In between rain showers Eringer and I ducked in to the, Cafe' de l'Alcazar searching for Van Gogh's Ghost. To our dismay, someone had rearranged the furniture, and the name. The bar of fame, (now "Cafe Vincent Van Gogh,") is like an amusing attraction at Knotts Berry farm.
Vincent is long gone.
It's tough to get the 'feel' for the place once frequented by the Master, when its been overly commercialized by the greedy. It's like they have built the stage for the Pageant of the Master, but the Van Gogh star of the show has left the building.
Walking around the ancient streets in the neighboring hood, it seemed every shop had some trinket or trash with a label or symbol referencing Van Gogh; all just to make a buck. The people of Arles had chummed the waters with Van Gogh lighters, Van Gogh tote bags, Van Gogh brand cheeses, even Van Gogh Toilet Paper!! It also didn't help the fact that the air in Arles had a pungent aroma of leeks and onions.
C-r-r-ass!
Holding our noses, we just walked around in the rain and saw the sights of antiquity, trying to find our sense of direction. Finally landing back at our Hotel, the Julius Cesar, my concern once again turned to weather the whether will allow me to paint.
Photo: by Robert Eringer
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