We left the Fleurys about 10:15 and proceeded into Beynac village to stock up on provisions at the alimentation and the boulangerie. Also bought some local wine and foie gras for the villa. It was probably 11 or so before we got on the road for Arles. Winnie said 5+ hours to get there. We decided to take the route labeled "Most use of Freeways" even though it twas the same amount of time as "shortest distance." Some of the back roads in France are "tight;" we figured our driver would have an easier time on the autoroutes. Who knows?? We did go pretty far south because there was no highway going east to Arles.
Anyway, it was a fairly easy drive. We did get hung up the first time we had to pay a toll!! But we figured it out AGAIN and clapped for our subsequent victories!! (The autoroutes in France are expensive; one toll, of about 5 that we paid, was more than 20E! Stopped 3 times at very modern, well-stocked, clean rest areas (aires in French) for coffe, gas, bathroom breaks, general shopping and once for our picnic lunch--delicious!! Nothing like French baguettes with tomatoes, cheese, country salami and olives!!
We arrived at the Arles exit shortly before 5. Winnie indicated we weren't far from Hotel de la Muette. Once in the "ancien ville" we got a little concerned--were these really vehicle streets? Would we scrape the side of the rental car? But Winnie was correct again!!! Through several tight turns we finally saw our hotel.
Talk about contrast!!! Hotel de la Muette is very quaint. But there are no elevators, the stairs are narrow and steep, the halls are dark!!! However it is charming and the owners are interesting and speak some English. After check-in, Peter was able to find a parking space just outside the hotel and we were assured that the car would be safe.
So, off we went to explore a little of ancient Arles, a city dating back to the time of Julius Caesar. We wandered around some of the extremely narrow streets, found a street with recommended restaurants for later, strolled along the Rhone River, watched a river cruise boat get under weigh and then walked back through the old city to find a restaurant for dinner.
Two restaurants we tried said we needed reservations!! Rick Steve's didn't tell us that. Ultimately we found the Place du Forum where there are plenty of eating establishments with outdoor accommodations. We chose Bistro Arlesien and ordered tartine Provençal, prawns Provençal, salads, spaghetti bolognese steak hache and finished with cappuccino. The walk back to our hotel was short and we all retired immediately!! Traveling is exhausting!!! Merci mille fois to Peter today for his great driving!!
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