Pont du Gard, Blog 4

Pont du Gard Blog 4

The last time Dan and I were in Pont du Gard was almost 20 years ago in the heat of an unusually hot summer with 4 million other tourists—but I exaggerate.  Dan was able to climb to the very top where there were no railings.  I got to  one level below the top.  It was very different this time.  Before we arrived at the pont, we walked past a very large visitor center with shops, (are you surprised?”) on one side of a wide street and a museum on the other.  You can only walk across a modern bridge below the pont, and cars are no longer allowed across.  It’s still an impressive sight and I’m really glad Dan could no longer go to the top.  It was pleasantly cool in the mid 60’s with very few other visitors.  The museum showed drawings and models of how the pont was built.  It was built around 19 BC as a critical link of a 30-mile canal bringing water to one of the areas most important cities Nîmes.  It dropped one inch for every 350 feet and supplied 100 gallons per second.  It’s certainly not a new statement but the Romans were remarkable engineers.  Everywhere we have travelled in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia we have visited Roman ruins.

After lunch, we visited Arles in the rain.  Our first stop was Espace Van Gogh cultural center, the hospital where he was admitted when he cut off his ear. It was the first of two stays in a hospital.  Modern doctors have diagnosed Van Gogh as bi-polar.  As I mentioned yesterday we visited St. Paul Monastary where he voluntarily committed himself.  The enlightened doctors and nurses there made painting part of his therapy and gave him a workroom, where he produced more than 100 paintings including many of his wildest ones with the thick, swirling brushstrokes. 

I can see why he would be inspired by Provence.  Throughout the French countryside the flowers are in full bloom in lavenders, royal blues, warm yellows, and the incredible orange-red poppies I mentioned. When the mistral blows (the famous wind), the colors are even brighter as there are no clouds in the sky.

Republique Square, called Place Royale before the French Revolution, is the heart of the city.  Since it was Saturday, it was wedding day.   The bridal party we saw were leaving Hôtel del Ville  ()city hall, Part 1 of the ceremony to go across the street to St. Trophime Church which guide books describe as having one of the finest Roamanesque entrances.  I thought it was hideous ugly.  The bride’s dress was dripping in mud from the heavy downpour. 

More Roman ruins….. We walked by a first century BC theater with seating for 10,000 where today they continue to entertain the masses and on to the Roman Area/Amphitheater—probably the best one outside of the one in Rome.  Thirty-four rows of stone bleachers seated people by social class.  No gates because it was free entertainment to keep everyone happy (Bread and circuses).  Vomitoires, passageways, allowed everyone to leave quickly. Among the modern shows today are bullfights!!  In Medieval times the arches were blocked in and the area became a fortress with 200 homes and 3 churches.  Across from the area were colorful, narrow quintessentially French buildings.

We walked back to the Rhone without the need of our umbrellas.  Our guide told us a fascinating story.  The Romans would sail seaworthy ships to the mouth of the Rhone and riverboats up the river.  The boats would carry amphora containing all kinds of goods.  Rather than return with the amphora, they were tossed into the water (think plastic bags in a landfill).  In modern times they dredged the river going back thousands of years through the silt finding these amphora, jewelry, and….recently a bust of Julius Caesar.  There is only one other known representation of Julius Caesar in his lifetime.  The world’s Julius Caesar expert authenticated it. Although the two don’t look alike, using a computer, they were lined up and were identical.  We were only able to look at a picture of it, but Julius looked like a mensh.

Off to a cocktail party.