Part 2 of our travel (Day 2):
After an evening spent in Sete we drove to Arles followed by Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Sète a small town situated in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Sète also known as the "Venice" of Languedoc is a small port and a seaside resort on the Mediterranean. It has its own strong cultural identity, tradition and cuisine. The town has multiple interconnected canals linked between the Étang de Thau and the Mediterranean Sea.
Sète hosts the major and famous water jousting tournament during the town festival during last weeks of August every year. Water jousting is a kind of water sport which involves two competing teams with boats. Each team consists of a knight standing on a platform one end of the boat, while the remaining part of the team involves rowers. As the competing boats try to cross each other, the knights with their long barges try to push the opponent off the boat into the water.
Arles being one of the UNESCO's world heritage city - also has an Arena which comes alive during the month of June with activities similar to Roman days. Walking through the narrow streets and in between the ancient buildings one can feel the medival touch. A walk through the main square "Place de la République", one can see the Town hall (hôtel de ville). On to the side of the town hall there is Romanesque Cathédrale Saint-Trophime d'Arles with richly decorated architectural entrance/door. "Place du Forum" is a square with many restaurants and open terrace cafes.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a town in the Bouches-du-Rhône department by the Mediterranean Sea and the capital of Camargue in south of France. The town is situated on the delta of river of Rhone. There are huge natural reserves and wet lands. During spring one can see lots of flemingos in this region. There are many horse ranches which also provide guided tours on horseback. One can also enjoy the sandy beaches and witness cowboys riding the horses through the pastures of bulls. You will get to see huge marshlands with herds of black bulls and white horses - a kind of contrastful view.