France - The Wild South Of France: The Camargue (12/151)

France - The Wild South Of France: The Camargue (12/151)

The sky over the Camargue is never-ending, land and sea merge in constant fluctuation, wind and water are everywhere. The region in the delta area between the Grand Rhone and the Petit Rhone is unique among the French landscapes. Humans and animals have adjusted to the special conditions. When the Romans came, they already found the flamingos and the semi-wild horses that still dominate the landscape. The robust white horses are still kept on the wide-ranging "manades", as the farms are called here. The horses are also used as working animals for the "manadiers", the cowboys of the Camargue. They rear the bulls that on the day of the great Festival of Arles are driven into the city's ancient arena. In the bullfights that take place there, known as the "Courses camarguaises", there is no bloodshed, but they demand from the young men a high degree of swiftness, agility and skill. Arles has been attracting artists since time immemorial: the most famous was Vincent Van Gogh, who was fascinated by the atmosphere of the special light of the southern city. Other places in the Camargue that have been popular for many years are Aigues-Mortes, whose medieval walls were visited by Hemingway, and Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer, where the church of St Sara is still a place of worship for Sinti and Roma.