I have to share a some trivia information about Nimes that I learned from Rick Steves' guide book. "Since the Middle Ages, Nimes has exported a famous fabric: the word "denim" actually comes from here (de Nimes = from Nimes). Denim caught on in the United States in the 1800s, when a Bavarian immigrant, Levi Strauss, popularized its use in the American West."
We were impressed by the Grand Boulevard Victor Hugo that lead from the train/bus station to the Roman Arena that dates from about A.D. 100 and is more than 425 feet in diameter and 65 feet hall.
Boulevard Victor Hugo in Nimes
Roman Arena, 100 A.D.
Bull Fighting still popular in Nimes
Another Roman building still intact in Nimes is the Maison Carree. This Roman temple has survived in part because it's been in constant use for the last thousand years, as a church, a City Hall, a private stable, archives during the French Revolution, a people's art gallery, and finally as the monument seen today.
Maison Carree
A Roman temple dated from the year A.D. 4
The core of Roman Nimes
A fountain in the Square du 11 Nov. 1918
Eglise Sainte Perpetue
Elegant buildings along Blvd Victor Hugo.
St. Paul's Church
But we press on to find out how Romans got running water to Nimes. We take a bus to a place called Pont-du-Gard.
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