Our first mission before actually getting started on our road trip was securing tickets to the bullfight in Nimes for tonight. That was an event in itself since the website was only in French but I had a confirmation #, row # and seat # so I knew we were good to go. Next, the first place on our wish list was Pont du Gard. Another Unesco World Heritage Site.
Before going to Pont du Gard we were hungry and stopped at a quaint restaurant outside the entrance. We had the “Plat du Jour” which most restaurants offer and is the daily special…includes a salad and duck pate, a main course (ours was turkey leg and potatoes with a pumpkin puree and an awesome French wine sauce) plus a carafe of wine each and dessert…who can ask for any more? The dessert was a coconut cream pie/tart and homemade coconut ice cream. Only 12 Euros each…such a deal. We asked to leave our car and that was no problem so we walked into the Pont du Gard and avoided the 15 Euro parking fee…made lunch even more of a deal.
Pont du Gard is a perfectly preserved Roman aqueduct. It was part of a 30-mile canal that dropped only one inch for every 350 feet and supplied nine million gallons of water per day to the city of Nimes…then an important Roman base.
The aqueduct is the largest the Romans ever built, the bridge is 160 feet high and was about 1,100 feet long. Each stone weighs four to six tons and as the Romans do…relies on gravity for its arches…no mortar…only the key stone.
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