Hidden Provence, France – Part II

1/17/2013

Rabbits are found in abundance in the Camargue of Provence.  Birds, on migration from Europe to Africa, know the area well. And as it’s a migratory route, sparrows, swallows, robins, woodpeckers and migratory birds stop to rest here. One of the pleasures was awakening to birdsong.  Half symphony; it sounded like a wild singing competition.

“Even the falcon sings in the mornings,” said the property owner.

To anyone interested in unusual places with excellent accommodation, I recommend staying in B&Bs particularly if you travel alone, as I usually do. It’s one of the nicest ways of meeting locals.  (Reserve through the Gites de France association). Of course, a rental car is a must for the freedom of exploring all over and I always lease a Renault’s www.renaultusa.com/

The Camargue remains largely unexplored by Americans.  This vast triangular plain (the delta of the Rhone) stretches from Arles to the Mediterranean. Partly desert, it also has vast marshland and salt marshes.  And it’s greatest appeal is as a natural reserve, where the famous white horses of the Camargue run wild. There are also wild bulls and pigs. I watched pink flamingoes walking in a straight line, one right behind the other, daintily picking up their feet in the shallow waters near Aigues-Mortes, a medieval fortified city.