The Renaissance of the Roquette, part two

The renaissance of the Roquette neighborhood in Arles has been driven by the people, places and pets (!) that are hoping to shake it's previously shaky reputation by transforming it into one of the town's most charming areas. But come along, let's see for ourselves...

Let's begin on the rue des Porcelets as it leads to the Place Paul Doumer. At all hours, it is bustling with activity...

...but not all of the merchants are newcomers. The Genin family installed their boucherie-charcuterie shop, La Farandole, on this corner in 1877 and have fabricated their world-renowned Saucission d'Arles since 1655! That means that five generations have kept their recipe a secret. Did Vincent Van Gogh enjoy this tasty hard sausage? Quite possibly!

Further along on the left is Le Gibolin. Something tells me that the crazy Dutchman might have appreciated this spot for its tipple. Brigitte and Luc, two former parisiens, have established the spot as Arles' only cave à manger, where you can pop in to buy a bottle of wine or sit down for considerably hearty Provençal food such as piquillos peppers stuffed with morue and a fine daube de taureau in the colder months. The town's movers and shakers are happy to elbow up at the wooden communal tables for a chance to imbibe the warm ambiance.

Le Gibolin

13 rue des Porcelets

Price: around 16-35€ without wine

Keep walking, past the delightful children's book store, and Ben (isn't that a fine name? ;) will give you a welcome you won't forget in his tiny but charming shop. We chatted for quite some time (he recognized me because of the puppers--yes, I am famous for mes chiens) but I will definitely head back to try his incredibly reasonably priced delicacies. He offers up sandwiches, salads and paninis with over thirty fresh, seasonal toppings for you to choose from. As he stated, "It is like Subway...but better!"  With ingredients like home-made foie gras dusted with sea salt, fresh goat cheese with mint and shallots and Paletta Iberica on the menu, I would say that is something of an understatement, wouldn't you?

Le Comptoir Des Porcelets

21 rue des Porcelets

Tel.: 04 90 4905 46

Open non-stop, very unusual for Arles

Sandwichs: 4.50-5.50 Euros, Salads: 4-5 Euros, Paninis: 5-6 Euros

Home-made daily desserts: 3.50 Euros

Also can be ordered for takeaway for a picnic on the Rhone!

Cross over to the right hand side and dive into the cool depths of Grenad'in Ice, which has only been open for two weeks. My food radar doesn't miss a bit and so, dear reader, I made the hefty sacrifice of researching it for you on a scorching day. Florence is the owner and ice-cream maker (her labo is visible from the shop). Everything is from scratch. She buys the fruit at the market and even bakes the pain d'epices to crumble into the flavor of the same name. That was exactly what I chose after asking Florence what was her favorite...

Can you tell that I enjoyed it just a tiny bit? 

(Confession: this photo was taken after I had delightedly slurped down nearly half of the cone, portions are far more generous)

Grenad'in Ice

20 rue des Porcelets

One Scoop: 2.50 Euros, eat more at your own risk.

Milkshakes and sundaes available as well and Florence hopes to soon offer a few salé options too.

While there were plenty of seating options in the cheery space, I chose to park myself for prime people watching at a bench in the Place Paul Doumer just beyond. Such a land of far niente this shady café dotted square is. Clearly folks had nowhere pressing to be...

...save for the Mommy's on their after school runs. The stylish model thin woman with the red espadrilles flared up an ugly spot of jealousy in me until I remembered one very important fact: she wasn't enjoying an ice cream cone, now, was she?

There are several new establishments on the place, including L'Epicerie Moderne at #24, which specializes in the finest products from the region such as olive oils and red Camargue rice, all displayed with a retro touch...

...as well as Cécilia Flor at #16, where Sébastien celebrates my favorite--bouquets of all-white flowers...ahhh...

On a chilly winter's afternoon ten years ago, we were welcomed out of the Mistral and in to the fantastic antique store Circa to have a cup of tea. It was a kind gesture that I never forgot and so it was with little surprise that I learned that it is something of a mini-cultural centre with exhibitions and musical performances surrounding the excellent pieces for sale, all from the 1930-1970s.

