Day 9 Saturday 24 September. ..A day in Nimes

A slight change of plans...

Today we were meant to visit the preserved villages of St Guilhem le Desert but on arrival found that the shuttle bus that takes visitors from the coach park wasn't operating this weekend and as coaches are not  allowed into this heritage settlement some quick thinking was needed.  We decided to swap it with Monday's programme so we set off for the Roman town of Nimes.

Nimes is a thriving town of high class shops, businesses and schools that has world class Roman monuments. Today Nimes is officially in the Languedoc-Roussillon region but historically the town has been a key player in the evolution of Provence. While travellers to France often make time for Arles and Avignon, Nimes is often ignored. However of the three cities Nimes seems more confident and richer, keeping its peaceful, pedestrian -polished streets a secret for its residents. For the past thousand years, the towns people have made good use of one of their biggest assets,  the ancient Roman temple called Maison Carree. The temple rivals Rome's Pantheon as the most complete building that survives from the Roman Empire. 

Smaller, scattered remains of Roman Nimes testify to its former importance as the city of administration and commerce for Galacia. However the list of Nimes' Roman remains would not be complete without mentioning the imposing Pont du Gard one of the finest Roman aqueducts ten miles to the northeast of the city. The river was just beautiful with many people swimming, canoeing or just soaking up the warmth of the sunshine. It was a magnificent site. 

The final days 11 & 12 Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 of September.....the end of our amazing time in this glorious place.

Our flexible itineray!!

You just have to love the French...days of closures due to whatever reason meant our group enjoyed another relaxing day in Montpellier on Monday. Our intended visit to St Guilhem le Desert still didn't happen as the shuttle bus which takes visitors around the three preserved villages doesn't operate on Mondays in September ! Grrrr...... However this wasn't a massive issue as many in the group welcomed a free slow day with still  many places  to explore either on foot or the very efficient tram system. My time was once again spent wrestling with the increasingly frustrating internet. More Grrrrrrrŕrrrrrrrrr. ..

Our final day had a bit of everything with a morning cruise on the Canal du Rhone Sete starting from the ancient sea port of Aigues-Morte. This is a striking walled medieval town sitting on the flat marshes of the Camargue and is considered the purest example of 13th century military architecture. The cruise departed and returned to the town in a loop of canals considered to be an engineering marvel built in the 17th   century. Along the way we   visited a cattle yard where we had a display of working with the bulls used in bullfighting  but unlike Spain the animals are NOT killed during the fight. Mmm....am unsure about that as something I would want to watch. In the brilliant sunshine we then wandered through the many  canals and finally the marshes blended into marinas and a reserve where the flamingos abound. Gorgeous. Unfortunately we didn't have a long  stop in the village and have decided that in the future it is worth a longer stay. 

On our return to our hotel which had been our home for the 2 weeks, our host Nathalie had prepared a special farewell with wine, nibbles and speeches. This lovely hotel has been perfect and we will miss the staff when we leave. It will be a joy to return here in 2017 for the repeat of this tour.

The final event of the tour was just glorious. ...a dinner at the private home of our local consultant Chantal.  We each brought a bottle of wine  from the many wineries we had visited and he dinner was a celebration of local products such as rabbit, cheeses and THE MOST DIVINE dessert. ..a combination of meringue, chocolate mousse,cream etc..etc..oh my poor hips and waistline!!!!!!!. More speeches and presentations and it was timeto depart. Thank you to Chantal and all of our local friends who have done so much to make our 'Byways and Boudin 'tour such a fantastic experience. It has been superb.  See you again in May 2017...a French spring!!!

Day 10 Sunday 25th September. ..Roquefort. ...'the land where neither vineyards nor corn will grow'

Discovering the birthplace of Roquefort cheese

Roquefort is first mentioned in 1070 and by the end of the Middle Ages,  its reputation extends to the bigger towns and cities of the Mediterranean region - Toulouse, Marseilles and Montpellier. In the 15th century,  under Charles VI, the refining of the cheese became the monopoly of the people of Roquefort and the caves were granted a protected status. Roquefort cheese became internationally renowned in the 20th century.  In 1925 it was the first cheese to be granted title Appellation d'Origine- label of origin-  a mark or guarantee of quality and in 1951, at the International Convention of Stresa, Roquefort was confirmed as an Appellation d'Origine Protegee.

Roquefort  is in the  Averyron district, located at the bottom of the Rock of Combalou and is registered as Site Remarquable du Gout- a unique village. Here and only here,  in the depths of the caves, the famous Roquefort cheese is ripened. Our tour though in French, was very interesting as we made our way through the many levels ending with a tasting session.  It was a fantastic tour and one that is truly unique.  

From Roquefort we made our way to the Viaduc de Millau the highest bridge in Europe designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster who is also known for the design of the National Art Gallery of Victoria.  Lunch was at the service centre at the bridge where a surprisingly delicious array of types of food were available.  The Viaduc de Millau is in Averyron department which is famed throughout France for its fine food.