Flying North to travel South.

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After lunch we headed off to see the 'Running of the Bulls'. The Tourist Information Centre had given us a program with the various events listed but the street the bull event was happening in was a very long one and I naturally chose the wrong end. We eventually got there in time to see a bit of action but we were at the back of the crowds and my wife could see very little at all.

The street was another very wide one with a lovely pedestrian strip down the middle



The running event is set up with a fenced off stretch of road. The 'runners' stand along the fence line inside this enclosure. The bull is herded down the centre of the course between several riders so it seems relatively safe. I did see one person run inside the horse escort and slap the rump of the bull.

The bull running in front of his escort



After that we did some more wandering

The market street with another band



There were exhibitions of Sevillanas dancing. The dancing was cunningly conducted on a street level dance floor so most people had very restricted views. There was an elevated stage behind the dancers but it was not used.

The view my wife had

 

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Finishing off Nimes

We ended up walking around 25 km during our day in Nimes but luckily it is an extremely 'flat' city. On our way home I decided I wanted to have a quick look at the local Roman history museum. We were running short of time so I zoomed around far, far quicker than I normally would but from what I could see it was pretty good. It also covers local history through the middle ages.

Home - Musée de la Romanité à Nîmes

Vivez l'expérience historique au Musée de la Romanité à Nîmes! 25 siècles d'Histoire, 5000 pièces exceptionnelles 65 dispositifs multimédia pour s'immerger dans le passé du territoire Nîmois et comprendre l'influence de la civilisation romaine au fil des siècles.

museedelaromanite.fr

The museum building







The crocodile and palm tree appears on the local coinage




















Memorial stone for a gladiator.






More glassware than I expected

 

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As we finished off Nimes with the Romans it is only appropriate that I start again in Arles with the Baths of Constantine. Built in the 4th Century AD.

Thermes de Constantin in Arles | Visit A City

The Baths of Constantine or northern baths are ancient Roman baths dating back to the 4th century and built along the Rhone in Arles. The baths are named after the Emperor at the time that lived in Ar

www.visitacity.com

Many of the tiles still retain a pattern



You can see how more 'modern' buildings encroached into the remains of the baths.







The well known Roman heating systems

 

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Moving forward about 800 years. The Church of St. Trophime and the associated cloisters

Church of St. Trophime, Arles - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The church was built in the 12th to 15th Centuries

The church and cloister entrance is to the right of the picture. The Hotel de Ville is in the background

Cloitre Saint-Trophime (St. Trophime Cloister) in Arles, France

Cloitre Saint-Trophime (St. Trophime Cloister) in Arles, France - sight map, attraction information, photo and list of walking tours containing this attraction. Get offline map and directions using our GPSmyCity self-guided walking tours app for your mobile device.

www.gpsmycity.com

The cloisters themselves seem very stark and a bit gloomy. I assume that when the gardens were cared for and the walls had hangings etc it must have been a much more welcoming place.











The pillars are carved with biblical images

 

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Moving upstairs











And outside. This was a private area for sunny days





The spire of the church

 

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And now moving outside the city walls

mmm! - lice a real taste sensation



Nearby we had some treats that were really nice



The cake on the left is a canelé. Extremely popular in the south of France. Especially around Bordeaux where we had the best ones.

Canelé - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some of the remnants of the walls





And then I spotted something over the walls of an old cemetery I, for some reason, didn't know was in Arles. It was instantly recognisable as a Frank Gehry building. We have previously seen his buildings in Bilbao, Prague and Dusseldorf.





This is the Luma Tower completed in 2021. It stands out in stark contrast to the rest of Arles - but in a good way.

The Tower

Designed by the architect Frank Gehry, La Tour stands in the heart of the Parc des Ateliers and is made up of various multi-purpose spaces.

www.luma.org

 

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The tower was built on a former industrial site - "Built in the 19th century, the Parc des Ateliers was originally an industrial site for the repair and construction of locomotives. Today, it houses the activities of LUMA Arles." . It was shut on the day of our visit.



We then came across the market. It was about 800 metres long on both sides of the road and as usual you could get most anything there.







What we did buy was some extremely fresh nougat. In 1976 I drove straight past the town of Montélimar near Avignon. It is apparently the "Nougat Capital" of France. My wife has never forgiven me for this so when I saw the nougat I had to buy some. It was expensive but delicious.







Fruit was just a little cheaper. The stallholder looked at the collection my wife had chosen and obviously couldn't be bothered weighing it all out so it cost us the princely sum of €1. As had been our previous experience the Apricots were lovely. The 'purple' tomato was also very tasty.



And to top it off we got this half chicken and potato cake for our tea there.

 

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We had now finished our delightful stay in Arles. It really is a fantastic place to visit and especially stay for a few days. I would heartily recommend anyway tossing whether to go there on not to definitely go. We only had one annoying experience. While seated in the Roman Arena a group of people off a Viking River Cruise accompanied by a, we presume, local guide appeared and the guide told us to move because we were in the spot she wanted her tour group to sit. I started to spark up a bit and pointed out that we had paid for our tickets and could sit wherever we liked etc. In the end my wife pointed out that it wasn't worth getting upset on holiday about a fool so we moved off - muttering.

