Monday June 19, Domain du Petit Chamon, Aigues-Mortes

Some great action on the water.

Tonight, we are at another winery, and I know you probably think it is because we need more wine (!) but once again we were at two other Aires today, both of which we okay to park in but not to overnight in on a hot day. This parking area here is so quiet, and shaded under some trees and we were the only van here until a German van pulled in. Who would believe but it was a couple from Papamoa, Tauranga who are renting the van for three months on their 4^th trip to France.

Fascinated with this bird at the winery this morning - love to know what it is????

After our bigger day yesterday with a lot of driving, today was a bit sluggish. It was mid-morning before we left the winery as it was so nice and cool under the trees. Ian had “misplaced” our 1” hose fitting which means that we can’t fill with water from some of the taps. We have been looking for a replacement without luck but this morning spotted a big commercial shopping area with a huge hardware store. After wandering around the store found just what he wanted, then over to the large Intermarche shop for a few groceries. These stores are so well laid out and managed to take a photo of the fish counter so beautifully set up with large areas of ice and lots of different sea foods.

Onto Aigues-Mortes, a Medieval walled town that surrounds many streets of houses and shops. The only cars that are allowed in are those of the residents. We parked in an Aire on the outskirts and after lunch we walked in and explored the narrow streets, quite a sight. The shops really are aimed at the tourists but there is a lot of fascinating architecture.

Continued on south through the marshlands of the Camargue to Saintes-Marie-de-la Mer, a holiday town on the Mediterranean Coast. The Camargue is famous for its wild white horses, but now they are mainly kept in stables and taken out for tourists. We saw quite a number but they were all in compounds. Stopped at the Aire by the beach and checked out the sea but it was very windy, all though not nearly as touristy as St Tropez. Decided that the French Passion site I had found back in Aigues-Mortes looked much more promising for an overnight stop, and it was a good call.  And to meet up with Bonny and Cliff was even better. They have been to France a number of times and like us prefer the smaller, less touristy towns and gave us many good suggestions of places to go, especially biking areas on the canals, all so valuable. We had a great night and we never stopped talking!

The beach a little distance from the busy Saintes-Marie-de-la Mer