Lamastre 27th Jan 2020

Monday, 27th January 2020

Today we are going to head off to explore more of the areas around us. Our plan is to go to Nimes, and explore what that city has to  offer, and then go to our accommodation, that is supposed to be just out of Avignon.
Nimes is a 2 and a half hour trip, of 175 kms. Google says it is 2 hrs and 18 mins, but for us, it is more likely two and a half hour drive, as we have a mountain to drive around, and we don't as yet drive like the French.
We arrive in Nimes, and drive right past some of the Roman buildings that we have come to see. We find somewhere to park the car and pay the required parking fee, and head off to visit the Office of Tourism, to get some information about what else is about this city. Nimes has a population of 150,700 and it has the most amazing Roman buildings amongst the city. Nimes is dubbed the most Roman city outside Itally, and dates back to between 4000-2000 BC, a semi nomadic culture.
Right across the Office of tourism is the Amphitheater, which is still used to this day for concerts and bull fighting. We head over to this wonderful and amazing building and take a tour of it. Complete with an audio guide, we are transformed into life as it was over 2000 years ago. Being able to wonder around this place is amazing and given that it has arich history there would have been many many millions of people that have walked where we did. The guide explains the different types of Gladiators that fought in the ring, and explained how the seating was arranged for the honoured guests and dignitories.  And how the other seats had apparent status also. The ones for the common folk, were often fought over for the best veiwing of the goings on of the day. It was also explained that after each fight, the sand in the arena was replaced so that the stench of blood was not to strong.
We also learned that at the end of a fight, the loosing competitor would for want of a better word, yeild, and the decision was then up to the emporior as to his fate. In the movies we are lead to believe that the looser was usually killed with a hand signal of the thumb down, but this is not true, and very rarely happened. To get some idea of what his fate was, the crowd was observed, and given how the fight went and how  he felt. He then signalled, either with an open palm facing upwards, which meant his life was spared, or with a closed fist, signalling his death.
Another fallacy created for the movies, was the phrase  Hail Caesar,  which according to history, it only was used once, (so we were told).
After finishing our tour of the stadium, our next stop on foot is to the Maison Carree. This is an ancient Roman Temple,  which is one of the best preserved from the Roman Empire. It  was built in the year 5 AD, and in step with local beliefs, it has 15 steps because they believed, it was bad luck to have a even number of steps to enter, and one must led with the right foot.  It has been used and is still in use every day for the past 2015 years.  We enter inside the temple to watch a history of Nimes, and are trapnspored again back into the year 5AD.
After we leave this monentual building, we are going to find the car and head onto our accommodation. While we were in the Office of Tourism, Bob questioned why the Crocadile icon is about. We are told that it dates back to 28 -27 BC when the bronzecoins were minted. The Crocodile, (a symbol of Egypt) chained to a Palm tree, the palm being a roman symbol of Victory. This was given to Nimes for its role in which the Roman army defeated Anthony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC.
So we leave this wonderful, Historic city, and I am feeling that we should come back again. Back on the road again, and we have put in an address for our place to go to. Very long story short, it was the wrong address, and it took us so long to get there. Doubts started to come into the plan, so we stop to check that the right one was put in. I put in the one I had in my Air BnB, eventually, and when we got to the address in which I had entered into the Navman.  It was not where we were supposed to be. By now, it has become dark, and we stop to check on Bobs phone, and somehow the address he has is a bit different, so off we go again,  trying to find the right place, and trusting that the navman is taking us to the right place. We are going do some small streets, and end up eventually finding the right place, ater Bob makes a phone call to the host.
We had hoped that this place was going to be a bit closer to Avignon, so we could use it as a base. Turns out, it is an hour away to both Nimes and Avignon.
We get cheked in, and then we go and find something to hve for tea. The Gods are against us, as in the next local village, there is no where to have a meal, but we are told by a man in the bar, that in the next village, therer is somewhere that will definately be open. After the afternoon we have had, all I want to do is go to the grocery store and grab something and heat it up at the unit, and that is exactly what we do.
The unit is very nice, and it has great views, but it is not close enough for what we want to do. We look on Air BnB for something in Avignon, and find something that is more suited to our needs.

Tuesday, 28th January 2020

Today, we are headed to Avignon, but we are making a detour to Pont du Gard.
This is again another 2000 year old site. An Aquaduct, created by the Romans  to supply Nimes with water. This is an amazing structure, similar to the one in Segovia in Spain. This aquaduct ran or 50 kms  and was built in the first AD. It is the highest of all the Roman aquaducts, and is one of the best preserved. It is believed to have taken 15 years to build and employing 800 to 1000 workers. As we walk about this amazing structure, we work out, given that every generation is about 30 years, this has been around for 66 generations. Pretty impressive stuff. It is built with no mortar, just perfectly fitted stones, and design. Also on the walk to the aquaduct, there are three 1000 year old Olive trees. Makes you think about our own mortality, and how we are just a spec in the scheme of things.
We find the picture perfect place and take a few snaps. It is absolutley wonderful to have such a structure in the background, and the mirror image on the water flowing beneath it.
We then follow the map to find some of the other peices in the area, and get misplaced, so we just follow tracks, and end up eventually at the gardens as they would have been 2000 years ago. There are areas for grapes, olives, crops, grazing, oak trees, and herbs, and medicinal plants. It was all very interesting. We have done a great number of steps today.
We leave here, a bit disappointed that the Museum was not open today, was open every other day, but not today.
So now we head to our next accommodation, with some trepidation. But all is good.  The place is perfect for what we want. One of the reasons we came to Avignon, was that is was a walled city, and th city of the Papes. As we drive to where we are staying, there are lots of Rampants, and Fortresses. Our lodgings have good parking for the car, very secure, and after we take our luggage in, we go out to find something for tea, and also to fuel the car up. After two attempts of not accepting the card,  we give up and get some groceries for the next couple of days.

