Wednesday 12th June, very hot indeed!
This was our Camargue trip with R & F. We met them at the office late morning, and then set off for Arles, our destination for ze lunch. We were a bit late, so it was a fast trip to say the least! R has a Ducati which can also go off-road, so a much lighter bike with very long travel on the forks meaning that the ubiquitous speed bumps don’t really slow him down much. He is also typical Mediterranean French – likes to go fast and road markings are purely advisory. F also likes to go fast and thinks this current bike is too slow as she prefers sport bikes even though she gets nearly nothing to sit on.
Given that, not surprisingly, at one point we were so far behind we lost sight of them for several miles. Speed limits became advisory for us as B pushed The Beast to catch them up after being trapped behind a motorhome (yeah, I suppose I cant complain). Luckily I can’t see the speedo from my seat, so I can’t get too scared! Top speed that day 85mph he later told me.
We stopped briefly at St. Gilles to see the Roman church there, which was unfortunately closed. The outside still has many carvings on it, though most of the figures have had their heads removed by the locals at the end of the Roman rule. It is in the middle of a lot of Medieval houses around a sundrenched square. We boiled and left!
In Arles we found a shaded pavement to leave the bikes and headed off for lunch via the Roman arena which is in the centre of the town. Arles is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the large concentration of Roman buildings and remains which are in and around the town. We need to go back again on a cooler day to look around properly, but it was a great overview.
F found a restaurant nearby with a lovely shaded garden at the back and just one table left – so we took it. We were very close to the arena, but despite the potential of another tourist trap, the food was excellent. F & I had salads with smoked salmon, marinated red mullet and steamed cod while B & R had Steak Tartare (raw minced beef with seasoning and raw egg yolk) with frites. Lovely!
No, really, I had eaten it earlier in the week, and it may not look or sound so good to those of us who like to cremate our meat, but it can be amazing.
We walked around more of the town – again most of it is Medieval. The boys walked off as we looked in shop windows thinking oh dear the girls are talking clothes! Well we were, but not current fashion – there is a traditional Arles dress from medieval times which includes a shawl and a special hat and hairstyle too. F has one from one of her grandparents, all silk and lace with a pinched waist and a flat fronted skirt with pleats at the rear. As soon as she told me about it there were pictures of the style everywhere. The local women wear them during festivals so the tradition is kept. No idea what the men wear as funnily enough R & B did not discuss that!
Eventually it was time to get on the bikes and tour the Camargue. We followed them down lots of small backroads taking us round the huge Etang Vaccares (another lagoon). At one point we stopped and were mobbed by lots of tiny midges – R & F’s helmets were completed coated with dead ones – B was saved by the screen on The Beast and me by that and being behind him – I had just one on my visor! Smug or what!!
It was a great ride, and we ended up at Stes. Maries de la Mer, but a bit late as the church was closed, as was a Chateau we tried to visit on the way – not a good day for things being open then. We looked at the sea but refused to “take a bath” as the water is still pretty cold at the moment due to unusually bad weather patterns – they haven’t escaped either.
We opted for a beer in the shade at a town centre café before it was time to head back. Midge removal and bike polishing scheduled for tomorrow!
The Roman church at St. Gilles
Arles amphitheatre – still used for Camargue style bull runs where young men have to chase bulls on foot and grab a “coque” attached to its horns. No killing.
Medieval cloister at Arles
R’s Ducati
F & B survey the view while R surveys the number of midges on The Beast’s screen. My jacket keeps the sun off our seats and the breeze keeps the midges off us!