Places to Go for Traveling Lomographers: Arles

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While Paris may be the most famous and iconic destination in France, there are a lot of spectacular sights to be seen in the south — just waiting to be stumbled across. One of those places is Arles, a city, located in the subprefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône, the former province of Provence.

Credits: neja, mmechoux & prisca_31

This city is known for its rich history, bound by its Classical Roman roots. According to Lomographer rewd, Arles is the perfect city for LomoWalks. UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be found in the city, mostly coming from the Antique Roman period to the classical 8th century: “Be sure you have plenty of film in your cameras and keep your eyes wide open. The area is also colorful and cheerful with a warm atmosphere — In other words, a LomoWalk there is pure happiness.”

Lomographer neja feels the same, and recommended to start from the main square, Place de la Republique: “It is always full of people and the architecture is just stunning. If you are lucky, you might see a wedding or two.”

Credits: neja, prisca_31, rive_gauche & mmechoux

Lomographer prisca_31 has been to Arles six years ago, and she mentioned she used special emulsions to capture the cityscape:

“The arenas are gorgeous with humongous yellow stones, and the little district of la Roquette is so typical. It is a city with great scenic power. I love to shoot there in black and white or purple or turquoise films.”

She also suggested visiting Eglise des trinitaires, Eglise des frères prêcheurs, and Cloître de St Trophime, all located in the town center. Arles also has a great contemporary art scene — during the art and photography festival, they erect photo booths for locals and tourists to use alike:

“From early July till the end of September there are photography exhibitions in different places in the city: old churches, museums, etc... A little afar there is the Parc des ateliers where Franck Gehry is currently building the LUMA foundation. It's a big piece of contemporary architecture. And with a 10-15 minutes trip bus from the city for 2€ you can go to the Abbaye de Montmajour. It's absolutely gorgeous. Plus exploring the city you can stumble upon street art. And my favorite activity during the festival is a photo booth! There are 2 or 3 photo booths in the city where you can go & have some fun for only 3€. Absolutely love it!”
Credits: neja

What's more, Arles twisting streets and gorgeous architecture also served as inspiration for Van Gogh’s work. You can visit the very cafe which Van Gogh himself painted in The Night Cafe, or the Rhone river to capture your own version of the Starry Night Over the Rhone.. If you have spare time to get out of town, neja recommended the Camargue National Park and meet creatures like flamingos, black bulls, and white horses.

To conclude this visual journey, prisca_31 says: “Travel, explore, and Lomo on!”

2018-09-19 #places #arles #places-to-go-for-traveling-lomographers

One Comment

  1. neja
    neja ·

    ahhh how cool! thank you for choosing my pictures

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