NÎmes

One thing about every train station I have been to in France, there is always a piano somewhere in the main entry for passengers to play and pass the time before their departure. Très cool! Off to Nîmes which is home to the most impressive collection of Roman ruins in all of France. It was founded in the 1st century BC and located along the Via Domitia, the first Roman road connecting Spain and Rome. This meant that Nîmes was strategically important to the Roman Empire from the start.

This guy made some new friends when he sat down to play the train station piano

Gare de Nîmes (train station) at one end of the pedestrian promenade below

Fontaine Pradier and Sainte Perpétue Catholic church at the other end

Arènes de Nîmes, a well-preserved Roman arena still in use today for concerts, special events, and bullfighting

Getting the party started, Feria de Nîmes!

Here’s more info because I am having a difficult time explaining what this six-day festival is all about besides fun. It was so crowded at one point, I honestly couldn’t take photos and had to move to less crowded areas. Throngs of people, not my thing.

Menu and decor change just for Feria de Nîmes

Maison Carrée, “square house” as the French call it, was completed in 2 AD to be part of the forum, the economic and administrative heart of the Roman town. It is the only fully preserved temple from the ancient world that exists today.

Jardins de la Fontaine, the first public garden in Europe, divided into two parts — a classical garden created in the 1800s and a landscaped Mediterranean garden created in the 1900s.

All for now.