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Post by WillowTheWhisp on Oct 6, 2011 12:44:26 GMT
Lovely mulberry tree.
Why is St Sarah carried into the sea every year? And why is she wearing all those curtains? The statue looks absolutely dwarfed by them.
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh on Oct 6, 2011 13:15:04 GMT
A bit complicated ...
The three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, whose relics are the focus of pilgrims, are believed to be the women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus. After the Crucifixion of Jesus, they set sail from Alexandria, Egypt with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea.
According to a longstanding French legend, they either sailed to or were cast adrift - either way they arrived off the coast of what is now France, at "a sort of fortress named Oppidum-Râ", today Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Dark-skinned Saint Sara is said to have possibly been the Egyptian servant of the three Marys.
Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kali ("Sara the Black", Romani: Sara e Kali) is the patron saint of the Roma (Gypsy) people who congregate for a May festival at Stes Maries.
The ceremony closely parallels the annual processions in India, the country in which the Romani originated, when statues of the Indian goddess Durga, also named Kali, are immersed into water. Durga, the consort of Shiva, usually represented with a black face, is the goddess of creation, sickness and death.
Or not !
Peter
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh on Oct 9, 2011 8:40:14 GMT
Weekend Ideas ..... Toulouse But for a slip of a fonctionaires pen, Toulouse would have been the Languedoc regional capital, rather than Montpellier. Traditionally much of Languedoc fell under the jurisdiction of the County of Toulouse. In defining todays political borders, departments and capitals were locked together with little respect for history. Today Toulouse is the regional capital of Midi Pyrenees. Toulouse has a metropolitan population of 1.1m (inc 100,000 students). It is a roman town and the roman roads were later used by Compostella pilgrims. The river Garronne , gateway to Bordeaux and the Atlantic, flows through the city and is linked to the Canal du Midi making Toulouse powerful trading position historically. It has a fine old centre with many important buildings, whilst the exterior suburbs house the aero and space industries that generate todays prosperity. More vibrant than Montpellier, with an extensive nightlife, it makes an ideal weekend destination. To do : Accommodation : Central traffic and parking is difficult, so a lower cost hotel on the on the edge of the centre near the canals is convenient. This aparthotel has breakfast service, is well situated and has an underground garage - www.athome-ah.com/ . Rooms are rather small, but acceptable for a short stay. The top hotels are grouped together in the magnificent Place du Capitole - e.g. www.grand-hotel-opera.com/uk/index.php Getting there : A9 / A61 just under 3 hrs from Montpellier or use the rail connections Air - Belfast Thomas Cook Airlines Belfast Jet2 Birmingham Flybe Bristol Thomas Cook Airlines Bristol Easyjet Dublin Aer Lingus Edinburgh Jet2 Gatwick Thomas Cook Airlines Gatwick Easyjet Heathrow BA Leeds Bradford Jet2 Manchester Thomas Cook Airlines Manchester BMI baby Newcastle Jet2 See : The tourist office has a range of guided tours in the centre which are worth taking : www.toulouse-tourisme.com/accueil/index_fr.phpMore : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse |
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Post by mpprh on Oct 9, 2011 8:51:44 GMT
Weekend ideas (2) ... Carcassonne  Carcassonne is about 100km from Toulouse and quite a small market town (pop 50,000) despite being the Aude prefecture. It has roman origins and has been substantially rebuilt over the centuries. The hilltop to the East is dominated by a walled chateau and inner village, and the old city itself is near the banks of the Aude river to the West. The walled city is a very well known tourist destination and the centre is congested with coachloads of tourists during the day. The city had fallen into disrepair and was renovated in 1850 to resemble a typical medieval walled city. The originally crenolated towers were remodelled with conical rooflines and other historically inaccurate features created. The city (Ville Basse) has typical old France small town charm with some interesting architecture, squares and galleries. To do : Accommodation : Parking is a problem, so check out the facilities before booking anything. Hotels within the walls are expensive, but provide a more peaceful evening experience of the inner village. The Ville Basse has several small B&B's and hotels that are quiet, close to all facilities, provide views of the walls and are within walking distance of the walled city. Try : carcassonneholiday.wordpress.comcarcassonneguesthouse.comwww.42ruevictorhugo.comwww.hotelduchateau-carcassonne.com/uk/navigation.htm Getting there : A9 / A61 just over 2hrs from Montpellier or use the rail connections Air - Cork Ryanair Dublin Ryanair East Midlands Ryanair Leeds Bradford Ryanair * Liverpool Ryanair Prestwick Ryanair Stansted Ryanair More : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne |
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh on Oct 13, 2011 7:49:16 GMT
Some more pics ... Uzes was an important town, historically. It has a Royal palace and well preserved medieval centre. It is famous for it's truffle market (rules : all transactions will be settled immediately in cash - no invoices will be requested or given !) -       Satellite view maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=44.012262,4.419658&spn=0.006265,0.016512&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=17 Peter |
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Post by mpprh on Oct 27, 2011 15:22:32 GMT
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Post by mpprh on Nov 5, 2011 7:16:23 GMT
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trevnhil
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Post by trevnhil on Nov 5, 2011 7:29:12 GMT
Wow Peter, I am sorry to hear of the troubles there. 600mm is some amount of water and to have it in three days it is no wonder there is flooding.
I hope that you yourself and your premises are not too affected by it all.
Regards. Trev..
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Post by accykeef on Nov 5, 2011 9:39:09 GMT
I have seen the results of flooding around Montpelier and it is quite devastating. I have never seen the rushing floods you get but I have seen the run off on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees and the torrent of water was washing everyting in it's path away.
