We took the back roads to the Camargue, a flat, scarcely inhabited wetland with a huge natural preserve area, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The Camargue is roughly southeast of Avignon. Our first destination was Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a quaint seaside town.
On the way we passed the noted Camargue horses, whose coat turns white between the age of 4 and 7, simply grazing in the pastures. We saw several herds of bulls, which are periodically rounded up by the gardians or traditional cowboys of the area to perform in the local bullfights – but they were pretty far away. Larger bulls are sold to Spain.
The beautiful beach at Camargue
Since the area has large expanses of salt marsh, lakes, pastures and, even sand dunes, we were treated to wide array of birds: egrets, flamingoes, gulls, etc.  People were enjoying the beach at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, even swimming in the warm sun. In May each year, the statue of St Sara, the patron saint of gypsies, is carried into the sea in a procession. The little town is named for two saints: Marie Jacobe and Marie Salome. A special Mass, benediction, and consecration takes place in October.
We walked through the street market near the village square, marveling at the “cowboy” shirts fashioned out of provencal fabrics, and picking up a little basket of fresh, sweet strawberries. We stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe, that was more Spanish in flavor than French – except the cowboy playing the guitar and singing was singing in French. Lunch at Bar El Campo, known for its flamenco dinner show, consisted of rose, fish soup, and huge salads.
After lunch we walked through the shops lining the streets checking out the linen summer wear, traditional crafts, sea salt from the lagoons, local rice, cowboy boots, and artisanal ice cream. Indulged in a “boule” or two (chocolate orange, similar to an orange cream chocolate, and even a Snickers variety). We loaded back up in the car and headed back to our gite, where Mike prepared dinner of stuffed pork tenderloin, salad, turnips, fresh bread from the bakery in Uzes, and, but, of course, wine!
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