"Arles" Arles by Kid-A

It's so windy in Arles. Someone there told me it can drive some people slightly insane. But it's also very beautiful there, and a bit touristy. We only had 2 days there after the trip to Marseille, and on the second day we ran into an older couple who have an RV and parked on the outskirts of town and ride their bikes everywhere. They had been there something like 2 or 3 weeks already. That seems like a really nice way to tour the south. I can't wait until I'm retired! Only 30 or 40 more years!@%$@!&*!

the famous bridge is a re-construction

I first heard of Arles in that film, Ronin. Then read a book about Van Gogh and found out there was some painting being done there before Robert De Niro and Jean Reno came there and shot the place up.

Many of the places Van Gogh painted in Arles remain, or have been re-built, or are just historically preserved, so there is a horde of tourists swarming from one landmark to the next in search of photo opportunities. Of course we ended up as part of that horde--though not on a Van Gogh bus tour...we did it on foot on our own.

If done on foot, the Van Gogh landmarks will keep you busy for quite a few hours. One warning: the bridge is not a short walk to the outskirts of town like the tourist maps you can get at the tourist information office. It may be a 10-minute drive, but it's about a 45-minute walk, and not a pretty one (along a road with cars speeding by and through an industrial area!).