The Cabes in Montpellier and Nimes

During their visit, Matthew drove his parents and brother south, towards the Mediterranean and Montpellier. On the way, they stopped at the Viaduc de Garabit (designed by the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower). They spent the rest of the day walking around Montpellier and along the beach. The weather was hot, but beautiful. I took a train down after work and met them in Montpellier. Here are some pictures from their drive and Montpellier.

The next day we all drove to Nimes. The French get insulted when people say they are going to Rome to see the Roman ruins, because some of the best preserved Roman architecture is located in France. Our first stop was the Maison Carree. It is the purest and best preserved of all Roman temples. It was built during the reign of Augustus (in 16 BC!!!!!). The temple owes its preservation to the fact that it was rededicated as a Christian church in the fourth century, saving it from the widespread destruction of temples that followed the adoption of Christianity as Rome's official state religion. Inside the Maison Carree we watched a 3D movie about the "Heroes de Nimes". From the Gladiators battling on the sand floor of the arena during the 1st century AD to the bullfighters who still perform a few times a year.

After lunch at a restaurant in the Place d'Assas, we headed to the Jardin de la Fontaine ("the fountain gardens"), that in Roman times was occupied by a spring, a theatre, a temple, and baths. Today, it is a huge garden that still contains a lot of Roman architecture and statues. We wound our way through the gardens and up, up, up the hill to the Tour Magne ("the great tower"). There is a lot of controversy over the intended use of the Tour Magne. Some believe that it was meant to be a watch tower, while others believe it was a gigantic mausoleum or a temple to Isis. Matthew, Mike, and I climbed the spiral staircase to the top where we had an amazing view of the city.
We checked into our hotel and rested for about an hour, then we headed back into the city for
dinner. We found a restaurant at the top of a museum beside the Maison Carree. The view of the Maison Carree was incredible, and we also had a view of the amazing sunset over the city.

The next morning was spent exploring the Arenes de Nimes. It is one of the best preserved amphitheatres of the Roman world. It was built around 90 AD. The amphitheatre could hold about 24,000 spectators. The terraced rows were divided into four 'moeniana' (levels). Each moeniana was reserved for a particular class of society. It was most often used for gladiatorial combats. After buying tickets, we were given little radios to carry through the tour that gave information or told stories about the arena. We also were able to go down to the gladiator quarters, as well as an area set up to honor the bullfighters. There are still bullfights a few times a year, and the arena is host to lots of other events, including concerts. After lunch we walked around Nimes to some of the churches and fountains. We also found one of three "doors" that were once part of the wall that surrounded the city. The doors date from 16-15 BC!