Aigues-Mortes

New Year’s Day 2007

Founded by Saint Louis in 1240, as a trading port with Italy and to the Orient as well as a launch pad for the Crusades, Aigues-Mortes was the first Mediterranean port of the Kingdom of France. Constructed on swampy land, really on the edge of the Camargue, the port silted up and lost its strategic importance in 1481when Provence became part of the Kingdom. Louis was a participant in two different crusades, resulting in his eventual elevation to sainthood.







With the various religious conflicts of the era, the revoking of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the walled city and the ramparts of Aigues-Mortes became the largest prison for Protestants during the Ancien Régime of France. Twenty towers along the 1634 metre long ramparts protect the walled city, and during this period helped to keep the Protestants inside. As you can see this is a fair sized waled city - 1.6 km around.


Entry to this bustling medieval town is free. And today you can even enter by bicycle.

Just how bustling is it? This is New Year’s Day. Imagine August. For Kwantlenites – we don’t know who this guy is, but we know that it is not Jack Finnbogason with 25 extra pounds from eating too much foie gras.

Guided and self-guided audio tours are available, or you can wander the town at will. Special tours focus on Protestant history; Military history; and women’s life. The town square and the side streets have many good restaurants and there are excellent views of the Camargue from the ramparts.



On New Year’s Day, we arrived by bicycle from Le-Grau-du-Roi, 7 kilometres away, along a branch of the Canal du Rhône à Sète, that leads from Aigues-Mortes to Le-Grau-du-Roi at the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful, warm day in the sun; superb weather for cycling as demonstrated by Marie-Claire who seems to have cut off the sleeves of her famous yellow jacket and created a new fashion statement.


It was so bright that Roger even caught a few rays during lunch,







While Marie-Claire focused on lunch in front of the Hôtel de Ville.
Nice cycling gloves Roger. A bit grubby aren’t they?





A ride through this amazing walled city with its many private homes brought us to the requisite fortified church and the end of our visit.