Nimes in a day

Monday 8th May : Victory in WWII Day in France

We were on a mission to complete our checklist of places to go in Nimes today as we are off tomorrow. Sometimes you just have to make a list and go for it. (liz would thoroughly approve of this approach but she prefers a spreadsheet with lots of detail).

Nimes greatest claim to fame is that the fabric Des Nimes was first produced here  - better known now as denim of course.
It's other claim to fame is the number of ancient Roman buildings that are still here for us to see almost two centuries later.

So here's how we went:

1.  Book a place that is not far from all major attractions: Big tick!
Somehow I managed to book a tiny apartment within walking distance of the major attractions.














2. The Amphitheatre or Arenes: Big Tick!

In fabulous condition due to many renovations since the time it was built in AD70. There was some event there today but we wandered around in the sunshine and listened to the very informative audio guide. Who knew there were so many types of gladiators?? Not me!
And it was good to see that these sorts of exceptional spaces are still used today

2. Maison Carree: Big tick!

Looking a bit like a Parthenon this building was built in 58 AD and has been a temple, stables, hostel, granary, private house, church and archives before becoming a tourist attraction. We watched a very dramatic film account of its development ( alht\\though who knew they had lipstick and mascara in Gaul times?).It was originally built to honour Augustus and Rome.



Lunch at a cute little vegan cafe as none of the shops ( except for Zara) and lots of cafes weren't open because of the Public Holiday It was called Le p'tits poissson verts. Delicious food. Worth a visit.

3. Jardins le Fontaine: Big Tick!

Playing boules in the gardens

The gardens have been developed around a natural spring whose water provided for most of Nimes many centuries ago. Now there are green pools, a beautiful fountain and lots of huge trees . Very pretty and very well-used. Lots of picnickers, kids on bikes, couples and of course, elderly men playing boules




















4. Temple of Diana (we couldn't miss this one!) Big tick!

Very small ruins in the Gardens. Nothing to write home about (actually I am!)











5. Tour Magne: Big tick! With extra points for actually climbing to the very top!
Originally a Gaul Tower before the Romans arrived. They made it bigger but apart from possible use as a lookout (it's on the highest hill in Nimes) no one is too sure what it was for, Very steep spiral stairs that were a test for our fitness levels.But lovely views.

6. Pont du Gard: Half a tick only, because we arrived too late to really see all of the information about it in the modern Museum - 20 minutes was not enough. On the other hand it is a UNESCO Heritage site so that must improve the score.

You can get a sense of the size of this aqueduct here: That's Ewan standing under one of the huge arches

Gloria, the GPS, went a bit off course as Ewan hadn't quite put the right address in. Consequently we ended up bush bashing along a very minor dirt road. As this is a big tourist attraction we clearly weren't in the right place!

Basically they have cut off the Aqueduct from public view on both sides of the Gard river that  it spans, so you have to pay to get in and park in their car parking space. Definitely no public access without paying. I'm not sure whether I think that is fair. It is all beautifully landscaped and has been restored but shouldn't it be available to anyone who wants a glimpse?
It is an impressive aqueduct, larger than any we've seen before, and obviously UNESCO was impressed too. Construction started around 19BC when the rocks were quarried from nearby, carved by hand and transported to the site without mechanical assistance as we have today. Remarkable really as some of them weighed 5 tonnes! It carried up to 20,000 cubic metres of water per day which seem a huge amount to me. We had to drive for 30 kms to see it, but well worth it (even though we had to be asked to leave the Museum by a Security guy who was keen to go home).

A very interesting but tiring day.

your exhausted correspondent

Dianne