My host father, Jacques Reygner, who has welcomed me in his home for the month, offered to take me to the Camargue. I didn’t know what to expect, but I gladly agreed. The car trip revealed a serenely unusual setting. Native white horses pranced up to us, seeking affection, while towering sea salt mounds and rose-hued salt pans appeared throughout the terrain.
Camargue horses gallop across the field to greet us. The breed is often used to herd livestock, including bulls.
A small farmhouse sits off the side of the road.A tender horse connects with us over the barbed wire.
My host father, Jacques Reygner, strokes a Camargue horse’s mane. He approached the horses with familiarity and confidence. A horse shakes fleas from its mane.Mounds of sea salt are stored on the bank of the Rhone River in the Salin-de-Giraud village.Pink salt lakes surround the area of Salin-de-Giraud. The pink hue is caused by an algae called Dunaliella salina.A vacant dump truck used for sea salt extraction sits beside the salt mounds in Salin-de-Giraud, a major salt-producing commune. My host father drives us past the salt mounds and heads back to town.
An international reporting project co-sponsored by ieiMedia and Arles à la carte.