From Provence to Canet De Roussillon

On 10/1 we headed for the time share. We decided to check some places out on the way. First we stopped in the Camargue region, which is the delta area of the Rhone river. It is best known for the wild white horses, bulls and flamingos that roam free. We saw many horses and a few bulls, but sadly we did not see any flamingos. We then stopped at Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer. It is a typical beach town with a nice, sandy beach. We stumbled across a wedding that had just happened at the Hotel DeVille, or the town hall to you and me. There were about 10 men and 2 boys wearing traditional clothing, on their white horses. They each had a long pole. The wedding couple got into a convertible and circled the area, with the men and boys on horseback following. We later found the men and boys waiting outside a chuch, where the couple must have been having their religious ceremony. They were lined up on their horses in two lines, on either side of the door to the church, forming an aisle for the wedding party. We waited for about 30 minutes, but grew impatient so we left. Quite a crowd had gathered. About 10 minutes later we heard the church bells and knew we should have waited! I don't know who the wedding couple was, but considering all the pomp and circumstance they must have been important, at least locally. When they took their 'victory lap' in the convertible, the man, who was clearly older than the woman, was waving to the people.

Later we went to Aigues-Mortes, which means dead waters. It was a walled city. We enjoyed wandering around for awhile. As we were heading back to the car we saw a dance group. They were dressed in country western styled clothes and were dancing to American country music. Go figure!

We arrived at the timeshare just at check-in time, which was at 5:00 p.m. We went to the 2 bedroom 2 bath unit and were NOT happy. It was very large, but really shabby. That is being kind. And both bathrooms were missing something I consider to be pretty important - a toilet! We searched and found a tiny closet of a room with a toilet (no sink) located next to the front door. It was an upstairs unit, and those stairs were an accident waiting to happen. We went back to the office and Marie asked if they could move us. They did, to a smaller 2 bedroom 2 bath. It is not quite as shabby and one of the bathrooms actually has a toilet in it. It also has the toilet in the tiny room (no sink) by the front door. It is a good size for us and is working out fine. We have a little patio to eat, and more importantly, drink wine on. A lot of wine...