Back at it again, this time I want to tell you about two of my favorite excursions, Nimes and Carcassonne. These are two absolutely gorgeous cities in the south of France. I absolutely loved my day-cation in each one. I had some amazing food. The tiramisu was to die for! I contemplated going back just for that one dessert! It would definitely be worth it! I really want to talk about the structure of both cities. There were so many amazing Roman ruins in each city that were still intact.
The two pictures you see above were taken in Nimes. One of my favorite aspects about this city was its beautiful amphitheater. Although we were not able to enter the amphitheater, we could all appreciate the beauty from the outside. Bit of a history lesson. As we know, the southern region of France was conquered by the Romans, consequently giving Nimes Roman influence. This is a Roman-constructed amphitheater. One way to know is my the shape of each arch. If you can see clearly, you will be able to tell that each arch is rounded at the top. This signifies that it was constructed by the Romans. These amphitheaters had many uses, mainly for entertainment. These were public venues. Here you could see gladiator combats, chariot races, bull fights, and executions.
Carcassonne’s next!
This beauty is the epitome of medieval times. Here you can see the beauty of the castle, and the fortified walls that date back the Gallo-Roman era. There is said to be two Carcassonnes, the new Carcassonne that the world knows today, and the old Carcassonne that dates to medieval times. While visiting Carcassonne, I discovered that this is true! The old Carcassonne was centered inside the fortified walls while the new Carcassonne is on the opposite side of the river. As you can see in the picture. You can see where we had to cross the river to reach the castle in the distance. The view between the two was breathtaking. On the left you have modern day Carcassonne with all the antique shops, the restaurants, and the the train station. On the right you have the beautifully preserved medieval Carcassonne, with the fortified walls and drawbridge.
I loved these two excursions simply because of the beauty and history in each one. Each one has so much to offer tourists, from the amazing food, to the souvenir shops, to feeling apart of history. I plan to return to both cities in the future to discover what more they have to offer as well as find new things to eat!
Ready. Set. Europe 