Sunday, October 1, 2023 - Arles, France

 Sheila left today for Gainesville.  It was great seeing her and spending time in France.  I think she enjoyed herself.

We kept busy.  Yesterday we visited the salt pans located in the estuaries where the Rhone River feeds into the Mediterranean Sea.  It is a huge operation producing 350,000 tons of salt per year for de-icing roads and a much smaller amount for specialized table salt.  I hope you can see the pink color in the salt and water.  We learned that the pink color comes from a type of algae that is common in this area.

After the salt pans we drove a little more south to the Piémanson, "the 100% natural Arles beach".  It is a very wide and flat beach with hard packed sand and quite a few people, cars and campers lined next to the beach.  It was really windy but I had to go for a swim.  The water was cool but felt great.

Today Sooz and I took Sheila to the airport and then took a drive to the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 31 miles to what is now known as Nîmes.  

Entrance to the salt pans

"I guess they have to guard the sand".

Huge salt mounds in the distance surrounding by drying ponds

Sooz and Sheila looking good even when surrounded by salt flats

 

Me having a bad hair day in the wind, but not Sooz or Sheila

Retail salt truck

More pink water, at least that's what Sooz told me

Creature from the black lagoon emerging out of the Mediterranean

Sheila hitching up her pants while Sooz supervises

Looking west

A couple of American tourists doing touristy stuff at the aqueduct

The belly of the beast

Just another random tunnel near the aqueduct we had to check out

Walking along the lower level of the aqueduct passing over the Gardon River

We somehow found this excellent bakery on our way back to Arles