away (which they say they can do for us), but R has decided he wants mussels.  So we get persuaded to eat outside.  It is freezing.  I have my fleece on and I am still shivering before I finish.  So back to the warmth in the boat.  The forecast is still dodgy, but looks like we might get along a bit.  We shall see in the morning.