Only bulls and horses - The Camargue part 2

We finally reached Les Saintes Maries de la Mer around 1.30 pm and our plan was to take a boat trip that would bring us deeper into the Camargue where we would see bulls and horses on manades and where we would see lots of birds. As we walked along the sea promenade, we were struck by how this town provides facilities for dogs - no poop bins but a special cordoned off WC specially for canines.

However, dogs can't read and their French owners can't be bothered, it seems, or, maybe, the dogs, being caught short, couldn't make it that far and as Jim say, when you gotta go you gotta go. So, as elsewhere in France, we had to step carefully!






In relation to toilet facilities, a subject that exercises my brain quite a bit, as a previous post will have shown, the cleanest, sweetest smelling public conveniences I have experienced to date in this part of the world were the enviroloos (eco friendly toilets) in the Parc Ornitologique at Pont de Gau that we visited prior to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. They are dry toilets and, unlike the ones in my grandparents' time, they use air and sun to work and they do work efficiently. You may be enclosed in a wooden/metal capsule but there is no danger of contamination or of gagging from fumes - as I have done in more "sophisticated" establishments!

The town monument makes clear the importance of bulls and horses in the area.

As we made our way to the harbour, via the Tourist Office where we discovered once again that you get little information unless you ask the right questions, we passed by Les Arenes, the bullfighting ring. Something was definitely going on as the place was filling up and it couldn't just be tourists trying to get their first photo of a bull ring. We climbed the stairs and took a look, climbed down again, noticed that many people had a sheet of paper in their hands and located the sheets of paper which had a list of Courses de Tau happening every Wednesday from September 5th to October 10th. It was Wednesday September 19th and the Course for 3 and 4 year old bulls was taking place and it seemed to be free! I could not fathom why the girl in the Touruist Office had not told us about this! We climbed the steps again and dithered about sitting on hard cold steps for a full hour before the Course was due to begin at 3 pm.

Staying for the bullfight would mean not getting the boat trip which began at 2.30 pm. The boat trip won out - why would anyone want to see bulls taunted and tormented? It was cl;ear from Jim's furtive glances towards the Arenes from the boat, Les Quatre Maries, that he would. I was feeling guilty because I felt I had forced the issue for the boat trip and Jim would miss the opportunity of a lifetime. I even suggested that he go to the bulls and I would go alone on the boat.

Monument of a bull outside the Arenes

Notice - his rear end has been oiled to prevent people from climbing up on him!

The boat in which we did the boat trip.

Looking  longingly at the arenes thtrough the lens of the camera!

The Saintes Maries de la Mer Church.

Saintes Maries de la Mer gets its name from the three Marys, Mary Magdalen, Mary Jacobea (The Virgin Mary's sister) and Mary Salome (mother of the apostles James and John). Set adrift after the Crucifixion with, among others, their servant Sara, Martha and her brother Lazarus, they landed here in their boat. They built a shrine to the virgin, and while the others went to spread the word of the gospel, Mary Jacobea, Mary Salome and Sara stayed behind. In May and October there are festivals in which Mary Salome and Mary Jacobea are celebrated, their statues marched to the sea to be blessed. The larger festival is in May, when gypsies from all over the world come to pay homage to their patron saint, Sara, the richly dressed black madonna who lies in the crypt of the 9th century Eglise de Notre Dame de La Mer. An effigy is also paraded through the streets to the sea. Afterwards there are bullfights, horse races and flamenco dancing. The Eglise is fortified to protect the relics of the saints.

Enjoying a day on the Rhone.

Egret near the banks of the Rhone.

Amateur fishermen use nets like this to fish in the Rhone.
Permits are very hard to get.

Black bulls grazing.

Their horns are long and dangerous looking.

Grey heron on the bank.

Bulls and horses on a manade (bull farm).

The younger horses are brown in colour but they go white with age - like Jim!

Seagulls disturbed by boat.

Back to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer and there are still crowds at the Arenes. Would it be possible that it's not over yet and we could see a Course Camarguaise?

Hosing down the arena for the second half of the Course.

