Roman ruins in France
For some reason, the thought of Roman ruins in France always comes as a surprise to people. Not sure why this is because just about every high school history textbook in the world has a map showing Rome in red during its peak conquest. These maps show France under their dominion as well as the rest of the Mediterranean world.
The stunning Pont du Gard
Despite this fact, every time you mention Roman ruins in France, you will be met by a bevy of furrowed brows and confused contorted faces. Perhaps this is because on these maps it said Gaul instead of France, or maybe it was because too many were daydreaming or actually sleeping when they should have been studying the map, or maybe a lot of people just do not give a crap about Roman history.
Whatever the reason for the oversight, Roman ruins in France always comes as a surprise to travelers, who either don’t remember or don’t care about their high school history textbooks. This is ok though as part of the benefit of traveling is rediscovering things you once knew or never knew when you walk on a stunning Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon River and the gorgeous valley below.
The view from the top is just as awesome as the aqueduct itself
Learning history and culture through travel is much more fun than reading about it in a book anyway. People are more apt to remember an experience than something they read in a book or see on television.
The Pont du Gard is the most stunning Roman ruin in France. It is the highest of all Roman Aqueducts and one of the most well preserved. It is great because you can walk across it; however, the journey across is not for the acrophobic. There are no railings up top, so stick to the middle part of the stone walkway. I would not want to walk across the bridge during the dreaded Mistral.
Yikes that stone walkway is thin
And it is a long way down
The view and the adventure are worth it
Ahhh, good to be back on the ground
Check out this post to see other interesting Roman ruins in the south of France.
The Pont Du Gard cannot be accessed by rail. It is necessary to either take a bus from Nîmes or Avignon. The best way to tackle the trip is to arrive in Avignon the day before and either procure a bus schedule or get information from other travelers. It is a top attraction in the area, so information is not difficult to find locally. Here is a Lonely Planet discussion thread for those wanting to do a littler research.
Stay tuned,
TT
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That’s an amazing bridge!
santafetraveler recently posted..Santa Fe Harvest Festival Chef Showdown round two
Whoa– walking across the top of that aqueduct qualifies as an extreme adventure activity!
LeslieTravel recently posted..Oakland’s on Fire! I survived the Occupy Oakland general strike (photos)
Let’s see, from this post we have learned that Roman’s apparently were not afraid of heights and neither is Ted but you would not catch me walking across that thing without a gun to my head. Very nice pics though!
Robb714 recently posted..Handling The Holidays
I am a little bit afraid of heights. I walked across, but I stayed pretty much in the center of the walkway. You would not find me walking near the edge.
Same thing when I climbed fire towers in the Smokies. One was pretty rickety and hairy. I held on to the railings for dear life, but I did not let it stop me from going up.
There’s a hiking trail near there which I intend to hike one of these days.
Michael recently posted..A Brioche And Easy Hiking In Compiegne
I am sure the trails would be beautiful as the area is heavily wooded and there is the river. It would be a great place to canoe too.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Roman ruins in France: the Pont du Gard
They definitely didn’t build that thing with safety and tourists in mind! Looks like a great place to visit but the walk across the top is a bit scary.
I do have to agree with you that culture and history are two of the biggest reasons I travel. If you don’t know about Roman ruins in France, you will learn a lot once you visit.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Why I got off the plane: when travel doesn’t go as planned
A lot of places overseas are similar. You adventure at your own risk. Angkor Wat has a ton of hairy places where you can climb steep temples without railings.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Roman ruins in France: the Pont du Gard
Wow!! Not sure if I would walk out on there…what if a gust of wind comes? It’s amazing to think just how far the Roman Empire’s arms stretched all the way from Rome!
Jeff Titelius recently posted..Guided Tour Through the Storybook Villages of Alsace, France
Yea, I think I would pass on a windy day. If I am not mistaken, I think there is even Roman ruins in England. Amazing period of history, which I wish I knew more about.
Traveling Ted recently posted..Roman ruins in France: the Pont du Gard