So this weekend was our first group excursion. We traveled from Dijon which is in the Bourgogne (Burgundy) 
region to Arles, which is in Provence. Provence is in southwestern France and touches the Mediterranean Sea. The region is known for its olives and olive oil, lavender, fabric (think blue and bright yellow patterns), wine, and beautiful scenery. Although we had an opportunity to enjoy most of these things too, Provence was a part of our curriculum because it ties in with the history we are studying right now. Dr. Barbour’s course begins with the origins of France, with the Gaul-Roman Empire. Before this week I had no idea part of the Roman Empire existed in modern-day France. Before we left on Thursday we read a number of articles about how the Gauls sought the protection of the Roman Empire and how the Romans built their model cities in the south of what is now France.
On the way to Arles we stopped in Orange to see the ancient theatre there. This theater is famous because its 
“mur de scene” (the wall behind the stage) is very well preserved. This wall survived where others were destroyed because in the Middle Ages the people living in the city built their houses inside the theater and used it as a fortress. Since people’s homes abutted the “mur” and they wanted to defend their homes, it prevented it from being torn down. The theater has a semi-circle of stone seating facing the stage, which seats 7,000 people. They still have concerts, plays, ballets, and other performances there today. I think it would be incredible to live in a city which has a 2,000 year old Roman
theater. How humbling to sit on the benches and ponder the number of other people who have sat in the same spot over the last two millennia. Each human life is so small in the scope of human history, let alone in the scope of eternity.
After Orange we continued on to our hotel in Arles. Arles is situated along the Rhone River and our hotel itself was not far from the river. We stayed at a cute little hotel called Hotel du Musée. The first evening we ate at a restaurant called La Paillotte/Le Plaza. The weekend excursions are organized through a company called Keolis, so Dr. Barbour didn’t choose the restaurants. But Keolis chose well, this was my favorite meal so far (well, until the next night, when it got even better). We started dinner with an aperitif called Pastis, a specialty of Provence. It is a liquor made from anis seed and is diluted with water. Dr. Barbour told us it was licorice-flavored, but we (the students) agreed after tasting it that “liquefied jelly beans” would be a better description. I very much prefer kir.
Our chauffeur for this excursion, Patrick, was the chauffeur last time Dr. Barbour led this program in 2005. He 
chose the wine for the evening, a rose from Arles called Domaine de bBeaujeu. It was delicious and went perfectly with my meal. That night for an entrée (starter) I had an eggplant pate. It sounds awkward but it was very similar to an eggplant hummus. It was light and refreshing. For my main course I had “cabillaud cuit à l’étouffe,” cod prepared in a creamy pink-ish sauce and served wrapped in tin foil. It was incredibly tender and also light. For dessert, “délice glace pêche,” peach ice cream delight. The name says all. After dinner we walked around the town a bit. There’s a cute square near our hotel with numerous cafes. Arles is definitely a smaller town though.
Friday was a big day. In the morning I went for a run with Kara along the Rhone. There were lots of people out walking but we got a few odd walks. I don’t think jogging is as popular in France as it is in America. Then we w
ent to the “Musée Archéologique Antique d’Arles,” the archaeological museum. The museum had both numerous artifacts and also excellent models of Arles as it appeared in Roman times. The most incredible for me was the boat bridge which crossed the Rhone. Today the stone pillars (adorned with lions) still stand, but the bridge is gone. It was ingeniously constructed of out of wood laid across boats, which were staked to two stone columns they built in the water. That way when the water line rose significantly, the bridge wouldn’t be destroyed but instead would be buoyed up as the water level rose. We had a guide in the museum as we did for the theater in Orange. All of these tours are entirely in French, which is good because I am building a more diverse vocabulary.
Then directly after the museum we boarded the bus and drove to Nîmes, another city near Arles. Nîmes has a Roman amphitheater (which, unlike my understanding of the word, indicates a ringed stadium which we would call an arena). Apparently after seeing the amphitheater in Nîmes, many Americans ask “so, where are the 
others?” The amphitheater is called “les arènes” and the actual ring where the action takes place is called “l’arène.” So people think there is more than one because the plural verb is really referring to one building. The amphitheater in Nîmes hosted the typical Roman spectacles: gladiator and man-versus-beast fights. Today it’s used for all kinds of shows, including Holiday on Ice. The ugly metal bleachers somewhat marred the picture, but it was so cool to sit in the stands and imagine how many shows must have happened there in the last 2,000 years. In Nîmes we also saw a building called the Maison Carre, which was built by one of the Roman emperors after the death of two of his sons. There is also a huge public garden in Nîmes which reminded me of the gardens of Versailles. How incredible would it be to have a park like that in your hometown? To eat your lunch on a bench next to a Roman library? To throw Frisbee on the grass behind the spring which allowed the Romans to build a city on that location. Too cool.
Fun fact: Nîmes is the home of denim. The sailors who worked nearby used a particular strong material for their pants, which needed to withstand a lot of work. Levy Strauss recognized the potential marketability of this durable material when he visited Nîmes, and thus a phenomenon was born. It’s also the home of Lacoste, whose crocodile comes from city crest of Nîmes.
