Nimes

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We are in Paris, instead of going to Avignon where we are staying we take the train from Paris to Nice. We are hoping to find our stolen bag. We checked the hours of the lost and found at the Nice Ville station. The lost and found is open all day every day. After six hours on the train we get to Nice. The doors to the lost and found were locked and they had a sign stating closed for exceptional reasons. Damn, all that way for nothing. We find a restaurant nearby have lunch then catch the next train to Avignon. We arrive in Avignon and take a taxi to our Airbnb. The apartment is nice, a one bedroom and one bath with balconies on both sides of the unit. We are in the old walled city with views of the Pope’s Palace from out balcony. The landlord warns us the old city has blocked off cars and the GPS systems have not been updated. We verify this when we rent a car and the GPS sends us through the old city and we cannot get through. The old city has many gates to enter the walled city. We spent 45 minutes trying different ways into the city when we finally find the gate closest to our apartment. Now we know which gate to enter the city through we are able to come and go without being blocked. The upside to the car blockades is the old city has few cars and it is enjoyable to walk around, Residents of the old city can obtain a card that lowers the blockades so they can drive through.

We decide to drive to Nice and check the lost and found for Mark’s bag. We leave at 7 am and drive 2 1/2 hours to Nice. The lost and found is open. The girl asks what day we lost our bag. She walks in back and returns with Mark’s bag. What a relief the bag has everything in it but $150 in US cash. So we have our passports, global entry cards, covid cards and Mark’s personal items. We are so happy.

We left the apartment early so we would not kill the day driving to Nice. After Nice we head to Nimes. People have inhabited the area since 4000 BC. Nimes became a Roman colony before 28 BC. Nimes is considered the most Roman city outside of Italy. The Romans built roads, a colosseum, temples, buildings and an aqueduct. Our first stop is the ancient Roman Arenes de Nimes (colosseum). We buy a museum pass, this saves us money and pushes us to visit more museums. We also get a senior discount. The colosseum tour comes with an audio guide which brings the history to life. We are happy to hear that most of the gladiators were not killed but were saved to fight another day. On the sad side during the gladiator battles lunch break persons who had been condemned to death were publicity killed by people or animals.

We find a great restaurant for lunch, steak fries and a good glass of wine. Mark uses google maps for restaurants with good ratings. Our next stop is La Maison Carree, the only Roman ancient temple completely preserved. There is no tour of the temple but inside they show a 23 minute dramatized film about how Nimes became a Roman city. Musee de la Romanite a Roman history museum is our next stop. The museum is good size and covers Nimes Roman history with artifacts. Nimes presents its history very throughly better than any other city we have been to. Musee Des Beaux-Arts is next with paintings, statues and tile floors from Roman times. Our last stop is Tour Magne the only remaining tower from the Roman walls. It is 140 steps to the top. At the top is a panoramic view of the city. Below the tower is a long garden with fountains. We walk through the gardens on the way back to our car. The gardens are very popular with the locals.

We loved Nimes and would recommend a visit if you are in Provence.

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Comments

[Bob J]

Found Passports.
Glad to hear you found your passports!