La Camargue & Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

The second last day’s excursion was to The Camargue National Park. We were advised that mozzies would likely be a problem, but nothing could prepare me for the instant invasion of the biggest mozzies I had ever seen! As the Camargue is low lying swamp land, it is the perfect breeding ground for these critters. As soon as we stepped off the bus we drowned ourselves in good Aussie Tropical strength Aerogard, which I had brought from home. Unfortunately, they continued to swarm around me, biting me through my clothes. This made the extended stay at the park VERY irritating for me.

I should say seeing the flamingoes was interesting...but once I had seen them, my thoughts quickly turned to the time remaining before I could re-enter the safety of our bus!

Kath just said I had to mention they were very beautiful creatures, and we hadn’t realised how different the underside of their wings was to the top. She also loved how they appeared to run on water, and has added a video to show this clever skill they have. They are also incredibly noisy!

We then moved on to the seaside town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer - a very popular location for family vacations.

We visited the fortified church of the three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Clopas, believed to be the women who were first witnesses to the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus.

The town is now a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies), who gather annually for a religious festival in honour of  Saint Sarah.

It was another very warm day and another town with a local market. I purchased a hat in an attempt to stay cool. We selected a beachfront restaurant and spent some time drinking Perrier and champagne, while discussing with some fellow travellers how lucky we are to be Australians, who are truly spoilt with our glorious beaches with golden sands.