Sunday 10 July 2011

Festival in Nimes

We happened to arrive in Nimes on a Saturday when the whole town was consumed with bullfight fever.  For a few hours, you would think you were in a Spanish rather than a French town.  There were bandanas and flamingo costumes everywhere, Spanish food was served at all the restaurants about town.  We limited ourselves to having paella for lunch to keep in the spirit.  I was glad we missed the morning bullfight and the evening session was too late for us as we have to move on to our destination Ansouis.  Otherwise, I would have been faced with an ethical decision (heaven forbid!) - should we get tickets for the bullfight or not?

Below you see the crowd routing for their favourite team outside the arena.


Dressed up for the festival.  The horse was also having its tail braided (sorry, that's another photo).


On the outside, the Nimes arena looked very similar to the one in Arles except that it is bigger.  We didn't get to go in because it was closed for the bullfight.




Here is the "Maison Carree", reminiscent of the Madeleine in Paris, but looking oddly out of place in the modern square.  




The Jardin de la fontaine with two historical monuments on site -




The ruins of the Temple of Diana 


and the Tour Magne, a watchtower from the time of Augustus, standing on the tallest part of the city on Mont Cavalier.  


We climbed the few hundred steps 


to the very small viewing balcony at the top - a very strategic position for a watch tower.  For us, it provided a bird's eye view of the city.


Back on the ground, the festivities continued and here troupes were on their way to a show set up on the grounds of the Jardin.  These streets are really more suitable for horses than for cars.




We were pleased to come across a Milonga on the street where people were dancing the tango.  If our hosts at the Ferme were not expecting us, we may have stayed and joined the fun...



Next post:  Ferme de la platane

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