The Pont du Gard is a Roman Aqueduct that was built in the year 19 BC to service the then Roman town of Nimes with water. The engineering and architecture of the Romans is just outstanding. This aqueduct flows for 50 kms with an exact decline of 34 cm for every km. The actual structure too is truly amazing because it was constructed with no mortar. The bricks were cut with precision and placed exactly where they fit. It transverses the River Gard, which can be very powerful when in flood, yet it has survived over 2000 years. The Romans never cease to amaze me.
It was a lovely overcast morning, a crisp Autumn day. NO rain yet still moderately mild. We have been so lucky with our weather. The grey skies just seemed to add to the mystique of the place. We walked all around it and across it and took lots of pics. Because we could walk over it, there was a coffee shop and toilets on the other side, so a decision was made that the bus would meet some of us around the other side.. however not everyone got the message and one lady was "misplaced"!!! There was a little drama for a while, but fortunately it all turned out ok in the end.
View from Pont du Gard
We came back then to Avignon and had about 2 hours there. It's a lovely town enclosed by th walls that were built originally to protect the Pope - mainly from being brought back to Italy! The Pope's palace was more like a fortress than a Palace, and you can see the places from which the occupants would've defended their property with arrows and burning oil.... Not really a sign of peace and unity as one would expect form Il Papa!!! I had a lovely wander around though, and felt the cosiness on an enclosed town.
Another thing I had the opportunity to do in Avignon was to see the Pont D'Avignon - those who have learnt French at any stage will surely remember the song "Sur La Pont D'Avignon".
The lyrics are -
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les beaux messieurs font comm' çà
Et puis encore comm' çà
Which means :
On the bridge of Avignon
We all dance there, we all dance there
On the bridge of Avignon
We all dance there in a ring
So I had a little dance in front of the bridge - it cost 5 Euros to go on the bridge, so I didn't bother!
As we were about to leave Avignon, we discovered once again that we had lost a couple of members! Apparently they got lost, so it's been an interesting day for poor Jonathan.
We're just driving along now to Lyon which is out stopover tonight. I'm typing this on the bus, because it's a long straight motorway, and it gives me the opportunity to do it before we go out for dinner again tonight. This tour should be called the Food Tour de France! I think tonight I'm having Poached Sausage and potatoes in a wine sauce for Entree and Coq ou Vin for main course. Just as well I don't eat sweets, or I may not fit on the plane to come home....!!!
It's been an interesting experience to watch the community on the bus evolve! It takes all types to make this world, and I think we have a fair smattering of them on this tour. Back in the days when I used to make silent retreats, you could always work out people's personalities, even without them saying a word. The same is true on a bus trip... although words are spoken and sometimes that's part of the problem! There are some that often get a bit confused - thus trying the patience of the louder members of the group. I guess if you throw 34 people together in quite an enclosed environment for 10 days, people's personalities will begin to show quite quickly...!!! Travel has been an interesting experience for me in more ways than one!
Only one more long road trip... tomorrow we drive from Lyon to Paris, then we spend 2 days in Paris. Can't believe that it's nearly all coming to an end. Part of me is reluctant to leave this holiday behind, and part of me is dying to get out of that bloody suitcase and do some proper washing! I guess I should just be grateful for what I have been able to experience!
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