day 33

nimes
Now that is why I kept trying to get to Nimes for the past few weeks. They have one of the best preserved coliseums in the world. It started out as an amphitheater for gladiators, then, as the Roman empire began to crumble, it became a fortress and now, in modern times, it is home to bullfighting.


I went next to the Maison Caree, an extremely well-preserved Roman temple, but it was under construction and the beautiful columns in the front were completely covered up. So disappointing.


Last but not least, I paid a visit to the Cathedrale Notre-Dame-et Saint-Castor. It is a mix of architectural styles, which I didn't find very appealing. The cathedral in Beziers was much more beautiful.


I was going to walk over to the Tour Magne, an ancient Roman watchtower, and the Jardin de la Fontaine but I was tired and hungry and needed to get back to Bezier early enough to finish packing. Above is a view of the quai leading up to the garden.

I did not like the actual city very much because the architecture and the streets were not as pristinely preserved as in Avignon. There was a good deal of construction going on as well and many historical sights were fenced off from the public.

I am headed for Barcelona on an 8 a.m. train tomorrow.

Au revoir, France!