May
11

The Wild Horses of France

By · Comments (0)

My recent articles have been discussing the towns, history, and bird-life of the Camargue region of south-eastern France.

Horses of the CamargueWe cannot leave this most interesting region of the world without the chance to find out more about the horses and bulls that live in the Camargue.

The Camargue Horse is one of the oldest breeds in the world, and is closely related to prehistoric horses whose remains have been found in southern France. They are coloured dark brown or black at birth, but turn white at about 4 years of age. The Camargue is smaller than most horses, often at about 13 or 14 hands. They generally free range, rather than being stabled.

The local cowboys (called Gardians)  round up the famous black bulls from the area – where the Bull is King. The Bull is celebrated in many festivals throughout the year. But don’t worry, the bull is not harmed in Languedoc Bull fights.

The Camargue bull is also smaller than many other species, and is very well regarded for the quality and flavour of its meat.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
Comments (0)
May
09

The Camargue – A Birdwatchers Paradise

By · Comments (0)

The Camargue is located south of Arles, France, just inland at the mouth of the River Rhône.

Map of the CamargueWith an area of over 930 km² (360 sq. miles), the Camargue is western Europe’s largest river delta. It is a vast plain comprising large salt water lagoons, and is cut off from the sea by sandbars. The Camargue is encircled by reed-covered marshes.

Roughly a third of the Camargue is made up of lakes and marshlands. The central area has been protected as a regional park since 1927, in recognition of its great importance as a haven for wild birds. It is now officially recognised as the Parc Régional de Camargue.

The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds, with the salt water lagoons providing one of the few European habitats for the greater flamingo.

The marshes are also a prime habitat for many species of insects, notably (and notoriously) some of the most ferocious mosquitos to be found anywhere in France.

The vegetation in this region of the Camargue is specially adapted to cope with the saline conditions. Sea lavender and glasswort flourish along with tamarisks and reeds.

A roadside museum provides background on flora, fauna, and the history of the area.

You will pass through the outskirts of the Camargue as you travel south from Arles towards Saintes Maries de la Mer.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
Comments (0)
May
08

The Black Madonna

By · Comments (0)

Yesterday I wrote about Stes Maries de la Mer, located just south of Arles in the Provence region of France.

Today I am providing further detail about the stories of Saint Sarah. There are many differing versions of her background, and I will bring some of them to you here.

Saint Sarah, the Black Madonna

The most common tale is that Sarah was the servant of Mary Jacobé, Jesus’ aunt, and Mary Salomé, mother of the apostles John and James, who, along with Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and various other New Testament characters, are said to have been driven out of Palestine by the Jews and put on a boat with neither sails nor oars.

The boat apparently drifted to an island in the mouth of the Rhône, where the Egyptian god Ra was worshipped. This is the site of the current Stes Marie de la Mer. Here Mary Jacobé, Mary Salomé and Sarah, who was herself Egyptian, settled to carry out conversion work, while the others headed off for other parts of Provence.

One Camargue tradition has it that when the other travelers were in the boat, they left Sarah behind. She cried out and one of the Marys threw her coat onto the water. Sara stepped onto the coat and it bore her to the boat.

Another tradition, ascribed to by the local gypsy tradition says that Sara was a Gitane, (some say ‘Egyptian’) woman living on the banks of the Provençal River and that she rescued the Saintes-Maries from a storm at sea.

Other stories that have been proposed are

  • that Sara was an Egyptian, the abbess of a large convent in Libya who accompanied the three Marys to France when they fled from the Holy Land after the Crucifixion
  • that Sara was a prominent figure among a group of Persian martyrs and that she, with the two Maries and Martha, arrived in Gaul by ship
  • there is also an 11th century apocryphal text that presents Sara discovering, with Martha and the two Marys, the empty tomb of Jesus, and leaving to announce with the Apostles the news of the Resurrection of the Christ.

Whatever her mysterious history, today a cult of St. Sara persists. Although she was never conferred sainthood by the Catholic Church, the legend of Saint Sara was adopted by the local chapel of Saintes-Maries de la Mer.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
Comments (0)
May
07

Da Vinci Code In Provence!

By · Comments (0)

Stes. Maries de la Mer is a settlement with a population of some 2500 which is situated on the French Mediterranean coast in the Heart of Camargue’s Parc Naturel (nature park).

On a shop door at Stes. MariesWe chanced upon this amazing place during a recent trip through the Provence region of France, and were fascinated by the contrasts and rich history of the region.

It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine yourself in a Californian beachfront village when traversing many of the laneways and streets of Stes Maries, such is the color, adobe clad buildings and range of people and activities abounding.

Yet no Californian village is able to boast a genuine fortified Romanesque Church and one of the world’s wildest and richest ornithological parks.

Stes. Maries is especially famous for its oldest tradition which consists of being the meeting place for the gypsy people which occurs each May. Gypsy families from around the world make their way to Stes Maries-de-la-Mer for Baptisms, family reunions, and other events. The Romanesque church contains the crypt of Ste. Sarah, the patron saint of gypsies, and the annual festival celebrates this religious linkage, with Romanies gathering to ask favours of their icon.

The rich folklore and music of this nomadic group is evident throughout the city, and attracts many visitors throughout the year.

This place also features prominently in “The Da Vinci Code”, in which the author, Dan Brown suggests that Sarah was in fact the daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdelaine. Sara is an historical mystery with many legends offering to solve the story of her origin.

The Romanesque ChurchAccording to a local legend, when the Marys and Lazarus were sent out to sea in a small boat during the persecution of Christians by the Jews, they left Sarah behind. She cried out and one of the Mary’s threw her coat onto the water. Sara stepped onto the coat and it bore her to the boat. They landed safely on the shore at the present Stes. Maries-de-la-Mer.

Although she was never conferred sainthood by the Catholic Church, the legend of Sara has been adopted by the local chapel of Saintes-Maries de la Mer.

The region has many ranches in the region where both bulls and horses are bred. These ranches welcome visitors and in some cases offer you a place to stay as well. This is an excellent way to get to know the famous Camargue cowboys and their livestock.

You should definitely visit this part of the world if you get a chance.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
Comments (0)
Apr
28

Own Your Car In Europe?

By · Comments (0)

If traveling to Europe for a visit of over about 2 weeks, why not consider a short-term lease instead of a car rental?

The Government of France has developed a novel tax-free scheme which enables manufacturers in that country to offer vehicles to travelers from outside the EU on the basis of a short-term lease. This is designed to encourage tourism.
For the term of your lease, you own the car, and the company offers a buy-back scheme at the end of the lease period at a predetermined price, which includes everything including comprehensive insurance with zero excess.

Whilst it is most cost effective to pick up and return the vehicle in France, arrangements can be made to do this in other countries (at a set price). This enables low cost one-way travel (much cheaper than with rental companies).
You can have the exact brand-new vehicle that you reserve, with 24/7 breakdown cover and can take it to some 30 countries.

The pricing is all inclusive and paid up-front, offering you one less thing to worry about when you are overseas.

No taxes will apply – compared to value added taxes of up to 20% that are always added to your car rental bill. There are also no additional driver surcharges.

In Europe, high fuel economy diesel vehicles have become the norm, and it is possible to guarantee that you can get one of these cars. This will result in a 30% to 40% reduction in fuel costs during your vacation.

The vehicles makes available under this scheme are Peugeot, Citroen and Renault.

If you would like to find out more about car leasing in Europe, contact one of the companies specializing in this aspect of travel. These include:

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Road, Vacations
Comments (0)
Subscribe to Online Travel Consultant Blog

Get the latest updates delivered straight into your email inbox

Categories