FB8: An Aqueduct, Nimes, and party time I guess

Last night we stayed in Nimes, and the hotel had non existent wifi, so there was no blog update.  I will make two separate posts for yesterday and today, as much has happened.

Back in Avignon, we spent the morning looking at the ever closed toy store, buying a pack of french Pokemon cards, and browsing the board game store in town.



We packed up and left for Nimes.  On the way, we stopped at Pont Du Gard, a large aqueduct.  While climbing up for a view, Miles found an Australian Shepherd playmate.



It was extremely hot and uncomfortable outside.  We found refuge in the Pont Du Gard museum.  It had some cute displays regarding the creation of the aqueduct, but the museum was mostly reading texts or listening to audio.  Jeremy enjoyed reading every word the museum had on the subject, while I stretched on the ground and listened to the school children pressing the audio button on repeat, so it said the same french word over and over.  The air conditioning was nice though!



We made our way into Nimes via tiny streets and found an underground parking garage for our rental.  The hotel, from the outside, was the ugliest hotel I have ever seen.  The inside was very nice, however.  My biggest complaint was that the wifi was nonexistent.  I was the one who picked this hotel, so I am to blame.  It was the only one I could find inside the city proper, with the only other hotels being a train ride away.  We quickly found out why the hotels were booked.

It was festival time in town.  Roads were closed and vendors were erected, with loud music and tons of youngsters milling around.  I smelled marijuana on occasion.  Our first stop, the Arena of Nimes, with a similar look to the Colosseum of  Rome, was closed to visitors.  Instead, it was being set up for a bullfight of sorts.  I didn't get the details, as this is pretty barbaric from my point of view.



Down the street, we glanced at the Maison Carree, a Roman temple.



We turned the corner and left for the Fountain Gardens, a large and beautiful garden.  At the top, we found an old watchtower, with panoramic views of the city.  They charged admission, and since it would only give me panics anyhow, I sent Miles up with Jeremy.



After a rest, when I felt like my body was caving in on itself from all the walking, we ventured out into the night.  On the way back to the Arena, we found a vendor at the edge of the festival, and bought Miles a cotton candy for 2 euros.  I had no idea that the portion would be so large...



It was very busy on the street near the Arena.  It almost seemed disrespectful to have such noise and partying near such an old and beautiful structure.  However, it is theirs, so who am I to say?



Jeremy and I got Tex Mex wraps that were awesome.  Miles got a hot dog that was very red on the outside and very white on the inside.   He was upset that they didn't have ketchup.