The Camargue

Moving on...

We had a great couple of days in Diano Marino before we left. There was a long weekend, so all the people of Turin and Milan descended on the site. I am convinced that most italians own motorhomes and all the men have lycra shorts and shiny bikes!

The site came to life and we had stalls selling hot food, local cheeses and other smelly stuff. Bought a big lump of mouldy cheese which is delicious if a little malodorous, fridge not smelling too healthy.

Anyhoo, left on the Sunday and did a long drive to get beyond the tourist traps and Marseille. We ended up in the Camargue at a small place called Saintes-Mairies-de-la-mer. There was an aire as you drove in to the town which charged the princely sum of 8.5euros a night. It was full of vans and quite lively. Went for a wander and there was a market in the square. Decided to have a better explore in the morning. The market had expanded and I bought loads of fruit and veg. We also got pate, chicken and some chinese food from the stalls. Had a wander on the beach and collected some more treasure for the box...lots of wonderful shells, scallops, spiny clams, pelican's foot (my favourite), carpet shells, venus shells...we could be here some time!

On another wander we found a man with a herd of goats and sheep, all with their tinkly little bells on. What a wonderful sound, redolent of earlier times, yet being surrounded by modern things. The real highlight for me were the flocks of flamingoes (not sure if they were lesser or greater...all pretty great to me!) We also saw the horses and bulls that the area is famous for.