24. Sep, 2022

24. Sep, 2022

24. Sep, 2022

24. Sep, 2022

24. Sep, 2022

SATURDAY 24-09-22

In my mind right now, I'm stood on a ledge at the top of the Humber Bridge looking down thinking 'That's a long way down but it looks so inviting, so much better than today'.

We awoke at Camping Cigales back in Cassis this morning with rain beating down on the roof, just as it had been since about 02:00, but it was forecast, so I don't have a problem with that. We both endured a shower down at the torture chamber, today's being the worst yet, especially when the water went from coolish to far too hot in seconds and I had to jump back.

I had already emptied most of the grey water tank last night doing it the hard way using a collapsible bucket taking full loads down to the bathroom block and depositing it in the chemical toilet point. It took about five or six ten-litre watering cans of fresh water to top up the tank before I emptied the black water. This saved us having to queue at the dump station on the way out.

Once we were ready for the road we were off heading for a Camperstop in Arles, stopping off at the local supermarket for fuel and food on the way.

The journey, most of which was done on rather expensive toll roads was fairly straightforward, though we did at one point get caught up in a long tailback of traffic following an accident.

We touched lucky at the supermarket (N43.667318° E4.634638°). There was a space on the fuel pump which we were able to drive straight on to, taking on about half a tank of diesel at something like €1.68 a litre. Then we were lucky enough to find a parking combination of car spaces which we could park in, which was pretty good for a Saturday morning in a fairly small car park. The plan was to buy enough to see us over the next couple of days park at the Camperstop there and then shop again before heading off for The Camargue.

Having shopped I fed in the co-ordinates of the Camperstop, and the fun began. The Satnav went crazy. Having got it all wrong as we left the car park it just compounded the problem. Oh what fun we had travelling down the narrow back streets and dead-ends of Arles. I'm trying not to think about what should have been a mile-and-half journey otherwise I'll start twitching.

Eventually we arrived at the Camperstop (N43.676820° E4.617031°), a fairly large one on the banks of the River Rhone.

Oh dear. What was once a very nicely located motorhome Aire offering parking at five Euros a night with water and a dump station included had become a parking area for life's 'homeless' paying nothing because the parking machine had been taken away and the dump station abandoned. I won't share with you the sight and smells of that particular facility.

We had originally intended to stay two nights, but having seen what was on offer decided we'd pop in to town this afternoon for a look round and leave tomorrow morning. So off we went having secured the vehicle good and proper and the alarm turned on.

So a bit about Arles:

The Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city. They built a canal link to the Mediterranean Sea in 104 BC. Arles had to compete with Massalia (Marseille) further along the coast.

Arles' leaders sided with Julius Caesar against Pompey, providing military support. Massalia backed Pompey; when Caesar emerged victorious, Massalia was stripped of its possessions, which were transferred to Arelate as a reward. The town was formally established as a colony for veterans of the Roman Legion Legio VI Ferrata, which had its base there. Its full title as a colony was Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum, "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth."

Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province of Gallia Narbonensis. It covered an area of some 40 hectares (99 acres) and possessed a number of monuments, including an amphitheatre, triumphal arch, Roman circus, theatre, and a full circuit of walls. Ancient Arles was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. The river has carried centuries of silt that has filled in the former harbour. The city had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhône.

The recently discovered republican House of the Harpist is an exceptional example of ancient architecture and interior decoration. Dating from 70-50BC, it has yielded elaborate frescoes.

The Roman Bridge was unique in that it was not fixed but consisted of a pontoon-style bridge of boats, with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place by anchors and were tethered to twin towers built just upstream of the bridge. This unusual design was a way of coping with the river's frequent violent floods, which would have made short work of a conventional bridge. Nothing remains of the Roman Bridge, which has been replaced by a more modern bridge near the same spot.

The city reached a peak of influence during the 4th and 5th centuries, when Roman Emperors frequently used it as their headquarters during military campaigns in Europe. In 395, it became the seat of the Praetorian Prefecture of the Gauls, governing the western part of the Western Empire: Gaul proper plus Hispania (Spain) and Armorica (Brittany). At that time, the city was home to an estimated 75,000–100,000 people.

It became a favourite city of Emperor Constantine I, who built baths there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son, Constantine II, was born in Arles. Usurper Constantine III declared himself emperor in the West (407–411) and made Arles his capital in 408.

