provence by rain
I forgot to post this yesterday! Silly me.
Due to our bad experience with motorways the previous day, on Friday it was decided to take the longer route to get to Nîmes. Driving out of Montpellier, I took my time explaining what I had actually enjoyed about the place (two years ago). For one, the way the tram lines are mapped out - the city centre is closed off to all traffic and the quickest way to reach it is via tram, cars are re-routed anywhere but near the centre. Verona should learn from Montpellier. Also, part of the line runs on grass; you know those long stretches of green traffic islands that separated traffic going in different directions? Well, in Montpellier the tram lines run on those, so that they (almost) never invade the route reserved for cars.
It took a while to get to Nîmes and the rainy weather made me fear for the day ahead - it's not fun to go sightseeing in the rain, especially if what you're going to see is open-air theatres and amphitheatres. Nevertheless we ploughed on and reached Nîmes to find it taken over by tourists and residents alike for Les Grands Jeux Romains; a reenactment of what Nîmes must have been like in Roman times, with fights between gladiators in the amphitheatre and rendezvous of Gauls vs. Romans in the main street. Watching the parade was awesomesauce even in the rain! :)
We decided that was as good as it was going to get, and as even more water started pouring on us, we drove on to Pont du Gard. It's the remaining, awe-inspiring part of a Roman aqueduct that has since withstood several floods; the French built a whole theme park around it, but it is totally worth the 5€ parking fee. It helped that it had stopped raining by the time we got there. What did not help were the snobbish girls who served us at the restaurant. I've dated a chef, I understand how restaurant kitchens work, but I am also of the opinion that set menus (you know, starter+main dish+dessert combos) are just plain lazy - if the customer is asking for something that's on the set menu, but as a standalone dish, just give it to them! You were going to cook it anyway and the customer's the one paying the bill, so what the heck are you looking down on me for?
I was very happy to leave the dreadful place for the upwards road to Orange. :/ We touched and went there because of the heavy rain, but I got to see the impressively well-preserved Théâtre Antique. UNESCO property and all because the stage wall (the equivalent of the backdrop) is still standing, while it is missing from every other Roman theatre in Europe. It makes a huge difference, the impact of entering the theatre and seeing exactly what the Romans would have seen instead of just picturing it in your mind is... well, dazzling, in all honesty.
Last stop before heading back home: Avignon. By sheer luck, we managed to park inside the city walls so that the walk up to the square of the Palais des Papes was short and relatively enjoyable. Relatively because hundreds of Italians from some tour or other had invaded the town and the sound of their voices took away from the beauty of the place. It was finally sunny, but it was also six in the evening and the palace was closed to visitors; took a few pictures outside, and marvelled at the width of the Rhône. Fun fact: we were passing over a bridge and my whole family went "That's such a huge river, I wonder which one it is," and five seconds later I read on the map that it was the very much notorious Rhône. :D
I have to say, I enjoy this kind of travelling. By car you get to see the little details of a country that you would otherwise miss from, say, a coach. The last time I was in France, did I really see France? I came by train, stayed there for a month, and went back by train again. I learnt a lot about trains and gares, but much, much less about what surrounded me.
Travelling by car is also something we used to do a lot with my dad. I was a kid so I would either complain or sleep in the car (I couldn't read because I would get carsick, still can't actually), but I remember listening to Mum and Dad talking and I loved it. All four of us, cramped in the Volvo, going somewhere.
Due to our bad experience with motorways the previous day, on Friday it was decided to take the longer route to get to Nîmes. Driving out of Montpellier, I took my time explaining what I had actually enjoyed about the place (two years ago). For one, the way the tram lines are mapped out - the city centre is closed off to all traffic and the quickest way to reach it is via tram, cars are re-routed anywhere but near the centre. Verona should learn from Montpellier. Also, part of the line runs on grass; you know those long stretches of green traffic islands that separated traffic going in different directions? Well, in Montpellier the tram lines run on those, so that they (almost) never invade the route reserved for cars.
It took a while to get to Nîmes and the rainy weather made me fear for the day ahead - it's not fun to go sightseeing in the rain, especially if what you're going to see is open-air theatres and amphitheatres. Nevertheless we ploughed on and reached Nîmes to find it taken over by tourists and residents alike for Les Grands Jeux Romains; a reenactment of what Nîmes must have been like in Roman times, with fights between gladiators in the amphitheatre and rendezvous of Gauls vs. Romans in the main street. Watching the parade was awesomesauce even in the rain! :)
We decided that was as good as it was going to get, and as even more water started pouring on us, we drove on to Pont du Gard. It's the remaining, awe-inspiring part of a Roman aqueduct that has since withstood several floods; the French built a whole theme park around it, but it is totally worth the 5€ parking fee. It helped that it had stopped raining by the time we got there. What did not help were the snobbish girls who served us at the restaurant. I've dated a chef, I understand how restaurant kitchens work, but I am also of the opinion that set menus (you know, starter+main dish+dessert combos) are just plain lazy - if the customer is asking for something that's on the set menu, but as a standalone dish, just give it to them! You were going to cook it anyway and the customer's the one paying the bill, so what the heck are you looking down on me for?
I was very happy to leave the dreadful place for the upwards road to Orange. :/ We touched and went there because of the heavy rain, but I got to see the impressively well-preserved Théâtre Antique. UNESCO property and all because the stage wall (the equivalent of the backdrop) is still standing, while it is missing from every other Roman theatre in Europe. It makes a huge difference, the impact of entering the theatre and seeing exactly what the Romans would have seen instead of just picturing it in your mind is... well, dazzling, in all honesty.
Last stop before heading back home: Avignon. By sheer luck, we managed to park inside the city walls so that the walk up to the square of the Palais des Papes was short and relatively enjoyable. Relatively because hundreds of Italians from some tour or other had invaded the town and the sound of their voices took away from the beauty of the place. It was finally sunny, but it was also six in the evening and the palace was closed to visitors; took a few pictures outside, and marvelled at the width of the Rhône. Fun fact: we were passing over a bridge and my whole family went "That's such a huge river, I wonder which one it is," and five seconds later I read on the map that it was the very much notorious Rhône. :D
I have to say, I enjoy this kind of travelling. By car you get to see the little details of a country that you would otherwise miss from, say, a coach. The last time I was in France, did I really see France? I came by train, stayed there for a month, and went back by train again. I learnt a lot about trains and gares, but much, much less about what surrounded me.
Travelling by car is also something we used to do a lot with my dad. I was a kid so I would either complain or sleep in the car (I couldn't read because I would get carsick, still can't actually), but I remember listening to Mum and Dad talking and I loved it. All four of us, cramped in the Volvo, going somewhere.