Hope you and yours keep safe.
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh on Nov 5, 2011 15:31:14 GMT
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Post by mpprh on Dec 8, 2011 11:31:44 GMT
 Camargue coast Many people think that the South of France Med coast is heavily built up and crowded. This is true on the Cote d'Azur from the Italian border to Cannes. Toulon and Marseille are also major cities on the coast, but from the river Rhone westward there are no large towns on the coast. This part of the Med has a continuous 1 - 2 knot current* flowing from Italy to Spain. The sand from the Rhone is swept along with the current forming the delta and the sandy beaches which continue to the Pyrenees with the exception of Sete and Cap d'Agde which are rocky outcrops. The picture is taken quite close to me and is a view of one of the Camargue beaches. Inland, there are shallow lakes and the beach is backed by sand dunes. There are few roads and access is by mountain bikle, jeep, horse or boat. The Camargue is a wildlife reserve with 400 bird species, white horses, black bulls and the only breeding pink flamingoes in Europe. The main agriculture is rice production. Salt production was started by the Romans and continues today. There are some small fishing ports and leisure marinas have been developed at the extremities. Looking across part of the Camargue towards Montpellier:  Rice:  Flamingoes:   Horses:  Bulls:  Salt:  Fishing (as seen by Van Gogh):  Port Camargue:  Satellite view of Camargue: maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.501749,4.568939&spn=0.42584,1.056747&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=11 * The Med sea evaporates faster than rivers can replenish it. So, there is a continuous flow from the Atlantic heading East. It follows the North African coast, then splits when it hits the toe of Italy. One part continues East to Cyprus, the other follows the leg of Italy and follows the curve of the coast so that it heads along the French coast towards Gibralter. |
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Post by WillowTheWhisp on Dec 8, 2011 19:50:06 GMT
It's a very watery landscape Peter. Are there any houses? Do people get flooded? Or is it just not possible to biuld homes there.
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mpprh
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Post by mpprh on Dec 8, 2011 21:36:03 GMT
There are scattered farm houses, villages on the higher land and Stes Maries de la Mer on the coast. Spot the farm houses : maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.582691,4.417105&spn=0.026579,0.066047&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=15 Historic chateau with model village for the workers : maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.571954,4.31428&spn=0.003323,0.008256&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=18 maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.572443,4.314526&spn=0.000008,0.008256&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=43.572375,4.314494&panoid=aOEQ-v8Up4sYLpjmhIK0mg&cbp=12,221.37,,0,-6.14 This village on the outskirts of the Camargue has a camp site run by an English couple : maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.642939,4.300632&spn=0.013339,0.033023&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=16 A very remote village : maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.396138,4.596255&spn=0.003348,0.008256&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=18 Stes Maries de la Mer (see black virgin notes above) : maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.452825,4.431975&spn=0.013381,0.033023&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=16 A fascinating place to visit. Peter |
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Post by mpprh on Dec 9, 2011 10:04:42 GMT
I should have mentioned that the immediate surrounding land is used for making some very good wines. The area between Nimes and the Camargue produces Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone and Clairette de Bellegarde. This one is owned by a Swedish/French couple (they lived in the same Swedish village as me in the c1990's) :  maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.675651,4.339246&spn=0.003333,0.008256&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=18 maps.google.com/maps?q=calet+beauvoisin&hl=en&ll=43.675725,4.341627&spn=0.006635,0.016512&sll=43.650865,4.332111&sspn=0.006668,0.016512&vpsrc=6&hq=calet&hnear=Beauvoisin,+Gard,+Languedoc-Roussillon,+France&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=43.675612,4.341673&panoid=s89YOTQiNOdUIjdQIgoItA&cbp=12,323.19,,2,-4.28 maps.google.com/maps?q=calet+beauvoisin&hl=en&ll=43.675725,4.341627&spn=0.006635,0.016512&sll=43.650865,4.332111&sspn=0.006668,0.016512&vpsrc=6&hq=calet&hnear=Beauvoisin,+Gard,+Languedoc-Roussillon,+France&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=43.675612,4.341673&panoid=s89YOTQiNOdUIjdQIgoItA&cbp=12,278.19,,0,-4.28 maps.google.com/maps?q=calet+beauvoisin&hl=en&ll=43.675841,4.341574&spn=0.006635,0.016512&sll=43.650865,4.332111&sspn=0.006668,0.016512&vpsrc=6&hq=calet&hnear=Beauvoisin,+Gard,+Languedoc-Roussillon,+France&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=43.675952,4.341527&panoid=0QzYl-zNWKm86v0grDqT9g&cbp=12,166.05,,0,-2.41 www.domaine-de-calet.com/gbccueil.htmlThis one is a very old major producer whose vines are grown in the sand next to the Camargue shallow lakes and salt pans (which appear pink).  maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.530754,4.184761&spn=0.053205,0.132093&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=14 maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.530699,4.177669&spn=0.006651,0.016512&vpsrc=6&t=k&z=17 www.listel.comPeter |
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Post by WillowTheWhisp on Dec 9, 2011 16:00:16 GMT
It certainly looks a sparsely populated area but then again it seems to be more water than land. I think I'm beginning to get to grips with it now. Never having been there it's a bit difficult to understand the landscape at first. I wouldn't want to live in one of those remote farms.  |
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I had been telling my hubby about the time I was in Morecombe when the Moby Dick and Hotel was hit by lightening and burnt down. My parents, sister and myself had just come off the Moby Dick when lightening stuck