Arles

In the evening there was a type of street festival/parade where people dressed in regional costumes marched down the street with bands. This picture show the Carmargue bull guardiens on the white horses from Carmargue with their staffs.

We went to a concert/dance in an ancient roman arena in Arles on Saturday July 5. It was very cool, they were gypsies representing three differnt countries with different dances and music.

In a town where the nearby Solvay factor influenced everything, the houses, the town itself, there was a salt harvesting factory, the place where they harvest salt from the ocean. This causes the water to turn pink and the salt crystals to form on top.

We went to a private beach by the salt harvesting area. The water was cold and it was windy but the dunes were pretty.

This was right next to the national park Carmargue, so in front of this lighthouse there are wild flamingos. We drove by really close to some of them and they flew off, it was cool to watch them because the ones in the zoo can't.

Paris and South France

The stars on the Eiffel Tower represent the fact that it is now the French president's turn to be president of the European Union.

The church in the town of Bezelay, famous for its restaurants.

The town from far away.

We visited a museum about the canal that connects the Loire and the Saone. There are 61 boat/water locks, whatever you call them. This is the owner's house of the nearby old no longer working ceramic factory and the house had to show off the products created in the factory.

Arles in the town centre by the town hall.

The beach at St Marie de la Mer, it's so good to be swimming in salt water again, and it was really warm.

In front of the Haribo museum/factory.

A view of the city Uzes.

A church there, famous for its fancy organ.

The natural water source for Perrier exists under this gazebo. We took a tour of the factory and how they make thirty million bottles a day.

sorry I can't post that often it's very hard to get internet connection in Arles

Les Chateaux de la Loire

Inside the National Museum of Natural History.

Chambord, an absolutly amazing gaint castle, it has 77 staircases, 426 rooms, and 282 fireplaces.

We took a nighttime walk to see Chateau de Chenonceau and its gardens all a lit.

Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci wished to be buried, only a fifth of the original castle remains due to its systematic destruction.

The chapel where da Vinci bones now lie, the original church, a couple meters closer to the castle, was destroyed so his bones were moved into here.

This is his grave.

This is actually his house where he spent the last couple years of his life. In the gardens there were 3D models of da Vinci's plans.

This is inside a cave we visited where they grow mushrooms naturally. That's where the good restaurants buy their mushrooms from.

The castle Azay-Le-Rideau.

Villandry, renowned for its gardens. We didn't go inside the castle.

A overlook of part of the gardens.

And the castle Blois, built in four different styles of architecture.

i will be gone from this sunday for three days until wednesday, i am going camping by the chateau de la loire