Day 9, Monday May 12, 2014
Today we are heading to Arles with a stop at an organic winery and a second stop at a Roman aqueduct.
Our first stop of the day was at the Chateau des Hospitaliers winery for a tour of the winery and a great lunch with organic food and produce that was grown locally. It was very interesting to see how the winery was using natural sustainability methods for growing grapes, fruit, vegetables and other produce. Take a look a some of the photos below.
Our first stop of the day was at the Chateau des Hospitaliers winery for a tour of the winery and a great lunch with organic food and produce that was grown locally. It was very interesting to see how the winery was using natural sustainability methods for growing grapes, fruit, vegetables and other produce. Take a look a some of the photos below.
The second stop on the way to Arles was the magnificent Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard. It was built about 19 B.C. across the Gardon River as part of a 30 mile canal to bring water to Nimes which was one of Europe's largest cities of the time. The canal dropped about 40 feet for the 30 mile length and carried nine million gallons of water per day. The aqueduct over the river is about 160 feet high (Rome's Colosseum is only 6 feet higher) and about 1,100 feet long. Take a look at the magnificent structure in the photos below.
Day 10, Tuesday May 13, 2014
Today we have a walking tour of Arles and then the remainder of the day is free time on our own.
We met our local guide Nina for a walking tour of Arles. Arles was an important port city and was a key stop on the Roman road from Italy to Spain. It reigned as the seat of an important archbishop and trading center for centuries but became a sleepy city of little importance in the 1700's. Vincent van Gogh settled in Arles in the late 1800's. American bombers destroyed much of Arles in World War II but today it thrives again with the Roman ruins and pedestrian squares. Take a look at some photos below taken during the Arles walking tour with Nina.
We met our local guide Nina for a walking tour of Arles. Arles was an important port city and was a key stop on the Roman road from Italy to Spain. It reigned as the seat of an important archbishop and trading center for centuries but became a sleepy city of little importance in the 1700's. Vincent van Gogh settled in Arles in the late 1800's. American bombers destroyed much of Arles in World War II but today it thrives again with the Roman ruins and pedestrian squares. Take a look at some photos below taken during the Arles walking tour with Nina.
Below are some pictures of Arles taken during our afternoon free time.
Tomorrow we stop at the hilltop town of Les Baux on our way to Nice, our final destination.