Also I was sorry to miss out on the Roman Bridge - Pont du Garde - but there was just no time. A car would have been definitely useful for such a visit.

Anyway off to Carcassonne

As I have mentioned previously the railway station at Arles is not particularly impressive. Much of the station platforms are just gravel and there was insufficient seating.



Our carriage stopped past where this person is standing so we had to walk and drag our bags through the gravel and then clamber up onto the train - no level boarding here.



This is First Class on board an Intercités train. The carriages were apparently introduced beginning in the mid 1970's and they are certainly are dated. I assume they have been 'refreshed' at some time but not anything approaching new TGV levels.





Legroom is not great for First Class and I wonder how poor it was in Second Class.



We crossed over the Rhone and this medieval castle was easily visible - Tarascon Castle

Château de Tarascon, castle in Provence | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Tourism

The Château de Tarascon dates back to medieval times. Built on the banks of the Rhone, it was located on a strategic place at a strategic border.

provence-alpes-cotedazur.com

Close by was the city of Beaucaire with some interesting waterways



After passing through the city of Sète with lots of canals - which weren't fast enough to take any useable photos of because we were facing backwards - the train passed alongside the Étang de Thau. The Canal du Midi terminates here. It was very scenic despite the grubby windows on our train carriage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Étang_de_Thau[/URL [URL]https://youtu.be/tOYn9TCxs4c

My wife even managed to take a photo of some Flamingos. At least I am pretty sure that they are Flamingos.



Beziers Cathedral

 

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At least I am pretty sure that they are Flamingos.

Protecting their privacy I see - but it's entirely possible. The only area in France that flamingos breed naturally is in the Camargue; they are most prevalent in summer.

 

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First afternoon in Carcassonne

First sighting of the Canal du Midi. It is about 50 metres from the railway station and you have to cross over it in order to get into the centre of town.







We had a very nice flat on the bottom floor of a 'house' about 500 metres from the station and about a 5 minute walk to the centre of town. I am glad we deliberately chose the ground floor flat. The stairs to the top flats were extremely steep.

We were in Number 78. The garage doors form the windows to the kitchen.



A nice postcard and a bottle of wine awaited us



The kitchen was fully equipped



There was no A/C but a portable fan let us sleep ok at 34 C.



Nice spacious bathroom. The shower drain turned out to be blocked but after a phone call to the owner they came around within 30 minutes and a bottle of Drano did the job.

 

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That first evening we just walked down to the bridge over the Aude River that lies between the main part of the city and the reason we stopped in Carcassonne - the citadel of the Cité de Carcassonne.

These 'animals' were all over Carcassonne and were part of an art project.





The bridge over the Aude





A tame menagerie of animals was always hanging around under the bridge



And then on the hilltop we caught our first views of the citadel and its walls

 

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It was about 18:40 by then so we decided to leave the uphill walk until tomorrow and instead go back to the main city square and have a meal.

Carcassonne - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The square - Place Carnot. There were a multitude of places to eat - even though not all were open on a Monday evening.



The restaurant we chose. In passing I will mention tipping. I tipped mostly around 5 -10% for our meals. We usually ate at places like this. No one ever hovered around waiting for a tip and they all thanked me politely for whatever amount I left. There was absolutely no pressure for a tip and a free carafe of tap water was offered at almost very place.



Menu











My wife was amused by the disparity of our glasses. I had a demi-litre of regional Bière Blonde



Meals - all very good.

I had the Jarret D'Agneau Confit - lamb shank



My wife had the Pavé de Saumon. It was noticeable how often rice was included in meals on this part of our trip. it is widely grown in the south of France - largely around Arles.



The next day there was small market in the square

 

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There will now be a lot of photos of the Cité de Carcassonne. Those who are not interested in a beautifully restored and enchanting mediaeval city and its enclosed buildings should avert their gaze.

Cité de Carcassonne - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It - "has about 2,500 years of history and has been occupied in different ages by Romans, Visigoths, and Crusaders". Restoration work began in 1853. "In 1997, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites because of its exceptional testimony to the architecture and planning of a medieval fortress town."

You cross the bridge, Pont Vieux, and walk through a historic part of Carcassonne before you climb up the hill.







Yet another animal





Your first views inside the walls





Another gateway



Looking back to the entranceway. Commercialisation has off course occurred inside the walls.

 

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The Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus. Constructed in the first half of the 12th Century.

Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some of the stained glass dates back to 1280







While we were there we caught the tail end of an impromptu performance of a group of men from various South American countries. They seemed to be on a bit of a pilgrimage.



Afterwards they happily posed for everyone



The old schoolhouse - now a museum



The moat and walls surrounding the Chateau Comtal de Carcassonne inside the City walls. It was once a Cathar Castle attacked in 1209 by the Crusaders. Built around 1130.

Cathar Castles

Medieval Castles of the Languedoc used as refuges by the Cathars

www.catharcastles.info

Again French schoolkids were getting some interesting history lessons