Nîmes

This week, the school offered another excursion that interested me; a trip to Nîmes. We passed it last week on the way to Arles. Our guide was a different prof from the school named David. He took our small group on a walking tour of the major sites providing us with some historical information and then gave us a couple of hours of free time to explore on our own. One of the stories he told was most interesting to me and it concerned the origin of the word denim, as in denim jeans. Back in the day, Nîmes was known for its textiles. At the time, more than 60% of the inhabitants worked in the textile industry. They would import cotton from Egypt and then spin it into a blue serge material that they would then export. It was called "serge de Nîmes", hence "de Nîmes" which became denim, the fabric we know so well today - cool, n'est-ce pas?

One of the shortcomings of these school trips is the very short period of time you have to take in the sites. Knowing I only had two hours after the tour, I made the best of it. First stop, Les Jardins de la Fontaine. This beautiful garden was built around the Roman thermae ruins in the 18th century. Although the fountains weren't operating and there were no flowers blooming in the pots, it was still a very pretty and relaxing place to wander.

From the picture below, in Les Jardins de la Fontaine, you can see the stairs that I took to get to the Tour Magne or "Great Tower". After the stairs there were zig-zag paths that I walked up to reach the tower. 

Here is the Tour Magne, a Roman ruin. Unfortunately I didn't have time to climb the 141 steps to the top because I think I would have been able to take some great photos of the city. However, I was able to take in some breathtaking panoramic views from here.

After my descent, I headed back to the old city passing through the beautiful gates to the garden...

... the picturesque canal.....

....beautiful bushes with berries...

and then my next stop, the Maison Carée, a small, well preserved Roman temple built in 19 B.C. Today it houses a museum.

The Arènes de Nîmes, a Roman ampitheatre, is the best preserved Roman arena in France. In the beginning it was used for events such as gladiator combat. Eventually it was filled with medieval housing and the walls served as ramparts. The remnants of the village were finally cleared out in the 19th century and it was converted to its present form. The arena now is used for bullfighting and concerts. It was an impressive place, but I found it difficult to manage some of the steps which were very deep. There often weren't any railings either so I landed up negotiating some of the steps on my hands and knees - especially to get to the top. I was hoping to use an audio guide in English, but for whatever reason, none were available for my use. Unfortunately, I didn't understand everything the woman said to me at the entrance, but I think it was because it was too close to closing time. 

By this time, I had to head back towards the bus. I walked through the esplanade on the way and took a picture of the fountain. Many of the cities and villages in France have beautiful fountains. This is one of them.

The old city of Nîmes is charming with a variety of historical sites, narrow streets, cafés and plenty of shops. It is well worth visiting.  I just wish I had had a little more time.