The Pont du Gard

On our first day in Arles, we took a day trip to the Pont du Gard, which required catching a train to Avignon and then a bus out to this incredible aqueduct bridge, the second tallest remaining Roman structure (the Colosseum is the tallest).  At 48.8 meters tall, and spanning 272 meters, this is an impressive bridge in a beautiful location:

The arch that goes over the water is the widest one.  At 25 meters, it is one of the widest arches constructed by the Romans using a mortar-free technique.  We climbed up to several viewpoints for some other angles:

And checked out the aqueduct channel at the top of this bridge where water would have passed through:

The site of the Pont du Gard also includes a museum where we learned a number of interesting tidbits.  The Pont du Gard is just one part of a 50 km aqueduct from Uzès to the city of Nimes.  The route chosen for the aqueduct is by no means the shortest but was the most efficient in terms of elevation.  Construction began in about 19 BC, and the aqueduct supplied water to Nimes for about 300 years.  Then, from about 300-600 AD, the water was diverted for agricultural purposes before it reached the city.  After that, it was no longer in use.  The Pont du Gard withstood an incredible flood in 2002 that brought the water level up to the triangles you can see on the lowest level of arches in the first photo in this post (on either side of the widest arch).  Sure says something for Roman construction!

And finally, Kate and Paul at the Pont du Gard:

Market Day in Arles

We spent three full days in Arles, France, with side trips to Avignon and the Pont du Gard (separate posts coming!).  Arles has some ancient Roman ruins including an amphitheatre that is used for bull fights, mostly of the nicer variety where the men in the ring are merely trying to pull a ribbon from between the bull's horns.

In this shot, you can see the metal bleachers that have been added inside.  I love when these ancient structures are still in use:

Arles also has a regular theatre (of the non-amphi variety):

However, my favorite part was the market (held on Wednesdays and Saturdays) where you can buy fruits and vegetables, looseleaf tea and spices:

Mattresses!  I guess you never know when you are going to get the urge to buy one of those?

A hacksaw and cleaver set... for the butcher-in-training?

And let's not forget Nutella crepes:

Paul and I also purchased some tomatoes, bread, cheese, olive tapanade, and other such goodies for a picnic.  That scary looking bottle of Coke in the picture below is actually iced tea made from some looseleaf tea we picked up:

On another picnic, we enjoyed a fabulous three chocolate cake.  I may not speak much French, but I can interpret a sign that says "trois chocolat" when I see one (never mind the gorgeous cake sitting next to it that is a dead giveaway):

One might say that we are eating quite well on this trip.