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onjour! This newsletter is about Arles, the most sprawling city in France. It is located right at the edge of
the Camargue region in the south, at the exact point where the river Rhone splits in two before flowing into
the Mediterranean.
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| Camargue, the French Texas |
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Camargue: the French Texas
Camargue refers to the delta area of the Rhone River. It is sometimes called "the French Texas",
due to the unique wild and untamed spirit of the region. Although it is spread across the two
towns of Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, it doesn’t cover that much territory, but it does
seem huge to the visitor who is stunned by the magical spectacle of these vast swampy fields just
a few miles outside the city. Out there, cowboys ride magnificent white horses while keeping
herds of bulls on lands that are often flooded. Camargue is also known for the richness of its
natural environment, and for the diversity and fragility of its ecosystem. About 5,000 pink
flamingos have long ago made it their unique habitat in Europe, while wild horses run among the
salt and rice fields. There are many wonderful guided tours of Camargue available, whether by
horseback, foot, jeep or bicycle. Go as you please, but don’t forget the mosquito repellent!
What is "la Gabelle"?
The Midi region is the center of salt production in France. Ever since antiquity, the salt
harvested from the marshes that line the area’s ponds was used to preserve food. It wasn’t
long before Camargue became a heaven-sent source of wealth for the French kings, particularly
when they instituted an indirect salt tax called "la gabelle" in 1341. All the kings’ subjects
were required to buy a certain minimum amount of salt or else they were fined. Salt was sold at
arbitrary prices that varied with the provinces, which encouraged smuggling, but these prices
were always very high since they included "la gabelle". This very heavy and unpopular tax on a
basic necessity was finally abolished in 1791, during the French Revolution.
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| Recipe
for Summer 2001 |
Salade
Niçoise |
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Cooking SOS ! If you
run into trouble with one of our recipes, send
an SOS e-mail to 911@francemonthly.com |
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Vincent Van Gogh |
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Completely fascinated by the colors of Provence, Van Gogh settled in Arles in February 1888.
Soon thereafter, he invited his friend Gauguin to join him. Unfortunately, the relationship
between the two painters deteriorated into frequent and violent arguments until December 1888,
when Van Gogh threatened Gauguin with a razor, and eventually cut his own ear lobe off. Gauguin
left the region never to return. Despair and alcohol abuse led Van Gogh to neglect basic hygiene
and drove him to madness. The local people felt threatened by his violent personality and all
signed a petition demanding he be committed. Aware of his failing mental health, Van Gogh
checked himself into the hospital for treatment in May 1889.
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The few months that Van Gogh spent
in Arles were probably not the happiest of his life, but they were certainly the most prolific,
yielding 200 paintings and 100 drawings. Among the masterpieces are "Les Alyscamps" (or "Champs
Elysees" in Provencal), "Le Pont de Langlois" ("The Langlois Bridge": you can admire a replica
of the original bridge, long gone, about 0.5 miles from the original site), and "La Maison Jaune"
("The Yellow House", where he lived for over a year).
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"L’Arlesienne", or The Arlesian Lady |
"L'Arlesienne" is the Queen of Arles, the symbolic First Lady of the city. To qualify for this
prestigious title, a young woman must be born in Arles, be between 16 and 23 years old, she must
speak the Provencal dialect and know Provencal customs. She must also agree to remain single during
the 3-year term of her reign. "L'Arlesienne" is elected on May 1st, by a jury of 7 people. She
leads the way for the townspeople and visitors in all the traditional events and festivals during
the spring and summer. Just follow her steps. In April, she will take you to the Easter celebration
that gathers hundreds of horseback cowboys and Arlesian women in traditional dress. You can also
catch another cowboy festival on May 1st, or the parade of traditional costumes in the streets of
Arles at the beginning of July, or bullfights, running of the bulls from Camargue, and many concerts
and dances throughout the summer, up until the September festival that celebrates the first rice
harvest. No matter which summer month you visit Arles, you will be swept up in the festive atmosphere
that permeates the streets throughout the season.
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Arles and the Champs Elysees (or "Alyscamps" in Provencal) |
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There is a tree-lined avenue called "the Alyscamps" in the southeastern part of Arles, where locals
regularly go for leisurely strolls at dusk. This unique boulevard is also the last vestige of the
biggest necropolis of Antiquity, which in the Middle Ages covered an area equal to that of the city,
with several thousand coffins stacked on top of each other. Legend had it that St Trophime was
buried at the Alyscamps, and that his tomb had been the scene of miracles. And so in the following
centuries, it became a prized burial site for kings and high dignitaries, as well as for less wealthy
inhabitants of the Rhone valley cities. Everyone wanted to be buried there because they thought that
would guarantee them a place in heaven. They would place their dead in barrels, with a small monetary
donation, and position these makeshift coffins upstream on the river Rhone, free to go with the flow.
They would float down to Arles, to the bridge of Trinquetaille, where Arlesians would retrieve them,
collect the money, and bury the dead in the famous cemetery.
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The Arlesians’ Favorite Grandmother
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Jeanne Calment was born in Arles on February 21, 1875, and died in 1997 at the age of 122. Her
longevity earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. She was 14 years old when the
Eiffel Tower was finished. She met Van Gogh in 1888, as he came to buy paints in her father's store.
Towards the end of her life, she was living mostly off the income from the apartment she had sold
to a lawyer for a life annuity, back when she was about 90 years old. He paid her a monthly allowance
for the apartment that would belong to him upon her death. He had good reason to believe he had made
a great deal, given Jeanne Calment’s advanced age. Unfortunately for him, he was to die first, in
1966, at 77 years old. His family had to continue paying the agreed-upon monthly sum to Jeanne
until her own death on August 4, 1997, at the age of 122!
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The Race for the "Cocarde"
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Traditional Spanish bullfights where the bull is eventually put to death are very controversial -
and definitely not for everyone! If you like this sort of attraction, but without the bloodshed,
you will no doubt enjoy the race for the "cocarde", a traditional game played in the Camargue region.
The bullfighter, nicknamed "grazer", enters the arena unarmed, with the goal of snatching the
"cocarde" (a small ribbon) from between the horns of the bull. The horns are capped with protective
balls so that no one gets hurt. It is really a lot of fun to watch the enthusiastic young man chase
the bull or vice versa, in such a festive atmosphere. The mood is so exuberant that soon enough, you
can’t even tell who the crowd is cheering for, the young man or the animal! Sometimes, a few daring
spectators are invited to share the fun and excitement in the arena.
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Why Was Rice Cultivated in the 19th Century?
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Rice was already grown in the 16th century, during the reign of king François I, but production
was insignificant and the supply was only used to feed animals. In the 19th century however, the
production of rice increased because it was then grown to desalinate the land before planting vines.
It wasn’t until the 20th century that the cultivation of rice became intensive and geared towards
human consumption. Today, the Camargue region of France is the first rice-growing area in Europe.
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