On our first day in Avignon, Monday, we visited the Palace des Papes, a most photogenic structure with towers, turrets and spires, twisting staircases right up to the ramparts, fascinating halls, chapels, tiles, tapestries and remnants of ancient frescoes.
Wandering around nearby streets to the Pont d'Avignon we sang the old ditty "Sur le pont, d'Avignon..." then ate lunch in the Place d'Horloge, the tourist area of a hundred umbrellas right outside our hotel door.
At 2:30 we were met by our tour leader for an excursion to Nimes, Uzes and Pont du Gard (Irene's dream destination). The Mercedes vehicle held 8 passengers, 4 English, 2 New Zealanders and us, very good.
Our first stop in Nimes was at an ancient Roman hall, beautifully lazer cleaned for the film Gladiator, then on to the Roman arena which was, along with the whole city, being prepared for a bull fighting festival the following weekend! Built in the 1st Century, it is an amazing feat of engineering; I felt the atmosphere of the place so I was pleased I could focus on the engineering rather than its use!
Our first stop in Nimes was at an ancient Roman hall, beautifully lazer cleaned for the film Gladiator, then on to the Roman arena which was, along with the whole city, being prepared for a bull fighting festival the following weekend! Built in the 1st Century, it is an amazing feat of engineering; I felt the atmosphere of the place so I was pleased I could focus on the engineering rather than its use!
Uzes is a beautiful medieval town with clean, cobbled, twisting, narrow, hilly streets opening on to a big, flat, open square shaded by huge plane trees and cooled by the presence of a fountain. Many houses were 4-5 storey with shutters closed, waiting for their Parisian owners to return for holidays.
Finally to Pont du Gard, the aquaduct carrying water from the spring at Uzes, 50 km to Nimes. Irene was ecstatic to walk across it and she made the most of every moment there.
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