Up at 8:30 and on our way to Nimes by 9:30. Traffic good. Tolls good. 1:15 minute drive and found a good parking lot underground near the Office of Tourism. A nice young lady gave us a map and showed us what to see. It seems like almost all of the tour guides at the Office of Tourism have been very helpful and friendly.
What to see first was very close. The best restored Roman temple in Provence. They showed a great film on the making of the temple. Didn't realize Celts lived here before being conquered by the Romans. But as the Romans typically did, they allowed the inhabitants to practice their own region if they obeyed Roman laws, payed Roman taxes and helped supply the Roman army with troops to conquer other lands. The group of people living in Nimes at the time did just that. They supplied Julius Caesar with 500 mercenary troops to conquer the northern French tribes. They also helped in battles as far away as Egypt. In return for their fighting, the leader of this tribe was given a chest of gold to build a Roman temple in Nimes. Nimes grew so large (you remember the Pont du Arc aqueduct which brought water to Nimes?) it became a Roman playground.
Lunch was at an outdoor cafe. Nice people sitting next to us. As the father said, we are a "mixed" family. I am French and my wife is American. The daughter went to school in France, but lived in the US for several years. Her English and French were both excellent. Both she and her friend were having steak tartare. It seems to be popular here in Provence. If you don't know what it is, it's basically raw hamburger, combined with lots of spices like onions, capers, Worcestershire sauce and served with a raw egg on top. Yum! Many stories abound as to its origin from the Mongolian Horde called the Tartars who actually ate horse meat...story goes they put a raw piece of horse meat under their saddle in the morning and ate the softened pieced of meat for dinner. Others say it started in Germany. But make no mistake it is popular down here. I might have to try some before we go. Sandy says...NO WAY! We had the three course meal of the day which was salad, a beef kabob and fries with dessert included (Creme Caramel). Sandy had it only because it included! Right! 12 Euros...good food and good price.
We went the Coliseum. Largest in all of France. Great audio tour of life in the 1st Century...killing of animals, killing of prisoners, killing of Christians...all in the name of sport. And to keep the tradition going, they still have bullfights there.
We then walked about a half an hour...did I mention that I think my doctor talked to Sandy and said, "Walk the old man's rear end off...maybe it'll help his BP, A1C and even lose some weight?" Sure seems like this was the plan to me. Beautiful garden in Nimes capped by a Roman watch tower. I climbed to the top...Sandy...not so much! Great view of the city of Nimes.
Back to the car in the garage and it was easy to get out (when you pay in advance)!
We plugged Chavet Cave into the Never Lost, and what I thought was a half hour drive was actually about an hour along a beautiful, but two lane mountainous, switchback road drive. We arrived 30 minutes before our tour time as they requested. We made our way to the cave entrance. Now, I have to tell you about this cave. It's not really a cave, it's total reproduction of the actual cave. The reproduction just opened in April. The scientists who were working on and in the actual cave determined that too many visitors were being allowed into the cave causing mold to grow on it and ruining the prehistoric cave paintings. Now, only one scientist a day goes into the actual cave to check on conditions. So, they built this "Disneyland" version of the cave to let visitors see what it is like. And boy do they draw them in. Our time was 6:16 pm to get into the cave. And we had to get the tickets two days in advance. While I found the guides a bit pretentious, I do have to say some of the cave paintings (recreations) were magnificent. Horses, bears, wild boars, oxen, lions, etc. Some I have seen in history books. Very cool. All in all, a good stop.
It was a long (two hour) ride home, but no problems with rain our tolls. Another late dinner (10:30) at a place called "The Handburger" (yes, read it again, the HANDburger...made by hand, I guess). So what did we have? The fish and chips! Then it was home to bed. Only one more full day in AIX.
Better make it a good one!
Take care my friends and family!
Dave & Sandy
Nimes, Roman Ruins and Prehistoric Cave Painting
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Aix-en-Provence - Update #5, Provence, France
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2025-02-11
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Michael Neuber
2015-08-28
I'm very much enjoying your journey. Your literary descriptions make me feel like I'm along with you. Good travel onward my good friends.