Provence area

Friday 1st March 2013

We have headed south quickly and in a couple of days and a couple of hundred miles we have noticed huge differences in the flora, fauna and temperature. Olive trees and vines cover most of the available countryside. Palm trees are common place in the villages and huge reeds line the irrigation channels in the Camargue National park.

The place is also rich with Roman history – Pont du Gard, Orange, Nimes and Arles all boasting amphitheatres, arenas and viaducts. Many are restored, some quite unsympathetically, and are still used regularly for shows and bull fights to this day. We paid €8.50 each to see Nimes Roman Arena, supposedly one of the best preserved in the world, but we were quite disappointed with it. We found the town of Nimes itself to be a little disappointing too, very unfriendly for those in a campervan and lacking in character.

Arles however was a lively picturesque town famous for having been painted by Van Gogh in 1880’s. It has an amphitheatre in the middle of the town which is surrounded by railings but easy enough to view without having to pay for admission. The Arena, which is also very central, appears to have been in a constant state of renovation since 1822 .

We have spent a couple of days driving around the Camargue National Park – a huge mashy delta famous for its white horses, bull rearing, flamingos, storks, and a variety of marsh and sea birds.

On Tuesday night we stayed in the rather touristy town of Saintes-Maires-de-la-Mer and on Wednesday night we parked up at the opposite side of the delta on an almost deserted stretch of beach where the road just ends – all we could hear was the waves lapping on the shore. We sat out on our deck chairs watching the sun going down.

We are really being spoilt with beautiful sunrises and sunsets.