Nimes

Today I hopped on a train to the nearby city of Nimes. It has the best-preserved Colosseum in the ancient Roman world. I took the audiotour, but honestly it was full of over-simplifications about Roman life. One of the curses of studying history is the inability to enjoy guided tours geared for entertainment value. C’est la vie. Le sigh. Even the Maison Carré hosted a 3-D movie about the “Heroes of Nimes.” Watching a 3-D movie inside Roman ruins is an extremely bizarre experience for me.  The best part of Nimes was definitely the Jardin de la Fontaine, which contains the ruins of a Temple of Diane, as well as a series of trails and roads that wind their way up to the Tour Magne, an ancient watchtower with a terrific panorama of the city, and possibly the most terrifying staircase in the history of man. To reach the viewpoint, you must climb many narrow steps that wind their way around a cylinder in the middle of the tower. Only a rickety railing keeps you from falling to your death onto the Roman stones. The view was worth it. The walk back through the garden as the sun was sinking was particularly wonderful. I found a small meadow with bizarre blue wood chips. I reminded me of something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.