Saturday, 1 September 2018

Nimes

27.08.18
After a day getting used to our new home and getting in the food we wanted, we visited Nimes and it's fantastic amphitheatre. My knees and Pete's non head for heights prevented us from climbing to the very top to look out over this old city but we got close and got a feel for the amazing feat of construction managed by the Romans in 5AD! Everyone on any terrace would have had a perfect view of the brutal fights that went on in it's vast oval arena. I learned that arena means sand in Latin the name merely refers to the ground covering and not as I had always thought to a circular or similar shape. The Romans were truly a blood thirsty lot and the spectacles of gladiator fights, bear and lion confrontations became more and more viscous until the Christian community and some more humane members of the higher classes called a slow down to it all. The theatre was taken over as a fortress during wartime and now seems to be used as a music venue.

It was blisteringly hot to be walking a city, so we found a restaurant in a square where we had lunch. Pete had his first taste of Carmargue beef - it got the thumbs up. Me, paella, which was a mistake.

Nimes is a busy bustling  city with ancient Roman architecture and beautifully dressed ladies.



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