After a tremendous breakfast spread we had our life jacket drill on the upper deck. Then it was off on the bus for today's adventure. (Everyone would much rather be sailing to our destinations but them's the breaks.)

Pierette was our guide theough Arles, an old village; Some of the buildings date from the 1200s. We saw ruins of Roman baths and a coliseum that seated 20,000. Bullfights are held there now - but unlike Spanish ones, the object here is not to kill the bull but instead to get the string that is wrapped around the bull's horns. In one building we saw a double dome (two different sizes) that are not supported by columns, and are so unusual that they appear in architecture texts.

Today was market day so at times we passed through very crowded areas. it stretched a LONG way and there were some very enticing things but we were moving at such a clip during our tour that there was no time to shop.

Van Gogh spent a couple of prolific years in Arles and we visited the hospital (in 1960 a new hospital was built so now it used for other purposes) where he was treated when he cut off his ear. A lovely garden graces the courtyard; it includes a replica of his painting of that hospital and garden.

From there we headed to the Laurent family bull farm, 6 miles from the sea. We passed rice paddies (only place in France) which use water pumped from Rhone to flood the fields. (The rice was just planted last month and won't be harvested until September, so the paddies are not much more than mud now.) It's a fairly recent crop, the French having learned from Vietnamese immigrants how to cultivate it. The paddies then drain into the Mediterranean, helping to clear the salt from low lying areas that have gotten salty when the Mediterranean floods. The salt marshes welcome migrating birds, and it's the only place in France where you can find pink flamingoes.

Upon arrival at the bull farm we were treated to a wonderful buffet (Mom was thrilled with the tampenade) in a large room with the trophies their bulls have won and a wide array of saddles from various countries and time periods. They also had a video playing on a TV showing the bulls doing their thing which was quite something to watch.

The ranch has 500 head of cattle on 1500 acres. After lunch we all climbed onto hay wagons and rode out to the pasture where the wild bulls live. Then the 'gardians' (cowboys) proceeded to round up three bulls that are off to the fights later today. We saw the red ribbons, white tassels, and yellow string that the bull 'fighters' attempt to grab off of the bulls' horns.

Heading back we drove through a bird sanctuary and spotted some flamingos in the huge brackish lake. Then home to the boat. Tonight is the Captain's Welcome Dinner.