Next to Arles there is Nîmes. (Ok: Arles has got about 50 k inhabitants while Nîmes counts almost 150 k … Btw: this is a reason while it took us about 30 min to enter the city centre by car and another 30 min to leave it. My better half & I recommend to take the TGV – earnestly.)
Both cities were flourishing during Roman times – and the Romans left an impressive footprint. Most obvious: each city has got a classic amphitheater which is used even today. In Nîmes the amphitheater is called les arènes de Nîmes.
The amphitheatre is in the heart of the city and around it there is a lot of life like cafés, bistros … the whole bunch. After having walked the amphitheatre and climbed the tiers a short break is welcomed.
The amphitheater is about 133 m x 101 m shaped like an ellipse – more simple like a slightly squeezed circle. About 24000 – 25000 viewer found a place inside – even in the past. Today it’s about 13000. There are only few areas with the original seating rows … modern times entailed wooden seats and iron railings.
Inside the amphitheatre the ancient structures are obvious. All is rather dark and often steep flights of stairs have to be conquered inside as well as outside. It is a well-defined architecture of tiers and staircases connected by often narrow passages that lead the visitors to the top. (When in Rome, years ago, in the Colosseum I learnt that the Colosseum is the blueprint for all arenas, if in Roman times, if during the last century or today – so it is obviously in Nîmes.)
Today les arènes de Nîmes is used for bullfight spectacles – as I understood it’s the French unbloody style nowadays. In front of the amphitheatre the figure of a bullfighter, formed after a famous matador, who was seriously injured in a bullfight, was erected in the 90s.
Of course, the amphitheatre is also used for concerts and cultural events all year long.
Next to the amphitheater there is a parc with a monumental fountain (la Fontaine Pradier) – the top figure represents the city of Nîmes, the figures around represent the rivers around Nîmes. There is also the Palais de Justice with its gorgeous front and extension in modern style behind.
There is another famous Roman relic in Nîmes: one of the best conserved temples of the Roman Empire. The temple is dedicated to the adopted sons of the emperor Augustus. You’ll find it quite near to the amphitheater.
So – it was a day trip to Nîmes and time flew by … We walked along the city centre and explored lots of alleyways … We went to the amphitheatre and the Roman temple … (There are more interesting sites in Nîmes! We’ll be back one day!)
At the end there is the fountain with the crocodile … (The crocodile is the totem animal of Nîmes – since about 2000 years.)
