Arles and the Carmague

7/4 Arles and the Carmague - Easter Saturday

More school,  Kel back into it and powering, Wil getting through more fractions revision with some new tricks up his sleeve, more parental exercise (Jeff cycling around/under/over the Pont, Jen improved, no palpitations today), packed up and away to the Carmague (huge wetland Mediterranean area) via Arles, famous for the short 1-2yr period Van Gogh spent here in the 1880’s during which he churned out the work, cut off his ear, and had himself admitted to the Asylum.

In Arles we found there was a huge fiesta (something about bulls) with the narrowed cobbled streets packed with sozzled midday revellers spilling out drinks in hand, dancing to the thumping techno beats, feasting on massive pans of paella (very Spanish).  Awesome vibe!

We dodged and weaved along a small part of the Van Gogh trail, visiting the exact spots where he sat his easel and produced some of his most famous works,

Asylum courtyard

this way for Van Gogh

then back to Eddie and off to the Carmague, famous for it’s white (they’re grey!) ponies, 

breeding area for the black fighting bulls (the worst they get these days around here is to have the decorations plucked off their withers)

huge flamingo population (only saw a few),

vast cropping looks like rice,

and unfortunately for us this Easter weekend throngs of tourists making elbow room scarce, so with a moody sky and the sun at our backs we just kept driving towards Marseille and found a roadside stop for a quick soup, pan de huego, pate and cheese dinner and a cozy sleep with the rain drops pattering Eddie’s head.