Fri. 21 [21 April 1893] Drove out quite early to Les Baux stopping on the way to see a splendid fortified monastery called Mont Majeur, formerly an island overlooking swamp and marsh. Drove on through at [sic] hot country, sometimes a waste of scrap and aromatic plants, sometimes planted, with olives whose "tawny foliage..." says Murray! Les Baux perched on the top of a limestone crag with rocky hills all round it. Extraordinary little place, half the houses cut out of the living rock, many of them decorated and showing beautiful chimney pieces through the holes in the wall. For the place is almost deserted and most of the houses are ruined. "You see" said our guide "it's very inconvenient to live in and when it doesn't rain we have no water!" It must be inconvenient! The castle was the most wonderful of all, great halls and chapels and cemetaries cut into the rock. It belonged to princes of Les Baux who were related to the house of Orange, and one corner was a fortress of the Grimaldis who came here Heaven knows why - robbers all I should think. The castle was finally destroyed by saltpetre at the request of the ArlÈsiens. Lunched at a little bouge and drove back. Rested a little and left Arles at 4. Pleasant little town, where those beautiful noble women have passed up and down for so many ages. Reached Marseille at 5, passing through the Crau, extraordinary stony country. Gay town, full of people and most prosperous - a contrast to Les Baux! Went to Faust in the evening, rather nicely done. I like that opera, and as for the story - well it's almost too intimate. Came away after the third act.