Cowboys in Provence

We went to the Camargue region and what a different part of France this was. The Camargue region is a large area of wetland to the south of us and west of Marseilles. We first went to the Pont-de-Gau bird sanctuary. It was amazing! There were all different birds flying around the park. My favourite was an owl who sat in the same spot for the whole day. We got quite a surprise when we came around a corner and saw huge numbers of pink flamingos walking about together in a very shallow lake! When they spread their wings and flew, they were fluoro pink with black underneath! We went for a two hour walk on paths through the marshes and saw the birds in their natural habitat. There were numerous viewing towers and hide-outs where we could see the birds interacting.

We then drove to a small town on the coast called Saint Mairies de la Mer, where we walked along the promenade. We changed into our togs and went for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was very cold! I swam to a buoy, climbed on to the rocks and walked back to the car with Mum, Dad and Ivy.

We left the beach and went to a horse riding farm. There were numerous ones along the road to choose from. We got to ride on the horses for an hour and a half! My rear was very sore afterwards. My horse, Maligne, kept stopping along the path to eat and then gallop to catch up with the group. My favourite bit was when we rode through a lake. My horse splashed me quite a bit. When I arrived back at the stables, I got off and hobbled from stiff legs. Was it just me or was everyone else sore, too?

We then went to a town called Salin de Giraud, which is the centre of a large salt industry. Flat shallow lagoons fill with sea water which then evaporate in the sun leaving behind salt deposits. There were very large piles of salt to be processed. The machines were huge and the conveyor belt systems extensive. We arrived home at ten o'clock that night!

On Thursday we went to explore Marseilles. After a two hour drive with a long traffic jam at the end, we finally arrived. We went for a walk around one of the oldest ports in Europe. It has been continuously inhabited for 2600 years. The highlight was the Cathedral de la Major because it was very grand and throughout was decorated with frescos, coloured marble arches and jewel encrusted religious artefacts.

We then took a ferry boat ride to Château d'If which is on a small island off the coast of Marseilles. On the way out of the port we passed two big forts one on either side of the entrance. One was built to protect the port from invaders and the other one was built to ensure peace in the city. When we arrived at the island we climbed up to the château. King François I built it in 1516 to ensure the protection of Marseilles. A few years after it was built, it was turned into a prison. It was on an island therefore nobody ever escaped.

Parents whose sons were troublesome used to send them there. They could choose to have extra luxuries, like a fireplace and even a window!! Alexander Dumas wrote a book called 'The Count of Monte-Cristo' about a man who escapes in a sac from Château d'If and swims to land. He finds his dead cell mate's treasure and becomes The Count of Monte-Cristo. Alexander Dumas also wrote 'the Three Musketeers'. The legendary man in the Iron Mask is also reputed to have spent time here.

That weekend was very exciting because I went with Ivy to Pascal's house for a sleep over. We went for lots of swims in their pool, even at one stage getting up at two o'clock in the morning and all of us - the whole family - swimming in the pool with Pascal! By the end of the weekend my eyes were so red that you couldn't see any white in them from all the chlorine in the pool! We finished the weekend off by watching the soccer world cup final with my parents and other friends whilst enjoying pizza and lemonade.

See you next week!

Sean :-)