Europe 7 Jul 14 The Camargue

Day 31 Mon 7 Jul. A wet and miserable start to the day. We drove around the Camargue in the pouring rain looking for flamingos. Eventually we stopped in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, but the rain continued to hammer down, so we had lunch in the van then headed back towards Montpellier, stopping a couple of times to look around and "admire" the damp, flat landscape. Finally we found some flamingos and, our mission complete, we stopped for the night at the nearby brand new aire at  Palaves les Flots next to the bullring. By now the rain had stopped so we walked into this seaside resort and people-watched from a bar. A true assortment of people passed by - a bit like a typical tacky British seaside resort. Dinner in the van and a disturbed night's sleep due to the noise of the adjacent funfair and les boy racers belting around the car park. In the morning the whole area was swarming with mosquitos and we were pleased to move on. 

 

A dreary morning over Aigues-Mortes





A motorhome cunningly disguised as a cow

 

 

 

Europe 6 Jul 14 - Aigues Mortes

Day 30 Sun 6 Jul. Aigues Mortes. The drive west from Aix was uneventful apart from the GPS trying to take us down goat tracks. We parked up in the aire/car park just outside the city walls with the afternoon heat bouncing off of the gravel surface. Still, we had a walk around the ramparts and then the town and settled down for dinner in the square just as a massive thunderstorm struck. Undeterred, we huddled under the brolly and enjoyed our meal as the water gushed all around.

 

Relaxing in the car park

Salt pans - the pink colour is due to  microorganisms

 

Europe 5 Jul 14 Aix en Provence

Day 29 - Sat 5 Jul. Aix is such a pretty place we decided to stay for another day to explore further. Another hot, sunny day, we spent the morning wandering around the huge market, bought cherries and a basket for lavender, plus herbs de provence. Visited the cathedral and had a nice lunch and then caught the bus back to the campsite in time to see an incredibly noisy German family move in next door. Why do parents have to shout their conversations with their offspring? Time to move on.

Granita brain freeze - ouch!

 

Europe 4 Jul 14 Aix en Provence

Day 28 4 Jul. The weather forecast was not too good, with possible thunderstorms and, worse still, hail, along with strong winds. We drove from Oraison through Manosque and visited the Occitane factory shop and museum, then onto a lovely site in Aix en Provence. We caught the bus into town and wandered about a bit then joined the crowds in the bar to watch France v Germany in the world cup. Suddenly the heavens opened and, being true Brits, we donned waterproofs and a brolly and continued drinking whilst the T shirt and shorts wearing locals got soaked. 

Europe 3 Jul 14 Verdon Gorge

Day 28. 3 Jul. After our experiences coming over the Alps it was with some trepidation that we set out to drive around the Verdon Gorge, knowing that we would be doing a fair bit of climbing and descending. We had a good day's driving along some pretty challenging routes with frequent stops to admire the scenery, eventually heading onto Oraison for an overnight stop.