Wednesday, 29th January 2020

So today is the day we return our faithful little car back to Renault. It has been a great car, and has seen to our needs very nicely. We have put it over some interesting roads, to say the least, and up some steep and windy roads. It has been snowed on, and had ice on it. So our journey is to Marseille, to the airport, which is a easy enouugh drive of 103 kms, taking about an hour and 15 mins.
When we get to the rendezvous point, the lady is waiting for us, and after the neccessary paper work, she takes us over to the Hertz car rental place, as that is where we are picking up our next rental, which is in the same vacinity. We were expecting to have to walk to where it was.
Once at the Hertz car rental place we again do the neccessary paperwork, and then its off to find our car. We find it and then take some time to orientate ourselves with it. We have a Citroen  small SUV but it is bigger than the Dacia. So now we head into the centre of Marseille, to have a coffee, and find the Office of Tourism. Finding a parking station done, we now head off to find coffee. Starbucks it is.  Then its back walking to find the Tourism place, to see about the hop on hop off bus, and when we get to the office, we are told, that the buses are not running today. We ask if it is just today or because of the season, we are told it is only for today. Bummer. So we just wonder about and then eventually head back to the car, and go back to Avignon.
We take a drive through the old part of Avignon, and decide it is to difficult. The streets are narrow, and finding the entrance into the walled city is difficult, as there are some that are only exits and finding an entry point is tricky, as one minute you are on one side of the wall, and then when you do the block, you are on the other side of the outside wall.

Thursday, 30th January 2020

Today we are exploring Avignon, the City of the Papes.
After we check out of our lodgings, we are taking on the challenge of getting inside the Walled City again. Bob researched it last night on the net, so now we have a bit of an idea of where to head to. True to form, Bob gets it right, and we enter the city, and head to a car park, park the car, and are set to take in the sights of this place. Avignon, was the seat of the Catholic Popes from 1309 to 1377. It remained under Papal rule until becoming part of France in 1791. It had 7 successive popes in residency  during that time.
We walk along the old streets, after we have visited the Office of Tourism and following a suggested walk that is on a map of the area. There are three different routes to follow, but we will only do one. Along this walk we go through the gardens, and find old water wheels, one of which was still turning, but the other three, were stationary. We wander about following the map, and we find the markets, an undercover market not like the street markets, but much like a large gathering place of supplies of meats, fish  fruit and vegies and wines. After we have a quick look through there, we find a place and I have a hot chocolate with loads of whipped cream, and a snack.
When we start walking agian we are heading for the Palais of Papes. We follow the route, looking at shops and things on the way. There is a street market with lots of antique things for sale. A place where one could find some real trinkets. Eventually we find our destination, and are absolutly blown away by the sheer size of this site. The Papal square is paved and huge, and then one focuses on the Palais of the Papes. One can not get the whole building in one camera shot. It over shadows the cathedal and dwafts much around it. It's construction began in 1252 AD and the popes took residence in 1309. 
We decide to take the tour inside the Palias, and are given tablets to do the tour with. It is all preesnted amazingly. The information given was very informative, and when you entered each room the tablet would tel you all about that room. But not only that it showed how it looked like when the popes were there, not as it is now. An interesting fact that amazed me was that not until 1985, did they find a room  of the money that had been hidden underneath the stone floors in the treasuary rooms.
After our tour of the Palias, we are getting very weary, we deicide to go back to the car, and I suggest that we go back to Nimes and go through the Roman Museum.
We head to Nimes, and  find suitable parking for the car, and enter the Museum.  Once inside again we are blown away with the amount of  artefacts that are here. It starts in the pre written history, and Roman period. It peices together how life woud have been through some of the relics that have been found. I ask the question if all of the artefacts are  authentic, and everything is. There are over 5000 peices to view. Again we did not go through all of it, as we were very weary,  but a decision was made that we need to come back to Nimes to see the other historic sites that we have not as yet seen. Nimes is a wonderful place, and one could spend a week here just taking in all that is on offer here. I really enjoyed it.
We go to a cafe, and have a coffee, and as I sit, and think about how just over there 2000 years ago, out the front of the Roman stadium,  Romans roamed and walked and talked and interacted with each other. The sounds, smells and the animals. Very humbling. 
We find the car again and head back to Lamastre. A drive of 176 kms and 2hrs 14 mins. We are driving back in the dark and I am driving. It is a good drive in this vehicle, and I find the cornering lights very helpful when turning, taking the bends and twists on the road back.
We have walked 16000 steps for the day, and we are exhausted.

Friday, 31st Janurary 2020

Today is a rest day to recover from our very busy previous days,
A load of washing is done, and not a real lot more is achieved.

Saturday, 1st Feburary 2020

Another rest day.
A trip into town to get a couple of things and to walk through the markets for the last time.
As we are leaving Lamastre on Wednesday

Sunday, 2nd Feburary 2020

Quiet day.