Romans in France

13.9.11
We have decided that Australia most definitely has the best beaches. The weather is hot and although there are long stretches where few cars are in the carparks, there is nowhere to park a campervan 3m high - barriers are set across the entrances at 2.5m to stop this. We decide that the sooner we get out of here, the better after a quite frustrating drive along the coastline.
Slightly inland a 'suburb' looms, with McDonalds and a shopping mall so it seems a good place to stop - catch up on emails and pick up those few things we had been looking to buy. After a Big Mac Meal Deal, Bill decides to take a nap in the van so I finish the emails and head into an Intermarche - similar to K Mart, but with the food section under the same roof.
We didn't want to get stuck in congestion in Nimes, so decided to attack from the north. A small town some 10 or so km offered a bus route, but only 5 hourly so we drove in. Amazingly parking was found only abou 850m from The Arenes - a Roman arena dating from 100AD and said to be the best preserved in Europe. Not as large as the Colloseum of Rome, it was very impressive - though I cannot say I am any more impressed by the actions off gladiators or the bull fights, which continue to this day.
I didn't feel I could be so close and not visit the Pond du Gard. It was more or less on our route, so we headed out through the evening peak hour traffic (6pm). On arrival we found the carpark closed, but a nearby camping ground looked like it would save us from having to search for a suitable place to stop the night and also give me the opportunity to walk down to the pont before darkness. Sometimes the cards just fall into place!
So, this is what we did. Another walk of about 850m. What an impressive structure! It is hard to imagine how the Romans managed to complete this work. I wonder how many fell into the distant river beneath during the process? Truly amazing.
We walked back in the company of a couple of American women (from Sth Tahoe) and their French host - the cousin of one, so the walk back passed quite quickly.
Domestic chores - cooking dinner, plugging into electricity for re-charges, a nice, hot shower in the shower block and some hand washing finished our night.