And the rain, it cometh down. Throughout the region, storms have been heaving down more of it than we have seen in months. And so the Rhone has risen. In Arles, we received between 100-120 millimetres of precipitation on Friday and another 115 are predicted for today. It is also estimated that the river will flow at a rate of 7100 meters cubed per second by 3pm today. I am not even entirely sure what that means but it sounds forceful doesn’t it?
Ben and I walked took our morning stroll down to the quay as usual. I sucked in my breath when I saw how much the river had swollen over night. A group of onlookers had gathered. All were silent, just watching the might of the current. Roiling. Massive tree trunks whisked away like feathers on air. How tiny we are in the face of all of this.
But not to worry, Arles has seen far worse and although we are on alert this is nothing compared to the floods of 2003 which brought the Rhone all the way up to the quay. It just feels important today to give a nod of respect to Mother Nature and the force of her might.
Hello friend and sorry for the delay. Yes, always good to keep things in perspective–nature included! We are out of Arles but back tomorrow. Bisous.
I love when events like this put us in our places as a species. Nature is so powerful – but we do keep forgetting that. That is a HELL of a lot of rain in one day. Stay safe and dry. Virginia xx
Merci, Stacey. Bisous.
Mother nature is reeking havoc all over the world!! Stay safe – and dry!!
Thank you, friend. Not to worry the water level is already on the way down. Whew.
Please be safe and keep BEN close………..
Yes, Jane and Lance but only if we humans somehow don't manage to destroy Nature–we certainly seem to be giving it our all! I hope that you are under sunnier skies in Budapest this weekend. 🙂 And yes, we have the heat on and if that doesn't work, I can always start making martinis…
Julie…riiight? Brrr, this is enough to send girls like us back to the Mid-west!
Vero, your comment made me laugh! Of course, this is nothing compared to Seattle standards! But it is quite the event for us. And Ben is such a baby about rain and puddles–trust me, he just wants to get home as soon as he can!
Oh Debra, your snow photos were so very beautiful! Wishing you an excellent weekend as well!
I hope your rain dries up soon like our snow, it's gone but the force of the water can be beautiful!
Enjoy your weekend Heather!
Debra
Bonjour Heather.
Well, it looks like France, even "le Midi" is really getting wet this week. I have just seen alarming pictures taken by other blogger friends. Of course, living in the Seattle area, we are used to dealing with water, both vertical and horizontal 😉 Take care and be careful out there, on your daily walks with handsome Ben! Veronique
Basta la Comedia! Enough already!!!!
Love,
Wet in St. Remy
Hello Heather:
The many faces of Nature can be breathtaking in their differences. Loving, nurturing and kind or relentless, damaging and challenging. The power of it all does serve, in our view, to ensure that we human beings do not get above ourselves. We are human after all!!
Take care and stay warm!
Stand back is right, Heather! And yep, Sister, giving props is a good thing…
Always good to remember and stand back with admiration! Hopefully the sun comes out soon.
I have seen the quay, and know it is tall enough to keep my sister safe – shew! But, yes, nature has so much power – for me, on my walks with Lucy in the woods, it is the power to calm. But she can destroy, too; I will give a nod of respect to Mother Nature (nod).