Circa

2 rue de La Roquette

http://www.circa-arles.com/index.html

A similarly fine mix of deco and welcome can be found at La Pousada, a jasmine covered bijou of a bed & breakfast (only three bedrooms!), mere steps from the Rhone. But you might just be tempted to stay in et faire le cocooning at this sweetly serene spot where the buildings ancient materials have been incorporated into a comfortable contemporary environment. We love that! 

La Pousada

9 rue de la Croix-Rouge

Rooms from 80-116 Euros, closed between mid-November to the beginning of March

http://www.lapousada.net/index_us.htm

Climbing jasmine also beckons at the entry to L'Hôtel Particulier, which is, in my completely subjective opinion, the finest hotel in Arles, if not in the entire region. It might just be my aesthetic ideal, kind of like if Paola Navone designed the welcome area beyond the pearly gates. This unbelievably beautiful lieu (my design friends most likely have the Zuber wall-papered bedroom on their inspiration boards) certainly deserves its own post and then some, if only I can summon the courage to ask! For that is how much esteem I have for Brigitte Pagès de Oliveira, the hotels creator and one of the absolutely one of the key harbingers of the Renaissance of the Roquette...

L'Hôtel Particulier

4 rue de la Monnaie

Rooms from 309-509 Euros

http://www.hotel-particulier.com/v2/en/#/diaporama/

I hope that you have enjoyed this second little walk through one of Arles' oldest and most fascinating neighborhoods...there is more to come!

The Renaissance of the Roquette, Arles

It is funny how we slide into habits, isn't it? Those little details that slowly vanish into nothingness or strengthen with ease day after day. The things that we have to choose or those we forget, sleepwalking style.

And so it was that I realized this morning, with a hiccup of surprise, that I hadn't really roamed the Roquette neighborhood of Arles in...months. Now, for those of you that haven't yet visited this small town perhaps you don't realize how limited a space it is, easily traversable by feet in fifteen minutes or so.  I wondered at my lack of wandering as I strolled with my furry companions and just then Kipling barked loudly, randomly as he is want to do. "That is why," I nodded. For he is a bit of a handful, this creature and I have been keeping him to the quay in the mornings for several reasons but it was time to stop being so safe, so we took a left loop on the way home, threading the narrow streets of the Roquette.

It is one of Arles' oldest neighborhoods and nearly every architectural style is present. When I first visited in 2003, it's nefarious reputation was still intact, an area of drug deals and stray cats, where Roma families would pull their sofas and televisions into the streets to take in the night air. Like so many inexpensive urban areas, it has gentrified mightily over the years. Les bobos, aka the bourgeois bohéme, have come and gone and it seems as though the area has become the Park Slope of Arles, family-filled.

I turned on to the Rue Croix Rouge after having done a quick cat-scan for Kipling and was immediately smacked by the perfume of jasmine, one was so strong it seemed as though my skin was sucking it in. And there were flowers...everywhere. I zig-zagged back with the boys, picking up the pace as the heat began to climb. Upon delivering them to the shade of the apartment, I grabbed my camera and headed back to capture and continue to explore.

I was so delighted by what I found. While I appreciated the gorgeous renovations of many of the homes, this wasn't about money but pride. For so many of even the most modest homes had some small touch of greenery from a lone cactus on the windowsill to outdoor gardens beyond the front door.

Walking slowly, I took in the quiet, this despite it being late Saturday morning, the market day. Kids playing ball stopped to let an elderly Algerian man pass. Moms gossiped in doorways looking on. The energy was good. No place is perfect. Certain streets still exude a rough around the edges air and friends living in the Roquette say that there can be a frustrating pressure to be neighborhoody, that folks are constantly showing up for the apero uninvited and if you don't participate in the big get-togethers you are labelled a snob. But I liked it.

This morning I did the same loop with the boys and while the impression was not as heady, save for the jasmine, it was still positive. I am planning to do a little mini-series this week to share with you more on this area of Arles, one where the tourists seldom tread...

Have a truly wonderful week everyone...

Kindness

Just a simple question today: Is there anything more beautiful than an act of true kindness? 

