Real Animals

... - - immediately - slowly - cautiously - and - cowardly - I climbed back over the electric fence, when the father of all calves in the Aubrac got obviously pretty interested in me. A beast of a bull. As soon, as I was over the fence, he calmed down and I could get my camera out.... -------------- In summer 2010, I saw his even bigger brother, but then, the distance between him and me, was much bigger. www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/4986870734/in/pool-s...

Many tourists like to see Palermo from the backseat of a horsecart, what may be a pleasure. For the horse it is probably a hard job, even if it looks like fun - for the tourists.

Walking towards Castres, it got really hot. Even the chickens took a nap in the shade over noontime.

The "Course Camarguaises", we could see in the arena of Baillagues, has nothing to do with Spanish-style bullfighting. This is a bloodless spectacle. The "raseteur" has to snatch a rosette from the head and small bands from the horns of the bull. The "raseteurs" have to be very fast and pretty smart.

An easy walk along the "Lac de la Raviège", west of La Salvetat-sur-Agout. Now we entered pasture land - where we met this bull. The bull fortunately did not take any notice of humans who just passed silently by and took a photo. It remembered me on an encounter I had some years ago with another bull in the Aubrac. www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/3884068536/

Just opposite the Château de l'Ebaupinay were a couple of bulls, dozing in the sun. Charolais cattle is very popular in France. You may even find "charolais-burger" in a menu.

The small church, dedicated to "Santa Maria Maddalena" is known since 1205, when it was donated to a Camaldolese abbey in Marche. It may have been parish church of a former hamlet named "Orrea Pithinna". When I tried to climb over the fence I noticed the two nosy guardians of the church, who immediately approached the fence to make clear that there was no way to enter the meadow.

Conques is one of the magical places, I cannot pass. Every time I am in the area, I just have to take the detour, stop and see it again. Over centuries Conques was a popular stop for all pilgrims travelling the Via Podiensis and it still is. It is a treat after having crossed the harsh Aubrac. I still remember my feelings, when I reached Conques in 2008 on my hike, that had started weeks before in Geneva. A tiny convent existed here already in the 8th century. This grew into a very successful monastery, after the relics of St. Foy arrived in Conques through theft in 866. The relics were stolen by a monk from Conques, who had posed as a loyal monk in Agen for years. The arrival of the relics of St. Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift to Conques. As the existing church was too small for all the pilgrims, a new, much larger church had to be constructed. It was completed by the end of the 11th century. As a large pilgrim´s church, it had an ambulatory with five radiating chapels. A century later galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir. The "Prieuré des Prémontrés de Conques", located next to the church, offers accommodations to weary pelerins, a traditions followed here that is centuries old. After having had dinner all together, the pilgrims will have a prayer in the church, followed (mostly) by an organ concert during which they may circulate on the galleries. Later they will all gather in front of the church and listen to an introduction to the complex tympanum, given by one of the monks. In case a pelerin arrives with an ass, he can "park" the animal next to the apse.

Mallorca is the largest island in the Mediterranean Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain. Mallorca is an extremely popular holiday destination. The Palma de Mallorca Airport, one of the busiest in Spain, is used by about 30 million tourists per year. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the island was invaded by the Vandals in 425. The time of the Vandals ended, when Byzantine troops general took the island in 534. The first Muslim arrivals were in 707. These ended the Byzantine domination and established their own hegemony. Until 903, the island was part of the Umayyad Caliphate. From between 902 and 1229 the island was under Islamic control. James I of Aragon ( aka "Jaume el Conqueridor") conquered Mallorca in December 1229. The hiking trail to the necropolis Son Real started at the "Cases de Son Real", a kind of public finca. The museum was closed, but the local animals were all outside. Here is one of the black Iberian pig (cerdo ibérico), known for "Jamón de Pata Negra", a prime-quality ham.

Three horses near Arquejols.

.......seeing a cow from the side, the back part is totally covered with the greenish stuff. Then there is a diagonal line, a kind of equator from the highest part of the back to the lowest part on the forehands - everything below is shitty - everything above is clean. Im sure, this is a fashion, they have developed. Something like an iroquois-hairstyle. I´m sure, that no cow is able to do that alone. This style is the proof, that cows can build up teams...

Velay is an historical area, that since the French Revolution is part of the Haute-Loire département. The area is hilly with some steep gorges - and it can be rather cold even in summer.

.......When we returned we saw a lady walking up the cliff, a little donkey by her side, carrying the pack. After a while the lady and her donkey had reached the round market hall, where the donkey first produced quite an amount of - manure and after that ate all available flowers from the flowerboxes around.....

This grey was very interested in me, when I passed by.

Blanquefort is already a northern suburb of Bordeaux. Approaching Blanquefort I passed a huge horse farm, where many dozens of horses grazed in the meadows. In Blanquefort I took a bus into the center of Bordeaux, as I do not really like to walk the sidewalks in large cities.

Walking through the mediterranian area in summer brings a lot of different sights and smells. The fauna has some surprises to offer as well. I do not know, what species this insects is, but it was as giant, as it looks. And it moved pretty fast. I was so fascinated by the critter, that I lost my way, as the since 2011 the "chemin" does a kind of detour. I noticed that after about an hour - and had to walk back.

The forests of the "Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc" have a quite different flora - and fauna, compared to the garrigue. This slow worm was quite a surprise! - It was still early in the morning, so the reptile was still a bit sleepy. As I was still a bit sleepy as well, I nearly stepped on it.

Another very hot day. No wind, no shadow. Just sun. Following Dr. Camo´s advice a drank more water, but I did not have the impression, that it helped, as the water always was lukewarm. Again I walked in a steady rhythm and slipped into some kind of trance. I noticed, that some of the sunflowers near to the track displayed vertical lines. Actually I saw quite a few of them. After a while, I realized, that these lines were two letters. The sunflowers signalled a "HI". Did the sunflowers really communicate? Did they greet me? Was this real? I was not sure about is. While I was thinking about it, two ostriches crossed my way. This was a clear indication, that my overheated brain produced images, as ostriches may roam South Africa, but not Southern France! But actually - it came even worse later! Around the next corner a llama grinned at me..