We treated ourselves to a couple of days in the Camargue, staying at Aigues-Mortes, a fortified town which was a port until it silted up and the sea moved out to Le Grau du Roi, about 6 kilometres away. We were hoping to see flamingos, and we did but the weather was so grey and misty that I couldn’t get good photographs of them.
The canal at Aigues-Mortes
A gloomy sky at le Grau du Roi
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Bulls at a manade, where they are raised for the courses camargaises, the non-violent form of bull-fighting in which young men attempt to retrieve a rosette or ribbon from the head of a bull – more dangerous for the man than the bull!
An egret perched on the back of a horse.
Domaine d’Oulivie
On a detour on our way back from the Camargue, up a rough track near St Gely du Fesc (north-west of Montpellier) we found this olive mill, museum and shop surrounded by a huge grove of lovely mature olive trees.
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We tasted the range of olive oils produced here and bought bottles of two: the single-variety Lucque oil and a special oil made by milling the olives with thyme and rosemary (rather than infusing the herbs after the oil is made). Wonderful flavours with which to end the year!
A l’an que ven! (Occitan for see you next year!)
7 comments:
Je te souhaite un tres joyeux reveillon et tout le meilleur pour une nouvelle annee pleine de gourmandise !
Bises
What a nice getaway you had. I remember Aigues-Mortes well from a visit several years ago. The town is fascinating. We had a lovely lunch at an outdoor cafe in the square with my brother and our French belle-soeur.
I'd love to tour an olive mill. That needs to be on my next French visit's agenda!
Happy New Year!
Sounds like a fantastic trip. Feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Thank you for these evocative pictures, wonderful!
I must try and get back to France in 2010, I missed it this year, perhaps back to the south again rather than Brittany.
Wishing you a very happy New Year!
At least you had a nice break, even if the weather could have been better. The oil with the herbs in sounds rather good!
I spent a day at Aigues-Mortes a few years ago.....wish it had been for longer...and I didn't see a single flamingo! Happy New Year!
These are beautiful shots even with the dull weather. I love the reflections in the top one.
Wishing you a Happy New Year xxx
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