Stes-Maries de la Mer

The one thing Sarah wanted to do on our recent trip to southern France was see the Mediterranean. So on our way from Nimes to Montpellier we drove through the Camargue down to Saintes-Maries de la Mer, a beach town on the Med. We enjoyed a picnic lunch while sitting on a bench overlooking the beach. Some brave souls were even in the water. Brrr!




And this was the other interesting thing about Stes-Maries de la Mer. According to one of the local legends, Sarah was a servant girl who accompanied Mary-Jacobe, Mary-Salome and Lazarus, in their flight from Jewish persecution of early Christians, across the sea to this little town. Sarah, or the Black Madonna, is the patron saint of gypsies. (Pretty ironic, given our Austro-Hungarian roots.) We even had a gypsy or two try to sell us religious medals while there.

Move over, Versailles!

This weekend we visited the Chateau de Beloeil, which is only about 10-15 minutes from us. We'd been hearing about it since we got here but just never got around to visiting. So Saturday we did. We took the little train ride through the gardens (no flowers, just trees and canals) and then toured the parts of the chateau that are open to the public. As you can see from this picture, the furnishings could rival those of Versailles. I found it particularly interesting that this chateau was inhabited by some folks who were somehow related to the Hapsburgs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Those people sure did get around!

Our canal

Ok, it's not really "our" canal. It's the Nimy-Blaton canal and it goes a long ways. This is a view from the bridge just down the street from us. That's the bridge TomTom doesn't know about, in case you were wondering.

The days are getting shorter

Or they will be tomorrow. This is a shot from our terrace at 2215 (10:15 PM). We have fireworks tonight in the village, but they can't start until 2330 because it won't be dark enough until then. Have we mentioned lately that we really like summer here?

Horses

Today must have been "take you horse out for a spin" day in Hautrage and environs. 

We went for a bike ride, since it was sunny and we hadn't been out in a while. First we passed two ladies walking their horses sedately down the street. (It struck us as odd but funny that one of the ladies was smoking as she rode.) Down the road apiece we came up behind a couple who had just pulled their horse-drawn wagon out of a farmyard. We nodded and greeted them as we rode by, only to meet another horse-drawn wagon, followed closely by a rider on a horse, coming towards us from the other direction. This particular cart horse, a BIG Belgian, looked like he wasn't used to pulling a wagon. Or maybe it was the wind he didn't like - but something sure had him reluctant to pull that cart. Maybe it was the entire family sitting in it, out for a leisurely ride on a sunny day.

There was a lot of horse talk in the office the last couple days, since the announcement that InBev is bidding to take over Anheuser-Busch. Speculation is running wild that the big Belgians might replace the Clydesdales. We had visions of these big, stolid workhorses pulling those big beer wagons for a few paces ... and then stopping for a cigarette break!

Handsome guy in tight pants

This handsome fella here is just one of the attractions at the Roman arena in Nimes. We got to see some of his clothes too - gorgeous reds and purples. And his little black ballet slippers were to die for! The bullfighting display was ok but the gladiator stuff left me cold. Pretty nasty stuff, that.

We'll try to get some more photos and commentaries posted this weekend. The Honkin' Big Mower arrives Saturday, so once David hacks down the back 40 with it, we should subsequently have more time for blogging.