Arles & St. Maries de la Mer

Time for an update! Here is how I spent my weekend...we went to Arles and St. Maries de la Mer!

We left Aix Saturday morning and headed to Arles. It reminded me of Aix a little bit but at the same time it is very different. I love all the bright shutters! Our hotel was on this little street!

Arles is famous for its Roman ruins. This is the exterior of an old Roman theater. This portion has not been restored so it gives you a hint of just how tall this structure was. 

Bull fighting arena! This is the old Roman amphitheater and now it hosts bull fights. Did you know that there are two kinds of bull fights? One, is a spanish variation in which the bull is killed at the end of the fight. The other is a french variation where they tie a ribbon between the bulls horns and the object is to cut the ribbon and not hurt the bull. The season just ended but we still got to appreciate the historical background of this arena. 

We saw the beautiful Van Gogh café where Van Gogh painted Café la Nuit. 

Don't you just love this little building!!! I do!!!!!!!

After spending the night in Arles, we headed to St. Maries de la Mer to witness a very old tradition. According to tradition, the three Mary's (of biblical times) were banished on a boat with no oars. They landed in this town unharmed and now each year, the people hold a ceremony in their honor. The purpose is to thank and bless the waters of the Mediterranean for providing safe passage.

This church is over a thousand years old! We waited outside for mass to end so we could follow the procession down to the ocean.

The horses ridden by guardians, accompanied the priests into the water to bless it. Very traditional!

Shell hunting :)

Hello ocean! It was a cold and windy day but it was still beautiful. It was so nice to smell the ocean. I will admit that I miss that smell! 

Family photo! From left to right: Jessica, Claire, Kreya, Dylan, Colin, Olivia and me!

After the ceremony we had a little bit of free time and then....we went horseback riding!

This was my horse...Il s'appelle Carmuzze. We got to ride for an hour and a half along the coast and through groups of wild pink flamingos! It was beautiful! It was so fun!

What's next? We have a vacation from the 27th of October to the 6th of November. Plans? I'm still undecided but I think I am headed to Bordeaux for 3 days with my friend Katherine from Australia. It should be fun!

School is still going well and I am loving everything about Aix. They started to line the main street, the Cours Mirabeau, with Christmas lights! I can't wait for it to be done! It has started to cool off and now it is only about 65 degrees (average) everyday. The Mistral wind is insane...I thought I was ready for it but I was wrong! Layers and scarves are the thing to have here! 

What do you all want to know about life in Aix? I try to write as much as I can but I don't know what to write half the time! 

Bises :)