An Arlesian Detour, Plus a Citrus-Themed City

During my vacation in Nice I took a (very delayed) train trip to Arles to visit my best friend Marina, who was also an English Assistant this year.  I didn't take too many pictures since I knew I'd be going back there for the Feria (running of the bulls!) the weekend of Marina's birthday, but I did get a fun picture of her rolling a cigarette and looking so European it hurts. 

Arles is famous for its Roman amphiteatre, one of the oldest surviving Roman ruins in southern France.  When I visited Arles on my very first trip to France EVER (freshman year of college, April of 2007), the amphitheatre was entirely under construction.  We still got to go inside and explore and pretend that we were prisoners preparing to fight a lion to the death.... 

...but it didn't look nearly as restored as it does now.

I had a great time remember how to get around town and taking pictures of the sights I remembered from 4 years previous!  Oh, life--sometimes we insert the same chapter twice because we loved the way we felt when we read it. 
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After leaving Arles, I took a train to Menton for the Fête du Citron, or Lemon Festival.  Menton lies just a few minutes from the Italian border, and the train ride to get there was one of the most gorgeous I've ever experienced: most of the train tracks are built into the side of the mountain, so we'd pass through a lot of tunnels and then exit into bright sunshine and the ocean immediately next to us.  Then, next thing you know, we'd be heading back into the mountainside.

And when I got off the train, this was the view that greeted me.

This year's theme was "Ancient Civilizations."

 It included Greek and Roman mythology alongside actual civilizations, like the Vikings and neanderthals....ALL made out of lemons and oranges. 

The requisite Trojan horse

Mayan temple, complete with Mayan calendar

Super cool Viking ship!

Gorgeous Roman bath with a breathtaking view

The whole fête was set up in a park in the middle of town, and the whole park smelled fantastically citrusy fresh.

There were vendors set up selling fresh lemonade and lemon- and orange- and lime-infused liqueurs, jellies, candies, and syrups.  Yes, there were free samples.  :)

A minotaur!

My favorite part about the wooly mammoth was her baby :)  So mangy and soiled!

Another favorite was Stonehenge and its in-house sorcerer

A stately citrus Sphinx!

The stars aligned to get me to this festival, which I didn't even know was going on until I was actually in Nice!  I'm so glad I got to go--I took some great pictures and had a really fun time exploring a bunch of cities on my own :)