France 191 - Frejus /wall to wall sunshine /do you know what it is used for now? /a touch of Roman

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Day 5 since we left home and this is the first time we had spent three of those days in one place since 2011 or thereabouts. We always were on the move nearly every day. Looking out of the same windows does feel very odd and at times disconcerting . We are more used to moving when the weather is poor and visiting towns or cities before moving on again . We have had wall to wall sunshine since the monsoon like weather of Monday . So much planning too. That is a very different thing this trip. In the past we booked the train. Arrived and stopped overnight somewhere close to the tunnel . The circular route was chosen but capable of some movement if things changed. We never booked a campsite nor an aire overnight in advance . This time we have had to think where to spend the first few nights, book them on line and then move on . Going home is much the same . The time and date of the train home has been moved . Luckily we could do it on line at a cost of £22. I just hope the new people in our house don't turn up on Saturday afternoon expecting a bed for the night . We booked Monday to Monday and I really hope our host has not forgotten. We have to book somewhere on the Monday night . Chalon is a little too close to here . We may even go home late on the Sunday and try to put a couple of hours driving under our belt . Staying somewhere near to Dijon . Another 80 euros spent on an overnighter and breakfast . The following day a drive up to Troyes and another wadge of cash spent before getting to the tunnel . The Travelodge at Ashford has been changed to at an extra charge of £17. It feels like we are thinking of home before we even get settled . Never felt like that before .

We went to bed with a plan . Walk to the nearby bus stop and catch the 9am bus down to St Tropez . We had earmarked the citadelle, the museum , lunch and the church and then planned to catch the bus home . However like all great plans it did not quite go to plan . We woke . The weather looked set fair but we did not feel like getting up. That again is another difference to sleeping in Gabby. We lay for while thinking we ought to get up for breakfast which we eventually did at around 8am. The table was laid with warm croissants and jam. A luxury to have warm croissants thanks to the oven in our house . The last time we had an oven was in Suzy and the oven door kept falling off . I also burned the cupboard door which needed replacing . Bread and cheese . The typical french breakfast . By the time we had eaten it was gone 9am and we had missed the first bus and would not have made it for the second. We had two choices . Wait for the 10.20 am or knock it in the head and head for Frejus instead . There was a roman amphitheatre waiting there for us .

The journey was a touch fraught . Perhaps one of the reasons was coming to fruition as to why we were doubtful about coming to the south of France even in May. Our first task get out of our drive . That itself was not as easy as it could have been . We are on the end of a cul de sac . In Britain the chances are most cul de sacs have turning circles. Here I had to go behind the car whilst Glenn reversed off . All I was missing was a red flag .

Cogolin was relatively quiet and we got to see the Place du Republic where all the shops are located . It looked prettier than the square we saw yesterday . Shops included the famous shops selling Tartes Tropezian and a shop called Happy Dog . I could only guess what Happy Dog sold . We travelled down the coast road which got increasingly busy as we approached St Maxime . We earmarked this for a stop on the way back . It was heaving though by 10.30 and this did not bode well for places to visit . This area had been avoided in the vans as far too busy and sadly it was proving that way . From St Maxime to Frejus the road hugged the coast with views across to St Tropez. Building work was going on along the promenade with tall palm trees being planted and Bird of Paradise flowers in full bloom . Cars were parked well out of town which gave an idea on how bad parking could be in town. Even when the road split and we drove inland it was still busy , very narrow and painfully slow . We did however eventually arrive in Frejus with some sense of relief .

The car parking here was free but quite a way out of the centre . Full of umbrella pines it afforded some cover for which we were grateful as the dash cam with the heat had come away from its sticky backing . Stuck back on we tried to find shade. We were next to the Amphitheatre which on the face of it looked closed . Just our luck to have spent the time driving to find it closed for the day.

Frejus was on of those important roman towns on the crossroads formed by the Via Julia Augusta which ran between Italy, the Rhone and the Via Domitia. The city was known orginally as Forum Julii meaning the Market of Julius . The amphitheatre had been built near the Gate of Gaul which we passed on our walk to the nearby cafe . It was erected at the end of the 1st centrury and beginning of the 2nd. It was not as imposing as the Coloseum in Rome but somewhere near the one in Arles and the other in Nimes . Originally it did have three tiers but now was reduced to two. It was built here to say here I am - here is the city . Be impressed .

Originally the walls were 21 metres tall . Now only 13 metres as the stone was robbed out once the gladiators moved out . As we walked around it was hard not to impressed even though much of the structure had long gone. The building once was the biggest in Gaul with materials to build it located at a quarry near Gap. Green sandstone mixed with normal yellow sandstones . All impressive in the arches leading in and the corridors within . We realised the monument was open and entered the small pay desk . It cost 3 euros each to visit . We virtually had the place to ourselves . The inner corridor circled the building and could easily walk round it . With gates opening out into the inner space it was easy to see what it was now used for . The inner spaces left little to the imagination . Can you think what now is held inside this amphitheatre ? There were vertical passageway leading into the sunlight ., various new stairways and some infilling of the missing stones . Sometimes it was done sympathetically and blended in . In other spaces the idea was not to imitate the original but to build in concrete . At least it was easy to see what was old and roman and what was a modern addition . Did the modern offend us ? Not really . Better not imitate and fool but to nod to modern materials . No conning anyone to think that that wall was still original . So much had been lost since the 4th century it would be difficult to recreate the whole thing and best not to try. The stones had gone to build a convent which had since been taken down and parts of the medieval town . Luckily it had been classified as an Monuments Historiques otherwise there may not have been anything for us to see today .

In 1900 a vault fell down and it was left until 1960 for repair work to begin . Sadly in those days no thoughts were given to archaelogy. We headed up into the sunlight and sat on the concrete steps overlooking the area where the gladiatorial contests took place . For once health and safety was evident as each row was fenced in to prevent anyone falling into the gladiatorial ring . Not that you would have wanted to . The new use for the arena was as a bullfighting ring . I had mixed feelings about that . I guess the romans would have been pleased to see the building repurposed and still used for some kind of gladiatorial contest . This time bull against man . And I guess it kept the arena alive . No doubt the entrance fees would not keep it in the condition it was now in . And it was a living arena rather than a dead one . I guess too there would be concerts held there . The Romans would have been proud seeing their ancient structure still in use .

Our drive back was more straightforward until we arrived back in St Maxime and attempted to park up . The car park machine spewed out a ticket despite the car park looking overflowing . We drove round but could find no spaces . To drive out we needed to find the pay kiosk . It cost 80 cents to get out of the car park without even getting out of the car . Now that is how they are making their money as more cars were coming in looking for non existent parking places . We gave out and planned our getaway . Tomorrow we shall make another attempt at St Tropez and maybe even catch the boat over to St Raphael . Two saints for the price of one .

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