Vincent and Arles

After an entire day of travel, we arrived at our river boat.  The Rhone in the south of France is our "highway".  We spent today in Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh lived in the Yellow House, painted many paintings and was hospitalized for mental issues. Most of the locations that were part of his life here were destroyed during WW II, but his presence in this city is huge.

One of the stories that our guide recounted that stuck with me was his initial rejection as an artist.  He studied at an art school in Brussels and was told he had no talent  and that he should give up painting. His brother, Theo, had faith in him.  Vincent had no money, so Theo bankrolled him with a monthly stipend and then bought paintings from him and his friend Paul Gaugin. 

 I find the buildings in France to be so charming and picturesque, I envision lots and lots of quilts of the buildings and the doorways and the windows with their shutters and flowers and greenery.  Van Gogh did not paint any of  the buildings.  The focus of his paintings were the people and the landscape. 

And of course, a beautiful lunch

I'll save my texttile purchases for tomorrow!