Picture 1: The arena at Nimes with matador statue
Picture 2: Fans at the bull fight
Picture 3: One of the street bands after the bull fight.
Picture 4: The Maison Carrée, former Roman temple
Picture 5: The Pont du Gard, an aqueduct and bridge on the River Gardon
Picture 6: Close-up of the Pont du Gard
Picture 7: The Moulin restaurant at Pont du Gard with Uzes in the background.
Saturday, Sept 19 we headed for the city of Nimes, an hour’s drive to the southwest from Avignon. We were looking for Roman ruins and there were three in that city plus the famous Roman aqueduct, the Pont du Gard nearby.
The best known ruin in Nimes is the arena. It is an amphitheatre built around 100 A.D. and it is still in use. No touring of the arena that day. A bull fight was in progress. Two types of bullfights are held routinely. One was the Spanish style corrida where the bull is killed and the Provence style where bull and matador chase each other around the area. The Spanish style is only held 4 times a year and judging by the street party this was one of them. A street market, bands, and temporary bars and cafes crowded the closed off street.
Other Roman ruins in use included the Maison Carrée. Also built in the 1st C, it was originally a temple but to whom is still debated. It has served as a stable, town hall, monastery church temple, and currently, a tourist center showing a 3D film on Nimes.
The temple of Diana is a well preserved ruin. Rumor has it the building was a library, not a temple but I guess goddess draw more visitors. It is located in the back side of the Fountain Gardens, which date to Celtic times when a sacred spring existed here. The Romans absorbed the Celtic deity into their own pantheon and have existed happily ever since.
Fleeing the increasingly boisterous crowd we headed to Uzès, a small town on a hill top (of course) about 15 miles due north. The mission: lunch. This is where we couldn’t find a restaurant serving lunch after 2 pm and ended up eating what the French call bruschetta. See the post, Eating in France.
Finally feed, we headed to the Pont du Gard. This aqueduct is perfectly preserved. Most of the aqueduct is on or below ground but at the Pont du Gard it crosses a canyon a massive bridge.
Then it was back to the east 15 miles to our very modern hotel. Tomorrow we would explore Avignon.
Picture 2: Fans at the bull fight
Picture 3: One of the street bands after the bull fight.
Picture 4: The Maison Carrée, former Roman temple
Picture 5: The Pont du Gard, an aqueduct and bridge on the River Gardon
Picture 6: Close-up of the Pont du Gard
Picture 7: The Moulin restaurant at Pont du Gard with Uzes in the background.
Saturday, Sept 19 we headed for the city of Nimes, an hour’s drive to the southwest from Avignon. We were looking for Roman ruins and there were three in that city plus the famous Roman aqueduct, the Pont du Gard nearby.
The best known ruin in Nimes is the arena. It is an amphitheatre built around 100 A.D. and it is still in use. No touring of the arena that day. A bull fight was in progress. Two types of bullfights are held routinely. One was the Spanish style corrida where the bull is killed and the Provence style where bull and matador chase each other around the area. The Spanish style is only held 4 times a year and judging by the street party this was one of them. A street market, bands, and temporary bars and cafes crowded the closed off street.
Other Roman ruins in use included the Maison Carrée. Also built in the 1st C, it was originally a temple but to whom is still debated. It has served as a stable, town hall, monastery church temple, and currently, a tourist center showing a 3D film on Nimes.
The temple of Diana is a well preserved ruin. Rumor has it the building was a library, not a temple but I guess goddess draw more visitors. It is located in the back side of the Fountain Gardens, which date to Celtic times when a sacred spring existed here. The Romans absorbed the Celtic deity into their own pantheon and have existed happily ever since.
Fleeing the increasingly boisterous crowd we headed to Uzès, a small town on a hill top (of course) about 15 miles due north. The mission: lunch. This is where we couldn’t find a restaurant serving lunch after 2 pm and ended up eating what the French call bruschetta. See the post, Eating in France.
Finally feed, we headed to the Pont du Gard. This aqueduct is perfectly preserved. Most of the aqueduct is on or below ground but at the Pont du Gard it crosses a canyon a massive bridge.
Then it was back to the east 15 miles to our very modern hotel. Tomorrow we would explore Avignon.
I swam under the pont du Gard
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