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The Camargue
Because of the huge quantities of silt being washed down the River Rhone, the Languedoc coast is constantly changing. The silt gets washed along the coast, and over the centuries has formed a necklace of Etangs or salt-water lakes almost to the Spanish border. The Camargue flamingos are
breathtaking to see, but an unfortunate part of visiting this area, are the large swarms of
mosquitoes.
The Camargue consists of salt-water lagoons, and marshes, inhabited by flocks of flamingos, and is famous for its wild bulls, and the white horses that roam freely. In the salt marshes the Compagnie des Salins du Midi was formed in the middle of the 19th century, and still has nearly 35000 acres of marshes
producing salt.
Once a year, the bulls, and horses are rounded up by the Camargue’s own version of the cowboys, called Gardiannes. Throughout the year the Gardiannes organise bull fighting, where the object is to snatch a red rosette attached between the bull’s horns.
The Camargue has another unusual claim to fame. It produces more rice than some far eastern countries,
that are more noted for the consumption of rice. It is possible to explore the Camargue by boat.
http://www.camargue.fr/favicon.ico
Parc de Camargue
The origins of the name Camargue (Occitan:
Camarga or Camargo)
Occitan is the ancient language of the south
of France. The certain origin of the name Camargue is unknown, but it is of
ancient origins.
According to theTourist Office at St Maries
de la Mer, in the heart of the Camargue, the name Camargue came from the wife’s
name of the Roman General Gaius Marius, born about 157 b.c. at Cereatae, near
Arpinum [Arpino], Italy.
(CAMARIA Married name Caia: feminine name of
Gaius Marius)
Neither from the city of Rome, nor a
pedigreed patrician. Gaius Marius still managed to be elected Consul a
record-breaking 7 times, and married into the family of Julius Caesar, and
reformed the Roman army.
His family from Arpinum, the rustic
birthplace shared with Cicero, may have been peasants or they may have been an
equestrian family.
Gaius Marius joined the military, and served
well in Spain under Scipio Aemilianus.
Another speculation is that the name came
from a derivation of Cicconia ciconia, the scientific name for the White Stork,
that is found in the camargue.
Yet one more theory is that it comes from
the famous white horses of the Camargue that were appreciated by the Celtic and
Roman invaders that entered the Iberian Peninsula, and through their genealogy,
are closely tied with Spanish breeds, especially those in the northern part of
Spain from the region around Camargo, Cantabria.
Camargo is a municipality in the province,
of Cantabria, in northern Spain.
The riding tack of the gardians or
camargaise cowboys, is very similar to that used by the Moors, who
travelled through Spain - the high-pommelled saddle, and cage stirrups -
pointing to an equine influence which almost certainly travelled across the
Iberian peninsula to the delta.
Aigues-Mortes
Aigues-Mortes
is a town in the département of
Gard,
and located
south west of
Nîmes,
on the Canal du Rhône à Sète. It was once a coastal town, but
because of silt, it is now 3.5 miles inland, but has a canal
that joins it with the Gulf of Lion. Its name comes from
the Latin phrase, ‘aquae mortuae’ which means "dead waters".
The phrase refers to the surrounding salt marshland,
adjacent to the town.
Aigues-Mortes is known as the
gateway to the Camargue. Covering 16 hectares, the town is
surrounded by a thick wall, 11 meters high and with 20
towers.
Aigues-Mortes was used as a departure port by the Crusaders,
led by Louis ix, to the Holy lands. On the Constance Tower,
with a height of 30 meters, there is a lighthouse, that
served as a warning light for shipping, but was also able to
communicate with the Tower of Magne at Nimes. It was a
strong Protestant town after the religous wars against the
Cathars. It served as a prison after the revocation of the
Edit of Nantes in 1685. 
If you decide to walk around the complete circle of its
ramparts, you will need about ¾ of an hour, the town has
remained untouched since the 13th Century.
Whilst at Aigues Mortes, a visit worth taking, is to the Salt
Production
LES SALINS DU MIDI - POLE CAMARGUE –
30220 AIGUESMORTES
04.66.73.40.24 – Fax 04.66.73.40.21
You will be accompanied through the evaporation basins, where
you get a chance to view the flora and fauna. The visit
returns to the museum, where there is a souvenir shop.
VISIT the SALINS by four wheel drive
vehicles (15 june to 15 september)
Tickets are bought direct at the Salins.
Visits last: 3h30
Tarifs : 35€ / pp. 8 pers. max persons – Animals not
admitted.
Infos et reservations : Tel 04 66 73 40 24
VISIT the Salin on Tourist TRAIN
Tarifs : 8,50€ / adult - 6,10€ / child. Family ticket - 2
adults + 2 children : 25€
Look locally for train times
Commentary is in French, but there are paper handouts in
English. A stop will be made at the tourist shop, and the
museum where there is a short film show.
http://www.ot-aiguesmortes.fr/favicon.ico
Perrier
History of Sparkling Mineral Water, Perrier
It was Napoleon III who granted the well known spring at
Vergèze, mineral water status in 1863, and gave the rights to
exclusively exploit the spring to the "Société de
l'Etablissement Thermal des Eaux Minérale de Vergèze."
Facilities were built for making bottled water, and for
bathing.
In 1894, Dr Louis Perrier began marketing the water, and today Perrier is the
world’s most recognized, and France’s best selling, sparkling mineral water. The
source had been known since Roman times.
In 1903, Sir St.John Harmsworth, a member of the English aristocracy, invested
in the property, and renamed the spring from Les Bouillens, to Source Perrier,
named after the dedicated physician who brought it to his attention.
He sold his family business to buy the source. In 1906, he formed
a company called, "La Compagnie de la Source Perrier", and was responsible for the
distinctively shaped the bottle. It is said, that the idea for their shape, came
from the popular exercise clubs of the time.
Perrier's famous green bottle became popular throughout Europe, and was the first
sparkling natural mineral water bottled in the U.S. Perrier became an intrinsic
part of an active, healthy, American lifestyle in the late 1970s.
In 2002, some new flavors were introduced: ginger-cherry, peppermint,
orange-litchi, raspberry or ginger-lemon.
Perrier continues to be bottled at the original source in Vergeze.
perrier visite entrée
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Near to Aigues Mort is the village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a coastal town.
 It
is said that the three Mary’s, present at the crucifixion fled here, accompanied
by the servant Sarah. Sarah has been adopted as the patron saint of gypsies and
between the 23 and the 25th May there is a Fete where Gypsies congregate in the
town and on the 25th after an all night vigil a statue of Sarah is carried into
the waves. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is featured in the book 'Caravan to Vacares'
Office de Tourisme Saintes
Maries de la mer en Camargue
La Grande Motte
La Grande Motte lies close to Aigues Mort, and is one of the new coa stal resorts built along the Languedoc coast since the 1960s. It is probably one of the most sophisticated, with a world class golf course. Its buildings are very futuristic and are said to have been inspired by the shapes of the Cevenne Mountains. Here there is a Casino and the Marina houses over a 1000 yachts.
Tourist Office - LA
GRANDE MOTTE
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