Tuesday, 18 March 2008

Down by the Sea

It's only 45 minutes from our house to the Mediterranean at its closest and Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is generally where we head for.  In the height of summer it can get pretty busy, but in the winter, you share the beach with only a handful of other people (and horses).


We went down a few weeks ago with John and Ruth.  The sun was low in the sky, creating some fantastic shadows.


A few guys were out fishing (strenuous stuff)...


... and they weren't the only ones with fishing on their minds.

Les-Saintes-Maries is the principal coastal town of the Camargue - the marshy area in the Rhone's delta famous for its flamingoes and white horses.  It's a great beach for drift wood.


The beach features a wooden bar/café in the summer months, built on wooden piles.  In the winter they take the café down, leaving just the piles...


The piles and their shadows created fantastic graphic patterns...



... as did the sun through the fences placed along the beach to stop the sand blowing away in the winter winds.


And then along came a group of riders, on those famous white horses.



As the afternoon drew to a close, a fantastic light show was laid on for us.



This is Ruth and Lindsay walking back towards Les-Saintes-Maries.


That's the tower of Les-Saintes-Maries' medieval fortified church on the horizon.

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