ARLES - May 1973

I used to have a lot of fun with the old Pentax Spotmatic. There were a few places in Europe in particular that meant a great deal to both Pat and I, and a few (like Le Corbusier's chapel at Ronchamp), that we went back to on two or three occasions ............. always with Illford black and white film that I could develop and print when we got home to London ....... I generally went with an ASA 400 that I could double up to 800 for more speed and better ability in low light.............plenty of noise though! But at ASA400 I generally got some very nice shots that today bring back many feelings and emotions of where we were then that I was trying to encapsulate. Some have certainly done their job and give meaning, all these years later, to that Spirit of Place that we were in search of then. 
Vincent van Gogh's painting of the Bridge at Arles was what led us there - today still I can recall the warmth of the sun and much of what I felt when first we came across the walls of the Amphitheater in the town. The bridge itself was a revelation, and we spent a lot of time just hanging around it ................ no tourists - just us - contemplating what Vincent might have felt while he was there.
Another overriding memory of Arles is the amazing Suacisson D'Arles, pure and simple: just pork and salt - what else do you need? Having Googled it, it appears now to be exactly as it was then, except then it was simply everywhere, hanging in every store and coffee shop ........ and just soooooo good. 

All the pictures below were taken in May 1973 - Click on the pictures to view enlargements.

The Amphitheater 

Van Gogh's Bridge at Arles (with the white house)

Pat on the bridge in front of the white house

Contemplating Vincent

Vincent's view