Nimes

September 29, 2024

Exploring Roman Nimes

It was a great decision to spend the day in Nimes. It is a wonderful city and we spent the day exploring all that it had to offer. We were real tourists! It was a lot of fun. Our hotel is located directly across the street from the amphitheatre and next door to the Musée de la Romanité and the Musée des Cultures Tourines. It is a fabulous location.

But first a near disaster in the breakfast room. The coffee machine was broken. Fortunately two people put their heads together, and after several anxious minutes they were successful and I had cappuccino in hand. Disaster averted. Phew.

We started by visiting the Musée des Cultures Tourines. The bull fighting museum. I wasn’t that keen because I am not a fan of bull fighting (and that is an understatement) but it turned out to be a real learning experience . One of the docents took us under her wing and led us room by room telling stories. She was terrific. We understand a great deal more about the cultural significance of bull fighting, the difference between the French version and the Spanish version and even the difference between French and Spanish bulls. We also heard the sad story of Jose Tomás who died at 37 of suicide after breaking his neck in the ring. It was heartbreaking. His statue is in front of the amphitheatre. I am still not a fan of the sport, but at least I am a more educated non fan. Does that make sense?

Then we walked to the train station, and the walk itself was a treat. A beautiful wide pedestrian boulevard. It was terrific. At the station we received great information about a future train ride and were serenaded by a group of female motorcyclists. While I was getting our ducks in a row Keith met and enjoyed a conversation with a young bike packer from outside Geneva.

Train station at the far end of this beautiful walk.

They were having a great time. Unrehearsed and spontaneous from what we could see. They were singing and the women at the piano accompanied.

The palm tree and crocodile symbol of Nimes.

Next up, the amphitheatre. It was magnificent and ancient and impressive. An included audio tour on our phones was good.

About halfway up. It held 20 000 people back in the day.

Looking down. A sand floor to absorb the blood.

Next up, lunch and a walk down Rue Victor Hugo to the Maison Carrée and St. Paul Church. By this time we had both absolutely fallen in love with Nimes. It is a fantastic city.

St. Paul’s. It had a beautiful blue ceiling.

This was so beautiful. Note the broad pedestrian street leading to it. So relaxing.

Then a wander to the Jardins de la Fontaine and Temple de Diane. It really was a full day and we weren’t done yet. We fortified ourselves with gelato in the gardens and explored.

Temple de Diana. It reminded us of Angkor Wat!

Then we continued our explore of the huge garden, heading up, because we kept wondering what was around the next corner. We reached the top, and it was quite a hike, to find we were at Tour Magne, the only surviving tower from the old wall. We had been able to see it all day, but hadn’t imagined going there. It looked so far away, and so high up in the hills, and it was. So of course, we had to go up to the top of it too. It was totally worth it. The views were awesome. On the way down the narrow spiral staircase the CN reminded me that my iron grip on the railing was exposing me to all kinds of germs. I proposed that it was saving me from a broken neck! There was hand sanitizer provided at the bottom so I am healthy and my neck is fine.

It really gave us an overview of where we had been.

Then back down, down to the park. We met two cute boys, about 10 perhaps, who were having a good time leaping about the ruins. I asked them to take our picture and since they only spoke French it took a moment to get it across. I told them we are Canadian. They are too. We had a good laugh. Montreal, the other side of the country.

Another wide pedestrian area drew us in and we stumbled on the market. An already stellar day just kept on going. We bought a bag of expensive candied almonds because the CN loves them. So do I. They won’t last long.

Last, and much anticipated was the Musée de la Romanité. It did not disappoint. A modern building, right next to the amphitheatre and Place des Arenes and our hotel. We used the audio guide and really enjoyed it. Then these two culture vultures went back to the hotel and collapsed.

Imagine. These mosaics are thousands of years old.

A cork model of the amphitheatre built in the 1800’s by Auguste Pelet, an architect and archaeologist. It was remarkable.

These waves were so realistic I tiptoed into them. I didn’t want to get my feet wet!!!

I feel I have done a poor job of relating what a fantastic day it was. A day of marvels, peaceful pedestrian streets, beautiful weather. Come to Nimes! Stay at Odaly’s City Hotel.

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Rachael AndersonWhat an amazing day! I’m so glad you got the coffee machine to work.
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenI was grateful to those women who worked so hard at it. It is one of my favourite pleasures in the morning, whether travelling or at home.
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2 weeks ago

Eva WaltersYou’ve done an excellent job describing your lovely day in Nimes and the ride there from St. Remy, not to mention your earlier ride to Pont du Gard. Your posts have brought back fond memories of our first French cycling tour fifteen years ago when we stayed in Tarascon for five nights and did dayrides to Les Baux, St. Remy and Pont du Gard as well as spending a day in Nimes. Reading your journal makes us want to go back to that part of France. Thank you for the inspiration!
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2 weeks ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Eva WaltersThank you! It is a wonderful part of France we are discovering. Today’s ride was very different from the last few days. Very urban, almost like the Algarve in Portugal. It was interesting in its own way.
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2 weeks ago

Anne MathersType your comment here
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2 weeks ago