Touring with the Folks in France!

  Nîmes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Monday, October 20, 2008

After unwinding on the South Coast of France for a few days, it was time to hit Nimes & meet up with the folks - can't believe it's October already - looking forward to seeing them but just can't believe how quickly it's come around & how close it is now for us coming home! It's my mum's birthday on 24th October so we wanted to put her birthday pressie & card in her hotel room (oh yeah, did I mention we were staying in a hotel for 4 nights!!) for when she arrived - nice little touch to surprise her - what a lovely daughter I am eh! Anyway, we did that in plenty of time before their arrival, as their 10km journey from the airport turned into a 1 hour journey in their hire car - oh to be a fly on the wall in that car - he he!

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Anyway, it seemed that my mum & dad had brought the bad UK weather with them to Nimes, with the torrential rain & thunder storms - the worst to hit Nimes in 20 years apparently! The bar man was informing us that it was dangerous to venture into Nimes as the last time it rained like this, all the drain covers lifted up & you could quite easily fall down them - scary! So, after my mum & dad had settled into their room, & my mum opened her pressie, they headed back down to the bar where we met them again after the McDonald's run (getting absolutely drenched in the process)! Luckily after an hour or so the weather began to clear a little, & it was looking more promising to go into Nimes that evening to get something to eat!
 

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So, we ventured into Nimes after a quick turnaround & the weather had settled a lot by this stage - still cold but the never ending rain had eventually ended! The taxi dropped us off right by the Amphitheatre in the centre of Nimes, which even in the dark light looked pretty spectacular! It was very quiet in the centre, as it was a Monday night, so we headed for one of the squares as there were at least a few people there! We chose a restaurant that had a menu in English (as many of them don't!) & one that had something on there for my mum, as she's a little particular & anything with spice is a no no! It was in a nice location, everything on the menu seemed nice, but it was a bit different when the mains came out - well I thought one of my mum's teeth was going to come out as the steak was like chewing rubber & the rest of us weren't too impressed either - especially my belly when I got back to the hotel room - oh dear!!! Anyway, first night so it's got to get better!

Me & mum!

  

Kids & grown ups love them so.....

Luckily, my belly had recovered by the next morning & we were all ready to head off to Avignon, via Pont du Gard & the Haribo Factory (sweetie heaven - I couldn't wait!)! First stop was Haribo - I was like a little child along with my mum when all the freebies came our way! We got some free sweets when we went in & tokens to use on the machines on the way round - as you can imagine I wanted to rush to the free token machines! We were a bit disappointed with the token freebies as the choice was liquorice or mints - no chewy sweets in sight! But, saying that I'm sure they'll get eaten & it was a lot of fun seeing how many came out! It shows them going through the machine & being bagged - one token we got three bags & another we got eight, they just wouldn't stop coming - very funny though! We were all thoroughly amused by it all - the games to guess the sweet (baring in mind these are designed for little kiddies!), watching the people in the factory boxing & shipping different flavourings & of course the free sweets - of which my mum was the definite champion - her handbag was full to the brim & those hands held more sweets alone than any bag you could buy from the shop - great fun!!

Mum & Dad!

So to Pont du Gard next, which is a Roman Viaduct, obviously used in Roman Times to transport water, but is very much a tourist attraction nowadays! It is pretty amazing actually & well worth a visit - very much intact & in great surroundings! After a drink in the restaurant overlooking it, we headed straight to Avignon as our bellies were getting very hungry by this point, but we couldn't face the thought of another sweet - for the moment anyway!

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As we approached Avignon (well once we got the right Avignon, only joking Paul & Dad!), the first thing that stands out is the bridge that only goes half way across the river & doesn't reach the other side - very bizarre & pretty special at the same time! We parked up & found somewhere to eat in the main piazza, before heading up to The Popes Palace (Palais des Papes), which obviously was once a form of residence for a number of Popes & is the largest Gothic Palace in Europe - impressive! We then headed onto the Saint Benezet Bridge with our phone headsets in tow to tell us the history of the Bridge - of course one of them had to be broken & this time it was Paul's so I lent him mine for the most part & he would fill me in on anything interesting! The reason for there only being half a bridge is due to the fact that it was hit by floods on a number of occasions, but one in particular caused so much damage & it just did not get rebuilt after that! After all it wouldn't be the same spectacle if it was a normal bridge now would it! Beautiful place Avignon - highly recommend it!

The Bridge!

 
After a long day travelling (& driving in my dad's case), we were ready to head back to the hotel & relax for a couple of hours before going out for some food! As we'd had such a long day, we couldn't be bothered going into Nimes & having another unsuccessful night, so we went to an American steakhouse 5 minutes down the road, which was a million times better than the previous nights meal - good food, good drink & good service - what more can you ask for! We had planned on having a drink in the bar at the hotel when we got back, but it seems they don't like to keep it open too late here - it was an early night for all ready to return to Nimes by daylight tomorrow!
    

