Day 1 - Arles

I left early in the morning taking the TGV to Arles, directly from Paris.  I had deliberately chosen this particular train to avoid having to change trains along the way. All went smoothly until I discovered that my new SIM card was not working. Total frustration set in as I needed to phone in reservations for the places where I intended to stay as I walked, as there were fewer options of places to stay than on the previous route I had been walking for the past 4 years, the Via Podiensis. 

Fortunately my first gîte was able to accommodate me.  That being taken care of, I made for the Cathédrale St. Trophime for a pilgrim welcome.  There were 7 of us, all French except me, and all had walked the Via Podiensis from Le Puy-en-Velay and were all seeking to do something else. Two were biking the route. I understood that the Via Tolosana was a wilder, more challenging route, and that it had only a fraction of the walkers of the Via Podiensis.  That being said, I was walking in September, one of the busiest months to walk.

St Trophime

After settling in, I then rambled about and had a look around the town.  Arles, nicknamed "the little Rome of Gaul" is linked to the Roman Empire with its amphitheatre, thermal baths, remains of the Roman circus, the large necropolis of the Alyscamps, and more. As Roman cities normally did not allow burials within the city limits, the roads immediately outside a city were often lined with tombs and mausoleums. As a result, the Alyscamps was the burial ground for the city of Arles for some 1500 years, and continued to be used even after it became a "Christian" city in the 4th century.

 

St.Trophimus, the first bishop of Arles, was one of 7 bishops sent out from Rome by Pope Fabian in the mid-third century. The magnificent church of St. Trophime, dedicated to his honor, dates from the 12th century and is built over his 3rd century crypt.

This was a manageable, walkable town, rich in history and culture. I was glad I was here, and wished I had more time to spend in this place, but my upcoming walk beckoned.  Although eager to set off, without a working cell phone I was glad for least a fairly good wifi connection in my gîte...

"Taste and see that the LORD is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8.  All Bible verses taken from "40 Days with Jesus: Celebrating His Presence" by Sarah Young, a devotional booklet given to me by the National Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC.