Avignon

We left Mazemet on Wednesday morning in the rain.  We travelled for 1 hour before the drizzle started to lift and we could see patches of blue sky.  Peter's new rain gear kept him dry.

On the way to Avignon, we stopped at Aigue Mort (dead water), which is at the mouth of the Rhone Delta in the Camargue.  Aigue Mort is a walled town and was set up for the departure of the crusades, over the sea.  Today, they are known for their 'Camargue Salt', which they harvest from the sea.

Then we visited St. Marie du Mer...  a village on the ocean that has been taken over by gypsies.  There were gypsy caravans, vans, motorhomes, etc., everywhere.  The town was so packed with gypsies, tourists, fun fair, festival stalls, tourists, cows, horses, etc...  we could hardly drive through.  We certainly couldn't park the car anywhere...  so we just kept on going.  But it was very colourful!

We got to Avignon, another walled town, at 6:00 pm and stayed with Monique Lavigne, our French friend.  Weather has now turned hot!

We stayed with Monique for three nights, visiting amazing cities during the day.  Les Bau (perched on a rock face), Roussillon (purported to be one of the prettiest villages in France..  and it was) and we drove through the 'Alpettes'...  small mountains, I guess.  We also had a fantastic picnic on the grounds of the Sanitorium that Van Gogh once checked himself into when he went a little crazy.