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We caught the bus into Nimes, which was easy & painless enough & ventured through the park before heading down the little streets towards the Amphitheatre! As well as the Arena, there were some other Roman monuments, but these were unfortunately covered with scaffolding so we didn't quite see the beauty of them! But the Amphitheatre in Nimes was something very extraordinary & is said to be one of the best preserved Coliseums that still remains today. I would definitely agree with that, as after seeing the one in Verona & Rome, this one does stand out particularly as the majority of it is still standing & the detail that went into it is much more intricate than the other ones we have visited! It does actually get used for Bull Fighting (hence the guy in the centre of the ring on the piccies - just for show I feel as he didn't look much of a bull fighter to me!)as it is still quite big in this part of France, & can hold up to 22,000 people! When we actually went inside the Amphitheatre, me & my Dad walked to the very top, & I tell you those steps up were hard work & I thought the ones in Verona were high! The view from the top over the city of Nimes wasn't quite as impressive as obviously Rome with all the other Roman ruins surrounding it & even Verona for the beauty, so on those counts Nimes loses out! But, in terms of the actual Amphitheatre itself, we were all highly impressed with it & how well preserved it actually is in relation to other Arena's & Roman Ruins we have seen throughout our travels - a definite gem of Nimes!

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After our Arena tour, we headed to find something to eat for the evening, which wasn't quite as easy as you might think! It was early evening, about 5ish & everywhere just seemed to be closed & not to mention the weather was not looking too promising with strong winds beginning to start! Anyway, eventually after searching for at least 45 mins, we found a restaurant that was open so we just decided to go there, as by this stage we were all pretty sick of walking around! We were the only ones in there for the duration of the meal, so we got personal service, but by the looks of the number of staff that were starting work as we were almost ready to leave, they were expecting a busy night! For the most part, the food was excellent, although my mum's steak wasn't too good & they brought her mains out with our starters which was a little odd! Oh, and yes that is a steak for my mum 3 nights running - she'll be turning into one soon! We took the bus back to the hotel, had a drink in the bar & then headed up to my mum & dads room to take them on at cards!! We played a game called Newmarket, which was great fun as me & Paul had never played it before & it's a change from Canasta! Anyway, my dad reigned as champion - lunch was on him tomorrow!
 

Aigues Mortes!

Our final day with my mum & dad - seems like we've done loads since they arrived & today was no exception! We took the car to Montpellier via a walled town called Aigues Mortes, which was a beautiful place! Aigues Mortes was amazing, & as we didn't really have any expectations of the place as we knew very little about it, it was a very pleasant surprise! It is such a cute little place, & when we walked around the walls of the town, it's quite surprising the amount of residents & houses crammed in to such a small place! It was like a lovely quant village that you find around England, with the boutique shops & restaurant after restaurant - we didn't struggle to find somewhere to eat lunch here! Whilst there we walked up to the top of the tower, which gives another view of the town from a higher point than the wall does - roof top after roof top of buildings! We spent a good few hours here wandering around & admiring the beauty before jetting off to Montpellier, which was all a bit of guess work & following the signs for the Old Town to figure out where to park in relation to the centre!

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We made it & got a pretty good parking spot not too far from the Historic Centre! The plan in Montpellier was to have a quick look around & if we see somewhere suitable to eat, then have a meal before going back to Nimes - otherwise another trip to Buffalo's was in order! We stopped off at the obligatory Irish Bar for a light refreshment, & while we were there I asked the bar man to point us in the right direction of the main square, which would be the best bet for some grub - but as we've learnt on so many occasions, always go to the side streets off the square for better quality food! Also, this was the meal for my mum's birthday, so we wanted to go somewhere nice that would have a good choice for her! After stopping in the main square (Comedy Square) for a drink, overlooking the impressive Opera House, we went in search of a restaurant & we succeeded! Although, we were looking for an Italian, there were none that jumped out, so yes you guessed it - steak again for my mum! I don't think she'll be having steak at home for a while anyway! All in all, it was a nice meal, & when we got back it was pretty late so we all headed straight to bed before hitting the open road in the morning!

Opera House by night!

 
After a busy but great few days, it was time to wish my mum a Happy Birthday & say Bon Voyage to my Mum & Dad until Xmas - how quickly is that gonna creep up eh! We had a fab time - thanks Mum & Dad - but we were ready to see Winnie again for our last stretch as they say! But, it seems that Winnie has been a bit lonely the past few days, as her Sat Nav has decided to play up on us to teach us a lesson (technology - who'd have it!)  - Fun Fun Fun!!!