Saturday, April 25, 2009

Wondering around Arles



I left on adventure pretty much 10 minutes after I types all of that previous. I can't be here and not explore, it's just blasphemy. I walked around the main road a bit before venturing down some side roads. I'll give this place one thing; it is absolutely, stunningly gorgeous. I didn't know places like this even existed anymore...I thought they were "out" with bad hair and spandex. Good thing I was wrong, because I literally could not walk a few feet without spotting something I just HAD to take a picture of.

Then I stumbled upon the Roman Amplitheater. Really? How do I manage to just accidentally find enormous, famous landmarks? I did get quite excited when I saw it, although the one I'm going to see in Nimes on Friday is going to be bigger I think. I wandered around it a bit, didn't linger long because the tours were closed and I'm going back on Saturday. I kept making turns down streets, figuring I had to find my way back eventually. And I did. A lot later. Arles' insides were like a maze of narrow streets with hardly anyone walking; and it was mildly terrifying as the sun began to set. I finally found my way back to a familiar area, but decided to head back to the hotel because by the time I'd get dinner it would be dark.

I sat in the "Studio Cafe" of the hotel, texting Jake and Heather about the town and how sick I am of not understanding anyone. I won't lie, I was also complaining that no one understood me either, let alone addressed me ever, when the bar tender asked me (in English) if I wanted anything. I said no, but then asked if the bar menu food was only available at a certain time. Of course, he didn't get what I meant, so after a few more tries he said yes. I ordered a charcuterie plate and a croque monsieur because I was starving. The plate came with a variety of meats with tomatoes and cornichons. The terrine looked very similar to cat feces, but I figured I should try it. It. Was. Awesome. I ate all of it before even looking at anything else. The coppa was great as well, though the others were kinda just "eh" in my book. The croque monsieur was interesting. It went a little something like this:

bread, cheese, ham, cheese, bread, cheese - broiled

It tasted alright, but it's probably nothing I will have again. I'm currently trying Pastis (on the same kind of level as Absinthe) which I will review with my wines later in the week.

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