van Gogh, rest day and dinner

Guinee fowl

My dessert

Barbies dessert

I have had a really bad cold bordering on flu - fevers, a dry cough that shakes the body and a really sore throat. I have been soldiering on and thats probably what has made it worse so took it easy in the morning before going out adventuring in Provence.

We are still staying at le mas de Florent in Arles and it is wonderful. It is slightly decadent, the owner Gilbert runs it in a relaxed french way and when guests stay for dinner, as we have once, it is like a huge family feast as the owner and his friends join in.

After dinner there are lots of places to sit around and each night there are people around who just stay up outside to talk etc.

Arles is the epicentre of all things van Gogh and it was here he took a knife to his ear, we took a drive not far away to the sanitarium (Cloitre Saint Paul de Mausone) where he spent a year of his life. He also painted the sunflowers and fields of lavenders . All paintings have endeed up elsewhere. Beautiful grounds and buildings, it is next to roman ruins that Barbie said date to 10 AD which I am a bit doubtful about. Arles has a great representation if Roman stuff including a central arena, an aqueduct and a huge music/entertainment area all from about the 10th century.

Temperature on car thermometer was 43.5 when we got in but once we got going it was only 39.5! Yeah, so it's hot and dry here. The last couple of days we haven't had the mistral that Provence is famous for.

Dinner was in Arles and was recommended by a local - the desert was possibly the best I have ever had. Rest of dinner was fantastic the only problem was the restaurant was really hot.