I was surprised by such a moment today and it moved me as much as any rolling vista or glowing Vermeer.

To give for the act of giving without expecting anything in return, whether the gesture be big or small, is quite...pure. Something akin to Love or Hope, those most ephemeral of emotions, finding form in a manner that always brings light to the dark.

Your thoughts? 

The Cool Tourist at Cuisine de Comptoir in Arles

"Yes, yes but where do the locals go to eat in Arles?" This is a question that I am asked a lot, often with an arched eyebrow as if to imply "you know, not where they go." The 'they' in this case being...les touristes.

Ah, to be a tourist. It is a charged word that everyone avoids with a wince. No one wants to travel as a fool, at the whim of guidebooks or Tripadvisor's subjective ratings. Putting together a journey these days can be the equivalent of following a Hansel and Gretel trail of crumbs while avoiding the mean 'ol witch in the oven. 

Arles is no exception. Can one have a bad meal here, in the heart of Provence where fresh produce and ingredients are in bounty? Absolutely. As in shockingly bad or worse, a re-heated frozen dinner.

So where do the locals go? On one of my walks recently, I introduced the Cuisine de Comptoir as "where you should go have lunch every day of your stay in Arles." 

We first met Alex and Vincent, the charming proprietors, long before living in Arles and it would be a staple of each visit before our move down from Paris. I remember Vincent telling me back in 2003 (ten years ago!), that they were determined to offer quality-only dishes at reasonable prices that would be just as good for the local businessman in February as for the flanning tourist in July. And that is what they have done.

So what is on the menu? Tartines! Delicious grilled open face sandwiches on Poilâne bread (they recently had to close for the evening due to a delay in bread delivery) that range from a healthy tomato and mozzarella to my favorites, the duck and cantal cheese or...wait for it...foie gras. Each are accompanied by a rather giant salad of fresh greens or a bowl of house-made soup (I am particularly fond of their mint-infused gazpacho at this time of year) with a glass of wine or a café--all for either 11.50 or 13.50 Euros depending on how decadent your tartine is. 

It is the best deal in town and it is little surprise that the Cuisine de Comptoir is packed all year 'round.

Don't believe me? Just ask the locals...

Cuisine De Comptoir

10 rue de la Liberté

13200 Arles

Tel.: 04 90 96 86 28

PS. The tiramisu is not to be missed...

The only way to be a tourist? Why to be a cool one of course! This post is the first in a series inspired by one of Arles' most fantastic new resources--The Cool Tourist map. This is the second year that Alexandre and Sébastien have put together a map that, "features the best places in town owned by friendly people only who will make you love this city as much as we do." Perfect! I agree 100% with their selections of not only where to eat but also where to sleep and shop as well. For my posh friends discovering the other side of the Alpilles, there is also a map for St. Remy as well. 

http://thecooltourist.com

I hope it goes without saying that this is not a sponsored post in anyway, I am just spreading the joy of some awesome people and places in my little town of Arles...

Rack and ruin

Ticklish time. 

I am back again to wander in the village of our Secret Provence. Its streets are so dense with houses of all sizes pressed up cheek to cheek and each one with a story to tell. I want to push my palm to read their fortunes, most certainly that of a certain straggling Art Deco creature at the edge of the fortified walls holding back as if she were abandoned at a Bastille Day bal.

This is not an architectural style that is common at all in this part of Provence, so how adventuresome, how hopeful, someone must have been to add the ironwork curlicues and fanned rock-pocked glass suspended above the front door, just large enough for a loved one to dart out, giving a final peck goodbye under the rain.

Looking deeper, the haphazardly painted moss falls away and there it is, that 18th century stone. Solid, despite a proximity to a Rhone River that pulls so strongly here that it cuts across the maps. I want to pick a piece of that cement off and put it in my pocket.

Or if I could, I would take in hand this lonely girl to help her remember who she is.

In the 16th century, Henry Bull translated Luther's commentary on the fifteen psalms. Amidst them arrived this: "Whiles all things seeme to fall wracke and ruine"...Hence the phrase. But do they? Do they? 

Ces traces me marque et me semble vivant.