Wednesday, October 15
Steve: We had been planning to go to a local market here
in Provence, but the timing didn't work out until today. Each town has its
own schedule for morning markets, usually once or twice each week. Arles has
its markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so that's where we ended up this
morning.
As we approached the area where the market is held, we quickly realized how
big an event this is. There's a long road that stretches along the old walls
of the city, and the entire road was lined with every imaginable type of product.
First is the food/spice/flower section, where we found great quality fruits,
vegetables, meat, seafood, baked goods, spices and olives. The next stretch
contains clothes and other accessories, including jewelry, hats and shoes.
Finally, there's a wide variety of products for the home - kitchen supplies,
knives, fabric, tablecloths… even mattresses!
As we walked through the market, it was clear that this is a primary shopping destination for residents of Arles and surrounding communities. The market was filled with people, and many toted special baskets on wheels used to carry their purchases. Surprisingly to us, even the apparel area was extremely busy - many people clearly come here intending on buying clothes for themselves and their families.
We couldn't resist making several purchases including fruit, rotisserie chicken,
special Provence herbs that had been recommended to us, and some Tellines,
the tiny clams that we had enjoyed so much at one of our recent dinners. The
vendors who were here today will pack their vans and move onto the next city
for tomorrow's morning market. From what we could see, these guys do great
business!
This afternoon Paula and I visited the walled city of Aigues-Mortes, while
David and Katie stayed in Arles to relax and catch up on their e-mails and
schoolwork. Aigues-Mortes was established in 1240 by St. Louis so that he'd
have a port with access to the Mediterranean. This is where the Crusades began
in the 13th century. Aigues-Mortes is located just west of the Camargue, and
there is access to the Mediterranean through a series of canals leading from
the city. 
We have seen several walled cities during our travels, but none as well defined
and preserved as Aigues-Mortes. The walls form a 1-mile box around the city,
and are all fully in tact. There are a series of gates and towers built along
the walls, and several of the towers have been used as prisons. As recently
as the 18th century, Protestants were imprisoned here. 
Aigues-Mortes is so well preserved that it is possible to travel along the top of the ramparts all the way around the city. We walked all of the walls also climbed several of the towers along the way. From here, we got great views of all of Aigues-Mortes, the Camargue and also the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.
Tomorrow we plan to return to the Luberon Valley and visit several more towns
in this area.
Distance Walked: 1.57 miles
David's Download - The Camargue Nature Reserve
The Camargue Nature Reserve in Provence has some of the most fascinating
wildlife and surroundings in all of Europe. Wild flamingoes roam the marshes
and salt water ponds while milk white horses and black bulls graze in the
green pastures. The combination of wildlife and magnificent landscapes make
the Camargue enticing for people all over the world. 
The Camargue is most famous for its flamingoes, horses, and bulls, but it
also is a bird watcher's paradise with egrets, herons, and many other species
of birds. It contains large salt marshes, sand dunes, lakes, and pastures
creating Europe's major wetland area which covers over 346,000 acres! The
small and numerous islands are truly unforgettable - both the sandy and pink
ones (the flamingoes huddle together for protection against the wind and create
small pink islands in the middle of salt marshes). The flamingoes are just
wicked cool! Their long necks and legs are unbelievable. I love how they dip
their heads into the water and sleep by retracting their necks into their
body, which makes it look like they have no heads at all. Adventures in the
Camargue have allowed us to see and experience all its hidden marvels of nature.
During our two trips to the Camargue we ventured into its depths by bicycle,
car, and 4x4 vehicle. We also walked in the marshland and napped on the windy
beaches with fine sand and massive waves. I especially liked our bike ride
through the marshes. Our destination was a small lighthouse 8 ½ miles
away through rocky and sandy trails. Along the way we spotted many wild flamingoes,
egrets, and gulls. We were surrounded by water on two sides which made me
feel like I was on a narrow straight in the middle of an ocean. The trail
was regularly interrupted by areas of deep sand which we were forced to walk
through. Our butts were extremely sore by the end of our trip because of the
hard seats and everlasting bumpy trails! This already sounds like a hard ride,
but of course it just had to get harder. Right as we started our ride, the
mistral (strong winds that run through Provence during fall, spring, and winter)
picked up, and turned out to be a wicked force. These winds nearly pushed
us off our bikes and made it impossible to keep a consistent speed. We eventually
made it through this adventure, and gratefully made our way home. 
We also drove through the Camargue on our first stop to check out the area. On this drive we encountered our first flamingoes (which I am proud to say I spotted) and huge mountains of salt from evaporating lagoons. The huge mounds of salt seemed to go on forever past the horizon. Mound after mound after mound, hundreds of them scattered throughout the isolated lagoons. It was amazing!! I then spotted our first pack of flamingoes, which we saw fly off into the distance. They were even more spectacular flying with their thin bodies and bright pink wings. During our next trip into the park, we decided to take a 4x4 safari. It wasn't that great considering we drove mostly on highways and the driver spoke very little English, but still a good experience.
The Camargue Nature Reserve was a wonderful experience for the whole family. We all enjoyed seeing our first wild flamingoes, horses, and bulls. This is just a taste of what I am looking forward to on our trip to Africa!
