Farewell to the Camargue.

Monday 11th April.

This evening we are parked up in Carro (43.32943 5.039459), on La Cote Bleue, about 30 kilometres east of Marseilles and about 5 metres from the beach where the waves are crashing and we've been entertained this afternoon by the windsurfers:

It's particularly impressive when these guys catch the wind and a wave just right and perform a somersault! It's getting dark now and, if anything, the waves are a little higher and there are still folk out there making the most of it. I'm expecting to see a couple with lights on their heads soon. A bit like when I used to go fishing as a lad, just one more cast as it got darker and darker. In this case I guess it's just one more wave before they have to go home for their tea.

We enjoyed Saintes Maries de la Mer so much that we decided to stay another day yesterday. We explored a little more of the town and the beaches and then saw a group of riders clattering down the Main Street.

What you can't see from this photo, and what we didn't realise until they'd ridden past was that they were escorting about half a dozen Bulls between them! They were going at a fair pace too and forming a horseshoe around the Bulls. I guess they were taking them back from the bullring to the farm. It was another lovely day again albeit a little windy and we couldn't resist another meal in the sunshine. Can you guess which dish we chose?

If we didn't have to be in Ancona for the 22nd I think we would have stayed a bit longer in the Camargue but it's certainly an area we'll come back to. I'd never really thought about different kinds of light before but having spent a few days in the area I can understand why Van Gogh and Cezanne did so many paintings here. Everything really does seem vivid and bright.

Before we left we took the opportunity to visit a couple of vineyards where we bought a few bottles of the local vin des Sables, the wine is unique to the area and best known for its Vins Gris or grey wines. Many of the vines spend a small portion of the year awash in the tide and so require a lot of attention; always nice to know that a bit of effort has been put into a bottle.

We've pretty much hugged the coast since leaving Spain but there's so much more to visit inland. Arles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence are all places that will have to wait until next year, hopefully.

Tomorrow we'll head west again, probably stopping somewhere near Toulon.

Pat

 

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