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The Camargue
Because of the huge quantities of silt being washed down the River Rhone the Languedoc coast is constantly changing. The silt gets washed along the coast and over the centuries has formed a necklace of Etangs or salt-water lakes almost to the Spanish border. The Camargue flamingos are breathaking to see, but an unfortunate part of visiting this area are the large swarms of
mosquitoes.
The Camargue consists of salt-water lagoons and marshes inhabited by flocks of flamingos, and is famous for its wild bulls and the white horses that roam freely. In the salt marshes the Compagnie des Salins du Midi was formed in the middle of the 19th century and still has nearly 35000 acres of marshes producung salt.
Once a year the bulls and horses are rounded up by the Camargues own version of the cowboys called Gardiannes. Throughout the year the Gardiannes organise bull fighting, where the object is to snatch a red rosette attached between the bulls horns.
The Camargue has another unusual claim to fame. It produces more rice than some far eastern countries more noted for the consumption of riceIt is possible to explore the Camargue by boat.
Aigues Mort
Aigues-Mortes
is a town in the département of
Gard located
south west of
Nīmes,
on the Canal du Rhōne ą Sčte. It was once a coastal town but
because of silt it is now 3.5 miles inland, but has a canal
that joins it with the Gulf of Lion. Its name comes from
the Latin phrase aquae mortuae which means "dead waters".
The phrase refers to the surrounding saline marshland
adjacent to the town.
Aigues Mort is known as the
gateway to the Camargue. Covering 16 hectares, the town is
surrounded by a thick wall, 11 meters high and with 20
towers.
Aigues Mort was used as a departure port by the Crusaders
led by Louis ix to the Holy lands. On the Constance Tower,
with a height of 30 meters there is a lighthouse, that
served as a warning light for shipping, but was also able to
communicate with the Tower of Magne at Nimes. It was a
strong Protestant town after the religous wars against the
Cathars. It served as a prison after the revocation of the
Edit of Nantes in 1685.
If you decide to walk around the complete circle of its
ramparts, you will need about ¾ of an hour, the town has
remained untouched since the 13th Century.
Perrier
On the edge of the Camargue lies the town of Vuavert. It was here in 1894 that a water source was bought by a Dr Perrier from Nimes in partnership with a young English aristocrat. The source had been known since Roman times but it was Dr Perrier who developed it into what is probably the largest source of bottled water in the world. The distinctive shape of the bottle, was based on the shape of 'Indian' clubs that were used in
exercising during the 1800s.
St Maries de la Mer
Near to Aigues Mort is the village of St Maries de la Mer, a coastal town. It is said that the three Marys, present at the crucifixion fled here, accompanied by the servant Sarah. Sarah has been adopted as the patron saint of gypsies and between the 23 and the 25th May there is a Fete where Gypsies congregate in the town and on the 25th after an all night vigil a statue of Sarah is carried into the waves. St Maries featured in the book 'Caravan to Vacares'
La Grand Motte
La Grand Motte lies close to Aigues Mort, and is one of the new coastal resorts built along the Languedoc coast since the 1960s. It is probably one of the most sophisticated, with a world class golf course. Its buildings are very futuristic and are said to have been inspired by the shapes of the Cevenne Mountains. Here there is a Casino and the Marina houses over a 1000 yachts.
NIMES
Nīmes is the capital of the département of Gard. It is
located south-southwest of Lyon, at the foot of some barren
hills called the Monts Garrigues to the north and west of
the city. It is stands upon a vine-planted plain.
Nimes probably has the
largest visible evidence of the Romans who annexed this part
of France, and lies on the via Domitia, the Roman road
between Spain and Italy. Nimes is another town famous for
its bullfighting, and the ferias of Pentecost and September
are some of the biggest in France, and appropriately, still
held in the old Roman amphitheatre, holding up to 20,000
spectators. Bulls have been raised on the nearby Camargue
for centuries and the art of Tauromachie - bull handling,
has been practised in Nimes throughout this time.
