Down South

This year's dawdling pace (we're attempting to time our arrival on the Canal du Midi with the departure of most of the hire boats) has meant that we have spent more time sightseeing and generally relaxing than in previous years. We have also discovered that local public transport is often incredibly cheap and comfortable and so we have made a few side trips. For instance, a trip to Nimes from Aigues Mortes by air conditioned coach (about an hour) cost us just over a euro. If we'd caught the train it would have been a euro. The train to the beach at Le Grau du Roi similarly cost a euro although we decided to cycle along the canal instead.

The canal from Aigues Mortes  runs right down into the sea at Le Grau du Roi passing on its way through the pink tinged salins (salt pans). There has been salt harvested here since 400 BC and there are large gleaming white hills of salt outside the city walls.

Le Grau du Roi. End of the canal and the beginning of the sea.

Le Grau du Roi is a pretty fishing port and holiday resort on the Mediterranean.The old town around the port looks much as it has always done I suspect (apart from the souvenir shops and restaurants) but from end of the breakwater you can look along the coast to the newer brashier resorts. The beach was crowded with holiday makers baking in the sun whilst ice cream sellers pushed their little refrigerated carts along the water's edge singing loudly to attract attention. We both had a paddle in the warm water happy to have made it to the South. I don't know whether it was a result of the storms of the previous days or it's normally the case but the water was pretty murky and the sand quite black - not what I expected.

Our trip to Nimes was to visit the Roman ampitheatre and it certainly didn't disappoint. It is beautifully preserved and holiday time being almost over was relatively quiet. The entrance fee includes a good audio guide. We were able to walk out into the middle the sandy, empty arena and look up at the 34 rows of seats surrounding us and imagine at least some of what has happened there since it was built around 70 AD.

The ampitheatre was modified in the 19th century to serve as a bullring and I'm sorry to say it is still used for that purpose. We were able to climb to the very top of the ampitheatre where you get a fine view over the roofs of the city. Turn inwards towards the arena and it is quite vertigo inducing as the terraces are extremely steep and quite slippery.

Arena, Nimes

Great views were also to be had from the ramparts and towers of Aigues Mortes the 1600 metres of which we walked on our last day there.

The boat harbour and canal from the Tour Constance, Aigues Mortes

Panorama from the ramparts.