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Day Tripping the Light Fantastic in Aix-en-ProvenceJul 24, 2008
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Roman Arena at Nimes
Arena
Sure, but can he plan vacations?
Wednesday, July 23 - We awoke to a sunny morning with no Mistral whistling in our ears.
We enjoyed the hotel brunch in a leafy, secluded courtyard. As we no longer have the hassles of the "Hulk", we are taking the train to Nimes to view the Arena and "La maison carrée", a kind of mini Parthenon in the center of downtown Nimes. The train ride was short and uneventful with standing room only for us.
Nimes was a lot quieter than Avignon. No festivals here and it is a nice change not having to dodge hordes, baby strollers and motorbikes. At the end of Victor Hugo Blvd.(a street name as common as Main St.)we caught the first glimpse of the Nimes Roman arena. With its imposing arches and pleasing symmetry, it remains the best preserved Roman arena in the world. Line-ups were not daunting, so we entered and took the audio-guide tour. The section on the different types of gladiators was the most interesting and gave us some insight into the protection and fighting techniques involved in the gladiator events. In the center of the arena was the surreal presence of a gigantic state-of-the-art-stage obviously being set up for some upcoming event. It was a memorable tour with excellent commentary.
With the mid-afternoon heat giving us quite a thirst we headed for one of our favorite pastimes a sidewalk cafe for refreshments and people watching. I love to eavesdrop on the French conversations and analyze their languages and obtain some idea about their daily rhythmn of living.
The train station at Nimes was an example of beautiful architecture even if I had to pay €.50 for a visit to the water closet. Back in Arles, the Roman arena was alive with the Wednesday night bull "taureau" games (nobody gets killed) and as we strolled around it to our hotel nearby, we harkened back to ancient times and how the Arlenians spent such a glorious evening. In the amphitheater a rock concert was gearing up, so we decided to have a late supper of salad composé and rosé at a small cafe adjacent to our hotel and backing on the amphitheater. The concert was sure better than canned Muzak while we noshed in the moonlight.
Tomorrow on to Nice and the French Riviera,
Larry and Lorraine