Nīmes was named after Nemausus, the genie of a sacred fountain. In
121 BC Nīmes, the capital of a Gaulish tribe, was annexed to
Rome. The emperor Augustus founded a new city there, giving
it privileges that allowed it to rapidly prosper. During
its Roman period, the town became one of the richest in
Gaul.
In the 5th century, Nīmes was plundered by the Germanic Vandals.
Later, it was occupied by the Saracens who were driven out
in 737. The town passed to the counts of Toulouse in the
10th century. In 1229 it became a possession of the French
crown.
During the Reformation, Nīmes had become largely Protestant. In
1598, the
Edict of
Nantes conferred
upon French Protestants a certain amount of religious
freedom. After the Edict was revoked, in 1685, the city
suffered from persecution.
Nīmes was damaged during the fighting between royalists and
Bonapartists in1815.
Subsequently, with the coming of the railways in the later
19th century, Nīmes became prosperous.
Nīmes is known for its numerous Roman remains, most of which are in
an excellent state of preservation. Its vast amphitheatre
was probably built in the 1st century AD. It is elliptical,
measuring 440 by 330 feet and 69 feet high and built of
large stones from a nearby quarry, put together without
mortar. It probably sat 24,000 spectators. Its exterior
has a double row of 60 arches surmounted by an attic. It
was originally constructed for gladiatorial shows, and
chariot races. In the 5th century, the amphitheatre was
used as a fortress by the Visigoths. In the Middle Ages,
houses, and even a church, were built inside it. In 1809 it
was cleared of buildings and is now used for bloodless
bullfights. It is one of the best preserved Roman
amphitheatres in existence.
The famous Maison Carée was built in a Greek style during the 1st
century AD as a temple. It is a rectangular structure
measuring 82 feet long by 40 feet wide. It now houses a
museum of Roman sculpture. It was originally dedicated to
Gaius and Lucius Caesar, the adopted sons of the first Roman
emperor Augustus. It is one of the most beautiful monuments
built by the Romans in Gaul, and certainly the best
preserved. Not unlike the amphitheatre, the building has
been used, over the years, as a stable, a church, a town
hall and a stable. It now houses a collection of Roman
sculptures.
The Tour Magne is a tower which, was probably, built in the
1st century BC. It is perched atop a hill, just outside the
city, and is the towns oldest Roman building. It is 92 ft
high, but probably originally higher. Its original function
is not known, but it was incorporated into the Roman wall in
16 BC.
Not far from the Tour Magne is a reservoir that was the source for
the water carried by the great Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct.
Its water was distributed throughout the town. Located on
the edge of the city is Jardin de la Fontaine, which was
designed in 1745. The fountain, and the canals that flow
through it, are partly Roman.
Subsequent to
1960, the city's population grew considerably. The growth
was the result of both rural immigration and the
repatriation of French settlers from North Africa following
the Algerian war.
The traditional
manufacture of textiles and clothing still flourishes.
Denim, a heavy, coarse cotton cloth with a diagonal weave
was first made in Nīmes.
In 1870 a Bavarian immigrant
to the USA passed through Nimes and discovered the heavy
cotton sailcloth that was used to make sails as well as
workmens trousers. Levi Straus used this 'serge de Nimes'
(or Denim ) to make hard wearing trousers for the men,
moving west in the USA. The cloth was actualy made in the
Italian city of Genoa with the corruption of its name to the
modern 'jeans'.
Until recent years, Nimes has been overshadowed somewhat by
nearby Montpellier and Avignon but since the mid 1980s it
has embarked on a huge programme of urban renewal, that from
a distance has turned Nimes into what appears to be a modern
high rise town. The centre of Nimes is a lively and
cosmopolitan town.
Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard, Remoulins A short drive from Nimes is the Pont du Gard an aquaduct composed of three levels of arches, 49 meters high and 275 meters long. Built by the Romans during the 19th century B.C. to bring water 30 miles from the Cevennes mountains to the town of Nimes, it remains in good condition, and is one of the most visited of the Roman sites. Set in a beautiful landscape it has been somewhat spoilt by the building of a modern visitor centre.
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