This Time: Flamingoes not Flamenco

We experienced several transitions recently: From flamenco dancers in Spain to flamingos in France, and from fist fights in Cotignac to bull fights in Chateaunard. I love the diversity of our activities. In the space of four days we saw World Cup soccer, Gregorian chants, bull fights and bike riding through the Camargue. More about each…


The day after the Gregorian chant concert, Mike and I went on a mini excursion to Arles and the surrounding areas. Arles is on the bank of the Rhone River and the home to several Roman ruins. We saw the Roman amphitheater (complete with a gladiator fight) and the ruins of the Roman theater. Arles was okay but not our favorite. We were, however, fortunate to meet one of my professional colleagues for dinner. Juhani works for the European Commission and we coordinate our research programs with each other. Juhani has a home in a town close to Arles. He and Teresa just happened to be there at the same time we were. It was a wonderful coincidence. Juhani and Teresa knew a restaurant in Arles that proved to be an event in and of itself.

Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel is a two-star Michelin restaurant. We had 15 – yes, 15 – courses over almost four hours! Oh my. None of us expected the event that unfolded in front of us. So, unfortunately we didn’t write down all of the courses. Here are a couple that were particularly memorable. We had a serving of turbot in a crème soup with small crustaceans, lamb chops with fresh peas and shitake mushrooms, and a single ravioli filled with ham in a artichoke soup. Then, there was the cheese course followed by five desserts. Did I mention there were five desserts? Mike and I spent the next day reliving each of the courses and debating our favorites. And, we got to meet one of the Rabanel family members. What a special treat! Thanks, Juhani and Teresa!

We also learned that Van Gogh spent time in Arles. In fact, this is where he became mentally unstable and cut off a portion of his ear. I had not spent much time thinking about Van Gogh, but during my early morning walk I discovered an open doorway that provided glimpses of bright flowers in a central courtyard. I wandered through taking photos and found a photograph of a Van Gogh painting of that very courtyard. The colors, the flowers and the design were still the same. Later, we realized that we had been walking past a yellow house by the arena that was also the subject of one of his paintings. We learned a little about Van Gogh after all!





Earlier that day we drove to Chateaunard, a small town between Arles and Avignon. They had a bullfight which was a big local event. In fact, we found the arena by following all the people with their coolers. Unlike the bullfights we learned about in Spain, these fighters don’t kill the bull. Colorful strings and tassels are tied between the bull’s horns and across his face. The bull, with his name listed on the stadium wall, enters the arena with much snorting and pawing – dust flying. At the appointed time, a group of 8-14 young men jump into the arena with the bull and begin to taunt him. The bull chases them around as they try to retrieve the strings and tassels from between his horns. The guys leap the walls with great vigor and energy….with a big, angry bull on their heels. It was very fun to watch until the thunderstorm hit and rained out the last couple of bulls. We have tons of photos so I'll put several at the end along with a short video that Mike captured. Most of the pictures are of Capitan. You could hear them shouting his name as he charged. In one of the shots you can see the string tied at the base of the bull's horns. That's what they are trying to retrieve using a metal claw. Better them than me!

The next day we visited the Camargue. The Camargue is a large delta between the Rhone and Petite Rhone rivers. The rivers form a triangular delta that is a large flat area filled with marshes and lakes (etangs). We rented bikes and took a leisurely bike ride along the dike that forms a barrier between the Mediterranean and the lakes in the delta. At first glance, it appears to be a non-descript landscape but on closer inspection the colors pop out. There are the green shrubs mixed with dry, purple-black ones interspersed with bright yellow green plants and fluffy grasses topped with tassels waving in the wind. It is a unique, beautiful environment that is home to a vast range of birdlife including pink flamingos.

For true birders, like my friend Paul Pisano (birder extraordinaire!), seeing flamingos is a rather pedestrian sighting. I mean, really, who hasn’t seen flamingoes in the zoo? And that’s exactly where these flamingos took me. Watching literally hundreds of flamingos feeding in their natural environment transported me to my childhood. I was a girl again, standing in front of the flamingo pond at the San Antonio zoo with my mother, dad and sister. We were at the zoo frequently the summer that my dad was in flight training for the Air Force in San Antonio. At each visit to the zoo, we stopped at the flamingo pond. It was one of my favorites. Now, here they were in the wild – beautiful in their light pink plumage with deep coral on the wings accentuated with black and walking that quirky but somehow graceful walk. (As a special note to my Mother and my sister, as I stood watching these lovely birds and thinking about being in San Antonio with our family, three F14fighters flew over in formation – thanks, Dad.)

The flamingos were everywhere! We saw them along all the shorelines and in large flocks quietly feeding. As we watched through binoculars, one of them took flight. What a magical sight! Its colors were vivid and his flight was graceful. I stood watching them with tears of memories in my eyes. I never expected that flamingos would be so much more than just tourist trip.



In addition to flamingos we also saw grey herons, little egrets and an assortment of gulls and other sea birds. The visit to the Camargue was completed with sightings of the white horses and black cattle which are trademarks of the Camargue. They both run in the semi-wild and have been managed by a local version of cowboys for centuries. We had a nice ride through the scenic routes munching on fresh apricots and cherries from the local market. Yum.

Before returning home, we made a sidetrip to see the Pont du Gard. It's a huge Roman aqueduct that's in countless publications about France. It's reputation is well deserved. While it was a rainy day and we didn't spend a lot of time on the bridge itself we learned a lot about Roman water management and the building of the aqueduct from the museum. I was glad that we made the effort to see it.

Finally, the last transition is about me and Mike. We’ve been in France for two months now, and the most frequently asked question that I hear is, “Are you and Mike doing okay?” That’s code for, “You haven’t killed each other yet?” The answers are, “yes” and “no.” We’re doing great. Not that we don’t have our moments! But, we’re enjoying the time we spend together. There’s always something to create conversation, and we have a lot of quiet time to spend at the house. I write and Mike is writing some, too. New situations have come up that require discussion and negotiation. Some have been challenging but, all in all, I think we’ve done a great job of managing everything, communicating, and adjusting as we go. And…there are ten months yet!

P.S. You may have heard about the torrential rains in southern France. There was a big storm in Cotignac and the surrounding areas the day we drove home. When we arrived, we opened the door and stepped into a puddle of water. The salon was flooded from a leaking roof. The floor, rugs and furniture were soaked. Thankfully, everyone has been very responsive. The housekeeper was here this afternoon dealing with soggy furniture and rugs. A roofer arrives this today, too. A neighboring village, Draguignan, had quite a lot of damage and several people were killed in the floods. Thousands are without electricity. By any measure, we got off okay - and there's more rain forecast tonight and tomorrow followed by lots of sun. Thank goodness!