The Med.

Today we arose early and departed for the Mediterranean well before 9:00. It was another fabulous day in paradise and although it appears on the map like a long trip to Aigues Mortes and the Mediterranean, we were in the heart of Aigues Mortes before the town had even awakened. They were preparing for a special festival this weekend, including a circus.

There were, as a result, not the parking spots on the outside of town we were used to, so into the heart of the old town we went to find parking.

The other special event setting up here today, was a running of the bulls and cowboys through the heart of town. There were serious metal barricades set up through the running route to protect buildings and people from the bulls.

I don't think we would have even gotten close to this place on the weekend, so it's fortunate that we chose today to visit. After our leisurely walk, we headed down the coast past the salt flats and flamingoes and through the bull and Camargue horse pastures.

After a short drive through La Grande Motte with its most unique architecture, we stopped at the beaches and had a short walk on the fine sand of the Camargue beaches. As usual, at this time of year, the beach restaurants and cabanas had been dismantled and the beach was pretty barren, with the exception of some shore fishermen.

So, as not to disappoint my faithful readers, there may have been some degree of undress on the beach, despite the fact that it was the 3rd of October.

Around noon hour, we were already heading back to Cairanne, but stopped at a great picnic spot on the A-9 autoroute for lunch. Once we got back to our Orange turn off, we gased up and headed for Chateauneuf du Papes for another look see. There was a lot of hand picking still going on the vineyards of Chateuneuf and we drove through the heart of the best Cotes du Rhones wines appreciating the views.

Back at the ranch we played cards - Claude won tonight - and had another fabulous duck dinner.