Les Alpilles 2014

2013 - a year without France! We have been in Croatia.  But in 2014 we had withdrawal symptoms concerning France. So we four (Ute, her sister Ingrid, Ingrid's husband Wolfgang and me) started on May 23, 2014 again to a journey in the Provence, this time in the departement Bouches-du-Rhône, in the small village  Mouriès at the southern slope of the Alpilles. We had booked a vacation domicile at Interchalet .The vacation home was okay, even if there was some little reductions .

The total distance of 1300 km from  Halle to Mouriès we don't complete in one day . After 800 km we have a stay in Besançon  in the hotel Zenitude. We have been there. It is located in the western outskirts of the city next the medicine department of the university and very reasonably priced

Mouriès

Olive plantations -far and wide

[Click on the photos to enlarge]

Mouriès is a village south-east of Avignon, on the southern slope of the Alpilles, a mountain range even not all French are knowing. The maximal height of the most white looking limestone rocks is 400 meters. The mountain ridge is visible on the horizon in the north. 3500 residents live here and have to do -mainly- with oil. With olive oil of course. Around the village are large olive plantations. There is the main and biggest growing area of olives in France. There are some oil mills there - even with factory shops. But the oil prices are so high (15 - 20 euros per liter)that we prescinded from purchase.
But also almonds and grapes are grown there.

Mas des Arenes

[click the photos to enlarge]

This was the name of our holiday resort. A "Mas" is a Provençal country cottage. This designation you will find often for rural inns or hotels. In fact, our "mas" was directly next the arena, the bullfighting arena. Therefore the name.

Now, our holiday resort:

The swimming pool was the centre
of the resort

It is a colony of holiday homes grouped around a big swimming pool. A sufficient parking lot is directly in front of the reception. It is protected by a security code. Friendly young ladies speaking French and English (but not German!) manage the daily business.

Trip to Marseille

Marseille is only 74 kilometers away from our holiday domicile in Mouriés. This enticed to take a trip there by car on June 1, 2014. We could take the autoroute A54 from St-Martin-de-Crau, but we save the "péage" (toll) and use the free D113 running parallel to the A54. The road leads past Salon-de-Provence and near Vitrolles we may use the A7, the "Route du Soleil". It is free until its end in Marseille. For a while with us is the Mediterranean Sea to the right of us. And before us, the sea of houses of Marseille. Now, the autoroute is finished. It migrates in the road network of the second largest city in France close to the main train station Saint Charles . We turn right into a small street in a quarter where mainly North Africans live as we can see. There we find parking between some housing blocks. (Now, we are a little anxious in the light of this fact - but without cause)

Bullfighting à la Camargue

That we had not expected. Almost immediately next to us was the bullring. A poster announced a bullfight on 31 May.
Of course we were there. The entrance costs 5 euros. The cashier was easily too be overlooked, a small opening in the outside wall. It was beautiful summer weather. Full of anticipation we entered the arena and looked for a shady place. We were surprised that so many seats remained vacant. The word "jeune" (young) probably explains the character of the struggle that we got to see. Each bullfight -also ours- begins with the Carmen overture,sounding tinnily from the loud speakers.