Travel With Betsy

Don’t you find that the most remarkable things happen when you least expect them? I had an incredible dinner experience this evening that I really wasn’t expecting. It makes me appreciate the kindness of strangers.

As it turns out, Monday is not a good night for eating out in Arles, either. As is my custom when traveling alone, I stopped this morning at the Tourist Information Center to get the lay of the land here in Arles. My plan was to explore Arles today and then branch out in the next days to look at the other towns in Provence. So, I gathered all of my information from the very helpful woman a the Tourist Information Center. She was really great….spent a lot of time with me to review all of the points of interest in the area, transportation options, etc. My last question for her was about where to eat while here in town. She gave me some ideas and marked them on my trusty map. This is great. Maybe tonight I will have a good meal.

So, when I got ready to go to dinner this evening, I got out my map and decided where I would go. One of the streets had 2 recommended restaurants. So, I decided to give this a whirl. If one was closed, the other would surely be open. I headed out. I got to the one restaurant and then the other. Both were closed. So, I headed in the direction of another recommendation that was close to where I ate last night. Closed. What is it with the people in Arles? Really…..do they not eat?! I was close to the Jules Cesar Hotel, where I had originally planned to stay and whose restaurant got very good reviews in my Frommer guide book. So, I thought, their restaurant must be open. They are a hotel with guests that need to eat. Nope. Closed. In frustration, I asked the woman at the desk whether there was anything open anywhere. She directed me to a place called E’Crin. It was near my hotel….YAY!

I started of in the direction of the restaurant. I walked a little further than I thought I should and passed 2 cafes on the way and considered just going there. But, I really wanted a little more, as I had my usual baguette and cheese today and little else. Finally, I looked ahead of me and saw some lights at a doorway and decided this must be the place. When I went in, there were 2 tables of people already there…..a good sign for decent food…….people!

I must look and act like I am French because a lot of people try to communicate with me via French, which as we discussed, doesn’t really get anyone anywhere at all. But, in this restaurant, the waitress only spoke French…not English. So, once we established that I didn’t know much French, we were off and running. Then, a very nice couple at the next table asked if I needed help. Actually, I could understand the menu, but not much else. When they start to talk fast, I start to get lost. So, I accepted the couple’s gracious offer of help. They had limited English, but directed me into a really wonderful meal, and we all had a good time and a couple of laughs on the way. The menu was on a large chalkboard that was brought to each table when it was time to order. The woman of the couple actually sat next to me and explained what each menu item was. So very nice.

As I was waiting for my order to come, the place began to fill it’s 6 tables, and I watched the waitress as she interacted with the patrons. There was a French family, 3 sets of couples including the one that had helped me, a Spanish family that also didn’t know any French and me. The waitress went out of her way to help the Spanish family understand the menu. They were trying to understand the word “tarte”, which I think is universal in any language. But, OK, maybe not. In an effort to help, the waitress got her iPhone and looked for a translation on the internet so they would understand. I’ve never seen anyone go to this length to provide excellent customer service. Ritz Carlton stand back! Her interactions with the French family were equally as outstanding. I felt as if I were in my own home town having a casual dinner. How fortunate that I stumbled into this terrific place. The waitress knew all of the people except for me and the Spanish family. I realized that this was kind of a neighborhood place, and I was one of the neighbors. Love it!

When I first visited France I was told that the people were rude and didn’t like Americans. I have never had this experience and certainly didn’t have it here. I think people treat you as you treat them. What is the saying?…you get what you give…something like that. Anyway, I think if you are nice to people, they will be nice back…even the French.

For $20.50 Euro I had a grilled eggplant and Chevre cheese salad that was to die for. My main course was a poached chicken breast which would have been somewhat nondescript had it not been for the sauce of butter (of course) and Provencal spices. The vegetables were the star of the show….carrots, zucchini and tomatoes in a butter thyyme sauce. When it came time to order the dessert, I asked the waitress what she preferred. She asked if I liked chocolate, and so the decision was made. I had a most delicious warm chocolate lava cake with a mint chantilly cream. how many times can I say YUMMY before I get home? YUMMY! I would have never chosen this if she hadn’t suggested it. I left there fat and happy, just like after the meal at Benoit. Incredible.

The earlier part of my day was also pretty amazing. The woman at the Tourist Information Center convinced me to purchase a pass that would get me into 5 hot spots here in Arles. I made to 4. But, the pass is good for a month. I may make one more before I leave.

The most memorable of the places I visited was Les Alyscamps. These are the ruins of a Roman, and later Christian, cemetery. It is also one of the places that Van Gogh found inspirational and memorialized it in some of his work. It was very peaceful and lovely, even in the winter.

I also visited 2 arenas that originated in Roman times. Both are being renovated at this time. The largest arena is still used for bullfighting in the spring and summer months. The other is really more of a ruin and is no longer used. In it’s day, it was not used for bullfighting, but for things like circuses and lighter activities. I found both of these sights to be very interesting and enlightening. I didn’t realize the influence of the Romans on this area, although it does make sense. There are lots of examples of this all throughout the town. Before I leave, I hope to visit the museum here in town that explains more about the history and early influencers. I also visited the catacombs underneath the town hall, which I wasn’t as crazy about. It was dark and I found it difficult to walk between my vision issues and my back issues. I also had a fleeting thought about getting lost in the maze and never being found. How silly…but, it was just a fleeting thought…….

Tomorrow I plan to venture out to Avignon or Aix en Provence. Depends on how early I can get up. The weather is supposed to be really good through the end of the week. I felt like I was in a heat wave today after coming from Paris. I think it was about 50 degrees here. The temperatures are supposed to increase again in the next few days. I see lots of walking in my immediate future….YIPPEE!!

This entry was posted on January 28, 2013 at 9:50 pm and is filed under Europe, Group Travel, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.