Bridge at Arles, France over the Rhone, near spot where Van Gogh painted Starry Night
We arrived in Arles, France late in the afternoon and walked through the old town down to the banks of the Rhone River. At the time, we didn't know it, but found out the next day, that Van Gogh had painted his great work, "Starry Night" just a few blocks down the river from where we stood. These clouds with mare's tails and swirls were beautiful and were probably thrown up by the Mistral winds, the famous winds that blow down the Rhone river to the Med. These winds howled at night and according to one writer, may have contributed to Van Gogh's mental illness. They woke us howling at about 60 to 70 miles per hour and had blown the windows open in our room with the drapes flapping in the wind. The rest of the night, we had to use ear plugs to sleep with the winds. Too bad Van Gogh didn't have ear plugs if the winds caused part of his problems. Rome built Arles and has an intact Colliseum and amphitheater, both built by the Romans. Not far away is the Pont du Gard, the intact three level aquaduct, still standing after 2000 years.
Bridge at Arles, France over the Rhone, near spot where Van Gogh painted Starry Night
We arrived in Arles, France late in the afternoon and walked through the old town down to the banks of the Rhone River. At the time, we didn't know it, but found out the next day, that Van Gogh had painted his great work, "Starry Night" just a few blocks down the river from where we stood. These clouds with mare's tails and swirls were beautiful and were probably thrown up by the Mistral winds, the famous winds that blow down the Rhone river to the Med. These winds howled at night and according to one writer, may have contributed to Van Gogh's mental illness. They woke us howling at about 60 to 70 miles per hour and had blown the windows open in our room with the drapes flapping in the wind. The rest of the night, we had to use ear plugs to sleep with the winds. Too bad Van Gogh didn't have ear plugs if the winds caused part of his problems. Rome built Arles and has an intact Colliseum and amphitheater, both built by the Romans. Not far away is the Pont du Gard, the intact three level aquaduct, still standing after 2000 years.