We returned to Arles for the evening. I very much prefer to stay in one hotel and make day trips than to be constantly changing hotels. For dinner we went to a place called Restaurant L’Escaladou, which specializes in the cuisine of Provence. One of the big dishes in Provence is bouillabaisse, a fish stew in a broth called rouille (whose name comes from the red tint of its Spanish spices). Mine had two whole fish and part of a third. The two whole fish still had their heads and tails attached. This aesthetic detail didn’t prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the soup. It was served with a tray of shredded white cheese, a clove of garlic, toasted baguette rounds, and a curry mayonnaise. Patrick showed me how to add all of the elements to my bowl and I tucked in. The tureen was big enough to feed three people! Even though I had some help, half of it was left when I was finished. I am really glad I tried it though. I am very pleased at how my fellow Wake students are willing to try new foods. Wright ordered escargots as his entrée and rabbit as his main course. Peter tried mussels and lamb’s feet. At least two others had a different fish soup 
as their entrée. Everyone is very willing to share a bite of their meal, and I’ve gotten to try lots of tasty bites.
Saturday was much more laid back than Friday. We had the morning free to explore Arles and some girls and I went to the market. The market in Arles happens every Saturday and is the biggest in the area. There was one section where vendors sold produce, meat, seafood, and bread and another with knick-knacks and clothing. For me it was a flashback to the souks of Morocco. The fruits and vegetables are so beautiful and vibrant! There were vendors selling spices too, but these were in smaller quantities than in Morocco and had helpful signs indicating the contents of each basket (unlike in Morocco, where I just admired the colors with no hope of discerning the names). And I didn’t realize paella was so popular in this part of France. It makes sense since Provence is so close to both the sea and Spain. There were vendors selling it cast-iron pans so big I could have bathed in one. I ended up buying a cotton skirt with a blue and white Provence pattern around the hem. Most of the clothing was the “made in an Asian sweatshop variety” but this skirt was clearly more local.
In the afternoon we drove to St. Maries à la Mer, a beach town on the Mediterranean Sea. It’s located in Camargue, a smaller region within the region of Provence. Camargue is known for its taureau (bulls), white-grey horses, rice and sea salt. There was no history lesson along with this part of the excursion, only the pleasure of an afternoon at the beach. Since it was very hot in Orange, Arles, and Nîmes, I was really looking forward to this afternoon all weekend. I was not disappointed. It was very relaxing. We did all of the usual beach activities: sun-bathing, Frisbee-throwing, splashing in the water, taking lots of silly pictures. After a little while I went in search of a gift for my host family along with Carleigh and Mary Kate. We browsed the many cute boutiques of the quaint beach town. Since the area is know for its bulls there were lots of cowboy boots and leather belts and saddles. In the past I never would have associated bull fighting with France, but I guess that’s the cool part about going to a place rather than just reading about it. After a lot of browsing, both Carleigh and I decided on a bottle of red wine from Chateauneuf du Pape (we’ve tried it on this trip and I liked it) and a bouquet of lavender. I am going to give it to my family this afternoon when I meet them; I hope the wine is good!
That evening we went back to La Paillotte/Le Plaza for dinner. *I’m not sure why Keolis had us to go the same restaurant twice, potentially because we’re a group of 10, including Dr. Barbour and Patrick, and not many restaurants will take reservations? No one is really sure* I got the same entrée, but this time tried the taureau as my main course. It was prepared inside a pastry crust and the meat had the consistency of pulled pork. It was more tender and flavorful than I expected. For dessert I had fromage blanc, which is similar to plain yogurt but a little sweeter and creamier (I think of it as a cross between plain yogurt and whipped cream, but it has cultures like yogurt).
This morning, Sunday, we left Arles to drive back to Dijon. Along the way we stopped to see the Pont du Gard (literally the Gard River Bridge, but it’s actually a Roman aqueduct which spans the river). It is enormous and one of the best examples of Roman aqueducts still preserved today. Again, I am astonished at what the Romans were able to accomplish without modern machinery. I look at things like that and think: people greatly underestimate themselves. People are capable of amazing feats. Of course, the Romans probably had a lot of cheap labor to help them out, but we have technology! I am impressed if my iPod lasts two years without dying, and this bridge is 2,000 years old. I apologize if I am gushing, but I want to convey the extent of my amazement. So now we are en route to Dijon, and hopefully almost there. I thoroughly enjoyed Provence and would certainly return again someday. It was very hot during the day, but this is also the end of August. I am sure in May or June or even the middle of September it would be much more pleasant.
If you’ve made it this far, know that I am very impressed.
After class most of us trooped over to Parc D'Arcy and hung out there for a while on a grassy knoll. On the way we stopped at Gloup's, a candy store which is probably the closest thing I've seen to a Willy Wonka store, or a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I'm not a big fan of sugary candy (give me chocolate or pastries any day), but it's fun to see all of the ridiculous shapes and flavors (alligator shaped? Coca-Cola flavored?)
