Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
So on Christmas Eve evening we went walking around the town. On the north end (toward the train station) is a section that seemed rather "north African," with lots of Halal boucheries and small bars and Communist Party headquarters. We were quite amused at the skating rink (coming from Chicago), which seemed to be made of Teflon. We stopped at a couple of bars, and on another night had dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant.
On Christmas Day, when most things are closed, we walked around some more! First down Emile Coombes, then down the side streets to Les Alyscamps (Elyssian Fields), the historical Roman/medieval cemetery for Arles--but most of the tombs from there are currently in the museum!
So then we walked again through town, enjoying the Christmas decorations. Downtown, we went through Place du Republic, with the City Hall and grand city Christmas decorations (it looked very different at night).
Place
du Republic, Cleopatra's Needle, City Hall
Side streets decorated for Christmas
After dark, the decorations began to shine. As we walked back from the downtown area, we passed the wonderfully lit-up carousel, next to the Tourist Center on rue de Clemenceau.
And finally, on Christmas Day, we had Christmas dinner: sauteed duck breasts, baked potatoes, petit-point peas, and salad (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado). [The Weetabix was my usual breakfast!] Dinner was washed down with beer, then copious gin and tonics, followed by delicious Cote du Rhone wines. Needless to say, I did NOT get up early on the next morning.
