A Year Abroad: Aigues-Mort & la Camargue

This post is a bit of a back-track. As in, I might have taken this trip on the 17th of September.

In my defense, the internet wasn't installed back them. However, my procrastination since the 12th of this month is no excuse.

So without further delay, my exploration and grand adventures in Aigues-Mortes and La Camargue!

Aigues-Mortes (literally translated means Dead Waters) is a walled-in city built right on the Mediterranean and surrounded by salt flats. The fort surrounding the original village was built in 1289 and completed in 1300 by King Phillip the Fair (it was started by Phillip the Bold... I couldn't make this up if I tried!) My inner-nerd appreciated the slots in the stone fortress for the archers, and I might have reenacted a scene or two from Lord of the Rings, but my friend Jovanni luckily felt the same way, so I wasn't the only one. When I wasn't on the look-out for orcs, I was busy taking photos:

This was our first, really medieval trip, and sure the Mediterranean villages and coastal towns were quaint and refreshing, but this felt like something really incroyable! It was beautiful and ancient but it wasn't a museum, or behind glass, it was real and the city is still home to nearly 8,000 people.

I really loved it, and made sure to pick up some of the famous sea salt (I got mine with a touch of spice!)

I wandered around a bit, and stopped to eat the lunch I had packed, but I felt like I could take photographs for hours. It was, as of yet, the most unique place we had visited I felt. I didn't make it all the way around the fortress' walkway because I just had to explore the village below.

It can be hard at times to grasp how ancient buildings and cities can be en France. My home base Aix, was established around 100 BC, and it can be mind-blowing to reflect on because, really, there's nothing like this in the US!

After lunch, it was back onto the packed bus and off for La Camargue, home of those majestic white equines. You know the ones?

Yup, those are them... unfortunately, the only horses I saw were either decals on jacked-up pick-up trucks, or saddled and tied to a hitch post.

I never thought I would see the day, there were 'cowboys' in France. Or 'Western Wear' stores, but oh... there are. After a morning in Middle Earth, I was apparently back in good ole Redding California.

Turns out, La Camargue is very close to the border with Spain and has a lot of 'cowboy' culture mixed with the occasional bullfight. We found the bullfighting ring, but I couldn't stomach more than a quick photo of the arena sign. I had NO interest in watching one of those!

I have to say, my favorite part about this little town, St. Maries de la Mer, was the blue shutters. Perfect sky-blue shutters against stark white buildings. In fact, I was, apparently so taken by this combination, that when I got home and looked on my camera, it seemed to be ALL I took photos of in the town. I missed the beach, and the shops and the pier... and took lots of photos of blue shutters.