A rest and travel day given our relocation to the Costa Brava in north eastern Spain.
But first we spent the morning wandering through the weekly market that occupies central Saint Remy. Vendors of everything set up stalls to attract tourists and locals alike. It was a madhouse of colours, people and aromas. While the pictures here focus on the food section of the market there were dozens of stalls offering clothing and “you name it”. Hundreds of sellers occupied various streets, alleys and a town square.
Our only purchase was a small bag of olives!
We walked from the market along Van Gogh way given the painter spent time in 1889 in Saint Remy in a mental institution. He painted many of his better known works during that time and the paintings including letters to his brother are displayed along the way.
Our rendezvous point was an excavation site of an ancient Gaul/Roman village called Glanum. Using an audio guide we toured the ruins and marveled at the ingenuity of the ancient builders and the stone workmanship.
Then it was on to a big coach for a long drive south west through Nimes, Montpellier and across the Spainish border to Calella de Palafrugell. This is a former fishing village now popular with tourists and wealthy Spaniards seeking a second home for holidays.
The drive was very unspectacular as it rained most of the way so one’s attention was spent reading and nodding off.
Prior to having dinner in the town, a group of us walked with a local guild for an hour to learn of the areas history and evolution. Most interesting.
Tomorrow promises to be a challenge as we will hike along the coastline for ~18 Kms over very undulating trails from cliff top to beaches.
The Bennetts On Tour 