The Barbegal aquaduct and mill (N43.704940º E4.721571º) is a Roman watermill complex located on the territory of the commune of Fontvielle, a few kilometres from Arles. The complex has been referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world. The remains of the mill streams and buildings which housed the overshot water wheels are still visible at the site, and it is by far the best-preserved of ancient mills. There are two aqueducts which join just north of the mill complex, and a sluice which enabled the operators to control the water supply to the complex. The mill consisted of 16 waterwheels in two separate rows built into a steep hillside. There are substantial masonry remains of the water channels and foundations of the individual mills, together with a staircase rising up the hill upon which the mills are built. The mills apparently operated from the end of the 1st century until about the end of the 3rd century. The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of flour per day, sufficient to supply enough bread for 12,000 of the 30,000–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time. A similar mill complex existed also on the Janiculum in Rome. Examination of the mill leat, still just visible on one side of the hill shows a substantial accretion of lime in the channel, tending to confirm its long working life.

It is thought that the wheels were overshot water wheels with the outflow from the top driving the next one down and so on, to the base of the hill. Vertical water mills were well known to the Romans, being described by Vitruius in his De Architectura of 25 BC, and mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia of 77 AD. There are also later references to floating water mills from Byzantium and to sawmills on the river Moselle by the poet Ausonius. The use of multiple stacked sequences of reverse overshot water-wheels was widespread in Roman mines.

Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. In the 19th century, the arrival of the railway diminished river trade, leading to the town becoming something of a backwater.

This made it an attractive destination for the painter Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on 21 February 1888. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including the Night Cafe, the yellow Room, Starry Night Over the Rhone and L’Arlesienne.

Paul Gaugin visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the well-known ear-severing incident in December 1888 which resulted in two stays in the Old Hospital of Arles. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889, he took the hint and left Arles for the Saint-Paul asylum at nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

It was a fairly short walk in to town. Sadly it was a dull, cloudy day and so the pictures reflected that. There's a lot of Roman history here, particularly the Amphitheatre and Colisseum, the difference was that the last time we were here six years ago the sun was shining on a glorious day. Never  mind.

After wandering around for quite a while we made our way back to the Camperstop. By then the couple who had pulled in beside us had already left, and as there was now a space between two fellow campers who I think had just arrived, further away from the scum, we moved the vehicle. Well bless me, after they had looked at the dump station down the road and listened to the now very loud music from one of our idle, skanky 'neighbours' they were off as well. I said to The Chef, 'There's no way we're staying here the night. I suspect they are deliberately provoking us all so that we move off their 'territory''.

So that was it. We had no option but to make our way towards our first stop in The Camargue. It was only about a twenty-mile journey, and very pleasant it was too, that is until we arrived at our intended destination a Camperstop next to a campsite at Saintes Maries de la Mer. Well, talk about laugh. The Camperstop was now closed according to the campsite Reception, and no, we could not camp at the campsite, presumably because it was full. I suppose today being a Saturday there were a number of weekenders in there. So that was that.

On the way out of town I noticed some motorhomes parked up in a car park. That was it, if they can do it so can we. Having parked up feeling that at last we'd had a bit of a result despite everything, we noticed a sign which said that the car park closed at 21:00. Dear Lord! I'd had enough. "F**k The Camargue, let's start heading home".

On the way out of town we came across a lay-by next to a small lake on which there are a few flamingos. Result. This will do us for the night.

After a nice simple, hot, plateful of comfort food and a couple of glasses of French red brake fluid The Chef suggested that maybe tomorrow we should go back to that car park that closed at 21:00 and park up for the day and have a look round. We can then come back to this lay-by tomorrow night before moving on. She was right bless her, that was the solution, and unless we are driven from this lay-by this evening by police or security staff brandishing clubs or tasers we shall do just that.

To add insult to injury when downloading the pictures and video clips from the stills camera, as that was the only camera I took out with me today, I inadvertently forgot to use the correct method to extract both pictures AND video clips, and so I'm afraid I can offer you nothing more than pictures tonight.

And to prevent an attack of the twitches I shall not mention that I have just ripped yet another pair of shorts on the bloody vehicle handbrake which is located beside the driver's seat next to the door. It's a real problem. As you slide out of the seat the handbrake disappears up the left leg (LHD) of the shorts and as you land on the ground you've already heard the RIP, and find you've left the stitching back in the vehicle.

This evening I have asked The Chef that on days when I miss having the motorhome any longer, will she please remind me of today.