Provence May 2006
One of the holiday destinations that has become more suitable for short breaks in the last few years is the south east of France. Low cost airlines now fly direct to Nice and Marseille from the UK for less than £50 (including taxes) for a return if you book early. With a flight time of just over two hours, a week long holiday would give you enough time to see a bit of the area, take some great pictures and unwind (if you need any unwinding!)
Unless relaxing, reading, and sunbathing are the only things you want to do during your holiday, I would say that a car is indispensable. There are so many landscapes, towns, museums, animals, churches, markets and other things to see if you can get there, that not hiring a car would eliminate many worthwhile photo opportunities. Again, this need not break the bank: a small car with air-conditioning, which is essential during the summer months, would cost from about £115 pounds for a week.
As you would expect, there is a wide variety of accommodation available in this area. Campings, hotels, gîtes, guesthouses, villas can be found everywhere except the most remote places. We opted to rent part of a restored farm near Sigonce, about two and a half hour’s drive from Marseille airport. I think that hiring your own place for a week and having the option to cook your own meals is ideal. It is also much cheaper than staying in a hotel! Having the option to cook your own meal gives you the flexibility to get up or come back whenever you want: there are no hotel meal times or restaurant opening hours to take into consideration. Cooking your own meals also means you can plug into the local culture at a different level. I always think that buying food in the local outdoor market, greengrocer, baker and butcher can tell you a lot more about the places that you are exploring than being served restaurant meals. Apart from being good places to buy fresh local produce, outdoor markets also offer excellent opportunities for photography. Candid shots of buyers and sellers, close ups of fruit or vegetables typical for the area, colourful pictures of local dress, can all be made in one place. The nearest market to where we were staying was in Forcalquier and it offered all the opportunities mentioned. We got some really nice vegetables, meat, cheese, and of course wine. Cooking our own meals allowed us to not only see and smell where we were: we tasted it!
One area with some good and varied photo opportunities is the Camargue. If you are within a couple of hours driving of this area I would certainly recommend a visit. It is one of the most remarkable regions in France, combining countryside with traditional villages, walled crusader towns, modern resorts and pretty fishing ports. This area was created by the river Rhone flowing into the sea, but it needs human intervention to keep it as it is. It is made up of 346,000 acres of wetlands, pastures, dunes and salt flats. The region now maintains a fragile ecological balance, in which a unique collection of flora flourishes, including tamarisk and narcissi, and fauna such as egrets, pink flamingos and ibises. The pastures provide gazing for sheep, and small white local-type horses, ridden by the "guardiens", the French equivalent of the cowboy. They form a hardy community who traditionally lived in thatched huts ("cabanes"), and still play their part in keeping Camargue traditions alive.
We went to the Camargue during the week of the gypsy festival, which takes place at the end of May, in Saint Marie de la Mer, one of the main ports in the area. In the days leading up to the festival thousands of gypsies congregate in this little town for their annual get together. It is very much their social event, where they meet friends and family, do some trading, and generally have a good time. Hundreds of big caravans and some more traditional wooden carts clog up the roads and parking spaces.
The reason for them coming to this place is to honour their patron saint Sarah. She is linked with Marie Jacobe, sister of the Blessed Virgin, and Marie Salome, mother of the Apostles James and John. After the Crucifixion, in the attempt to destroy Jesus' followers, the two Maries were cast adrift in a frail bark, without rudder, sails, or provisions. On the second day of the festival, the gypsies bear the images of the two Maries from the church to the sea, led by the Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence and accompanied by guardians on horseback. Preceding the gypsies and the Maries, comes a group of local girls, dressed in traditional Arlesienne costume. The procession is an emotional affair and shouts of "Vivent les Saintes Maries! Vive Sainte Sara!" ring through the air. Many people try to touch the reliquary, as this supposed to bring health and good luck. If you are in the area during festival time this is worth a visit, especially if you like photographing people.
There are a few cities and numerous smaller towns and villages where you can photograph typically French scenes. Some that we visited are Apt, Gordes, Lacoste, Sisteron, Lurs, Aix-en-Provence and Rousillion. This last place is famous for its bright red landscape, reminiscent of some areas of the American mid-west. The ochre that gives the landscape its colour is used as a pigment. Arles has an excellent Roman amphitheater, still in use as an outdoor venue for the French variety of bullfighting. The surrounding area was of course immortalized by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh who lived in and near Arles for a few years.
To view my photos of this trip please visit the galleries page and click on the French flag.
