Day 6 – An Occitan Journey - Arles

From Cagnes-sur-Mer, we are heading across the south of France, through Provence into Languedoc.  This region is very different from the north, with its own geography, culture, history, and (in places) language.  It took several centuries of conquest and inquisition to bring it under French rule, and its assimilation is still far from complete.

Back on the Autoroute (and getting caught iup in some of the last vacationers returning to Paris), we continued on to Arles, the home of Roman baths dating back to the era of Constatine (3rd century AD).  As luck would have it, the town was in the last day of its annual Roman Festival; we were very fortunate to get a parking space right at the Rhone River and near a restaurant which looked very inviting.  We went there for lunch and found that the waiters in togas were part of the festival, and they were serving a Roman style lunch.  The food was delicious and so were the waiters (not that I noticed!).

We both had a sandwich that was one of the best on our trip - chicken and salad in a flat bread pinned together and fantastically seasoned.  Sitting outside in front of the ruins of Constatine’s baths near the river and in the beautiful day - what a remarkable lunch.

The waiters weren’t all that concerned about the sides of their togas and it was clear they only had very brief black undies on.  I went to take their picture and Mark questioned if they’d allow it, I was pretty sure they would, and they not only posed but hammed it up, and kidded that 'that would be 14 Euro, s.v.p'.  They were more like actors or businessmen on a holiday playing waiters.  It was a fun time.  Ancient sycamores followed rivers and road throughout the parts of Italy we drove through and southern France.  Many main streets now become roads are lined with Sycamores and when they need to expand the road, they do not cut the sycamores, rather build another road and make each a one way.  Nice they appreciate their trees and how long it's taken them to grow so huge.  (A side note: There were far more women working as waitresses this trip than 10 years ago in Paris.  Many waiters still have the serious countenance that seems required of the profession.)