Christmas get-away to Nimes

Our Christmas was quiet and different.  No excited grandchildren tearing through gifts again this year.  That will have to wait until next December.  And next year, Lyle should have more free time to really enjoy it, hopefully with a few less job responsibilities.  PLUS...more time to enjoy our newest grandchild (number 6 with number 7 in a few weeks!).  We received the excited call that Tyson Patrick Tollefsrud was born on the 22nd to proud parents Patrick and Tanya.  We can't wait to see him when we go home in January!

I searched the internet for a week to find a place to spend Christmas weekend....to do something special and memorable.  Yes, of course spending Christmas in Paris is a huge wish for many.  But we did that last year, and Lyle needed a few days away from the easily-accessible computer.

A train ride was a must.  Who wants to battle lines and security checks at CDG airport?  The problem was, many Parisians had the same idea.  Train tickets were at a premium, especially to ski areas and southern France, both on our list.  After being told at the ticket office that our Nimes destination was "sold out", more tickets miraculously appeared on the internet the morning of the 24th.  I booked them.

We spent a peaceful Christmas Eve with candles and light supper at home, then walked to the candlelight service at the American Church of Paris.  It was a beautiful service, with carol-singing in both French and English.  The streets were nearly empty on our walk home near midnight.....

On Christmas Day we hopped on the fast TGV train to southern France, to the ancient town of Nimes.  Just a three hour drive took us from a drizzly, cold Paris to bright sunshine and 55 degrees, complete with some palm trees!  We pulled our bags through the neighborhoods to our 16th century townhouse-hotel in the oldest part of the city......a delight for me, but Lyle just shaking his head and wondering what is wrong with the big hotel down the street?

Nimes has a lot of history.....from Gaul to the Romans to the Protestant resistance, I was excited!  After an outdoor lunch next to the ancient Amphitheater,  we were able to go inside for a self-guided tour.

 

This arena, one of the best Roman preserved stadiums, was finished around 80 AD and has a bloody history.  It was used for gladiator games then.....and now for bullfights.

That evening we found one of the rare restaurants that were open and enjoyed "confit de canard"...juicy duck leg.  We were joined by a woman and her 6-year-old son, traveling from Canada and wanting some English-speaking companions to dine with.

The day after Christmas was cooler with a north wind, but we dressed warm and walked through the town....now with a lot more people out enjoying the markets and after-Christmas shopping (still no sales to speak of, though).

But we continued our journey through history, seeing a 3-D movie in a 2000-year-old Roman temple, looking nearly brand new....

......to the ruins of the ancient Temple of Diana.....

......whose stones were used in the 16th century to build the "Jardins de la Fontaine......

We climbed the hill above the city to get a look at the Tour Magne, or the Great Tower....another Roman structure that was part of the wall surrounding the city. We climbed a stairway inside, built in 1843, to get a view over the city.

                                    

                                        

 Nimes was full of history, narrow streets, and palm trees.....a good combination for a weekend away.

 

On Sunday, we relaxed on the train ride back to Paris, gazing at the medieval castles and vineyards of the Languedoc....