It was - what a bonus! We had arrived at the intermission between the first and second halves. People were coming and going so it wasn't too difficult to get a seat and we settled down for a new experience. I never expected to get so involved but it was incredibly dangerous but also spell-binding.

The bull emerges from the gate marked Toril to a fanfare from Bizet's "Carmen".

Initially the bull is left alone in the ring for a minute or two. Some just look around, some paw the ground and some move slowly around the ring. Again there is a blast from "Carmen" and 11 young men (aged around 20, I would say) dressed in tight white tshirts and white trousers enter the ring in formation and try to attract the attention of the bull. They are called raseteurs and their job is to pluck tassels, rosettes or strings that have been attached to the bull beforehand. For that purpose they use a crochet or razor-sharp comb held between their fingers. During this, a commentator is saying things like "un euro de plus" etc. I could not really figure out what was happening but it seemed to be a type of betting on individual raseteurs.

You can just about see the bull going over the barrier.

Having attracted the bull's attention, the raseteur attempts to get a tassel or string but knows he has to flee the ring before being doubly kebabbed on those sharp horns. These young men are extremely agile and athletic. Pursued by the bull they leap on the boundary fence and up onto the ledge on the wall where they hang from the barriers until the bull turns its attention to one of the others. The first bull we saw (number 914 from Manade Chauvet) spent more time outside the ring in the area between the ring and the audience seating. I was amazed to see it clear the barrier like a show-jumper the first time but soon realised that this is a common occurrence. Then he has to be enticed by tourneurs, older than the razeteurs, whose job is just that - getting the bull into the ring to chase the razeteurs. The more often the bull jumps out and is forced to return, the angrier it gets! Often, when the bull cleared the barrier, those men in the outer circle had to jump the barrier into the ring to avoid the charging bull. Brave and all as these men are, they recognise the threat the bull poses.

After about 15 minutes of charging and escaping, the bull is allowed back into the taunt-free safety behind the Toril sign. If a bull shows reluctance to return there, two older bulls arrive in the ring complete with bells and the bull follows the herd leader back into its compound.

This is the second bull - looks younger than the first one.

This bull doesn't jump the barrier but shows its anger by sticking its horn into the planks of the barrier and disconnecting them on several occasions. The audience seems to be clear about the rules of the game and the majority, who have arrived complete with cushions and snacks, are obviously afficionados. They know when to applaud and shout encouragement - I'm not sure if it is the bull or the razeteurs they are acknowledging - maybe both.

Finally, bull 4 from Manade Saumade enters. It spends some time over the barrier and clearly does not wish to be there. Unlike the others, it emits groans continually that I found distressing as if it was extremely unhappy. At one stage it thrusts its horns into one of the planks of the barriers, tosses it effortlessly high into the air to have it barely miss spectators on its downward trajectory! At the end of its performance, it was reluctant to leave the ring, even with the pair of bulls sent to fetch it. We left with the bull still in this position. There may not be death for the bull in this type of bull-fighting, but I'm still not sure, despite the excitement of the experience, that goading and taunting a bull is acceptable! All credit, however, to the speed, bravery and agility of the razeteurs.

At this stage it was clear that our plan to visit Aigues Mortes would not come to fruition as we had to be back in Arles before 7 pm and it was now after 5 pm. On our way back to the car, we noticed people gathering at the sides of the road and heard loudspeaker announcements that we couldn't figure out. At any rate, there was something to be seen so we were not going to miss it. We stood at a barrier at the roadside and I asked the man beside us what was about to happen. He told us that the bulls were going to be herded down the street by the gardiens (cowboys). Seemingly, it is an ancient custom from the time that there was no transport and the manadiers (bull breeders) got the cowboys to herd the bulls into the Arenes.

I asked the man if it would be dangerous.He said that there is always danger but that it is simply a spectacle to fulfil the tradition and that the bulls they use for this are the tamest. Anyway, before Jim stepped out to take the photos, I got him to give me his wallet and the keys of the car - just in case you know!



All in all then, we had a wonderful, exciting day. Sometimes you are lucky enough to experience unplanned things and that makes all the difference!