July 18, 2006
Day 21: St-Gilles - Carnon-Plage: We reach the Mediterranean
We have our morning routine with the tent down pat now - up at 6, dress and pack and we're ready to leave around 7. But we haven't had breakfast yet. We still have to find a sweet café for our morning croissants and coffee.
We are now in the Rhone river delta. Again the country is very flat, occasionally low hedges line the road or tall reeds. Our roads through the Camargue are small and there is almost no traffic. The air has changed from burning dry of the past days to very humid. I've never felt so damp while cycling.
The Camargue is western Europe's largest river delta, approximately a third of the area is either lakes or marshland and it is known for its wildlife. Some regions are protected as a haven for wild birds. However, we don't see any of those flamingos, the symbol for the Camargue National Park.
We again see a few Camargue horses and bulls, bred for the corrida I think, but to see more wildlife we would have to get onto the little dirt paths on foot.
On our way to Aigues-Mortes, we also pass vineyards - this is the only area of the Camargue where grape production hasn't been declining.
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The area around Aigues-Mortes is made up of salty lagoons and water channels where the Rhone meets the sea, Aigues-Mortes meaning 'dead waters'. This location prevented the city from expanding and what stands now is a walled town whose appearance has changed little since the Middle Ages. Except for the tourists! It's a very popular tourist stop.
Another 10 km and we reach the Mediterranean. This is another one of those times when we say, did we really bike here? We continue along the coast and decide to camp in Carnon-Plage. It's ridiculously hot and it's time to get off the road. And time for a swim. Again the campground is new, not attractive and we are hard put to find a bit of shade. This all puts me in a rather bad frame of mind which Janos can't talk me out of. But after I've had a swim in the sea, I'm reconciled. The water is clear and cooling, a balm for body and soul.
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1 year ago
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 1,218 km (756 miles)
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