Meeting the Marino. We arrived at the Bergerie National on the morning of April 8th. We were given a tour of the farm, consisting of sheep, cows, horses, pigs, rabbits and hens. The farm is used predominantly as an education centre for children and families although it is a working farm. The existence of the Marino sheep is a main reason for our stay at the Bergerie as they are descendants of the original breed of Marino brought to France in 1786. Louis XVI of France received 366 sheep selected from 10 different cabañas; these founded the stud at the Royal Farm at Rambouillet. The sheep were a gift from the King of Spain who was a cousin of Louis.
As well as meeting the Marino sheep we were also introduced to the Roman sheep, a combination of two breeds, one being Russian, the other...I will need to check my notes. We had a chance to see one of the Roman sheep being sheared, really fascinating.
It was a day full of information and I have my wool samples to prove it. I am interested to see where this week could take me.
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