Flying North to travel South.

[OZDUCK]

I just read in another thread that you damaged your right toe.

It certainly didn't stop you from all that walking and climbing of many stairs, towers and lookouts. Very impressed!

Thanks. I walked long distances and climbed lots of stairs, very slowly, but avoided as many towers as possible My knees are my main problem.

 

[OZDUCK]

This year, from 11 July to 22 August (6pm Wednesdays and Fridays), they have Camargue Bull Races. Described as: "... a sport in which participants attempt to catch prize-winning attributes attached to the forehead and horns. There's no kill involved in this sporting game.
Agility, speed and thrills: guaranteed spectacle!"

On a couple of (other) days of the week they have the gladiator "school" that you saw, and staged demonstrations.
The town goes all out 18-23 August this year for the annual Arelate Festival - Roman Days.

Thanks for the link. I think that there were a few signs around advertising something that must have been that festival. Although it is hard to remember for sure as lots of the cities s we visited had Roman festivals of one sort or the other.

 

[OZDUCK]

And now for another Roman Site in Arles and one that I had never heard of before.

"In important Roman towns, the forum was the centre of the town, a meeting place for all the inhabitants. The forum was often surrounded by sheltered and open galleries, called porticoes. These substantial buildings required substantial foundations - hence the name, cryptoporticus.

In Arles, the cryptoporticus were constructed around 25-10 BC, during the reign of the Emperor Augustus, around a forum that covered around 3400 square meters. Around the edges of the forum many of the important buildings of the town were situated, including the senate (government) building and religious edifices. Numerous shops and a large market place were also found here.

The entrance to the cryptoporticus is just inside the entrance of Arles town hall.

The gallery of the cryptoporticus is eight meters wide, divided into two along its length by stone arches, and forms a "U" shape, with the sides 90 meters long and the shorter side 60 meters long.
"

Roman Cryptoportiques in Arles: a visitor guide

The Cryptoportiques in Arles are a subterranean monument dating from the Roman period.

www.francethisway.com

Despite being pretty bare and barren inside this structure was pretty interesting for a short visit. And very cool on a hot day! You have to descend a steel staircase to get here - definitely no disabled access.










The arches are pretty massive which must have helped with the survival of this place.

 

[OZDUCK]

More of the underground

Some on-line sites state that this was built by the Greeks ( slaves or craftsmen I assume) because of the mason marks but I can find no detailed information about this.



The only remnants down there are pieces of columns and friezes









The construction looks a bit rough in parts but as it has lasted over 2,000 years it was obviously well built





The remains of a small chapel - obviously an addition after the original construction