On Friday afternoon, I made a little trip to Nimes. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Moors all had a presence in this region before coming under Frankish control during the 8th century. The center of town is where the Romans began to hang out over 2,000 years ago. Back in 1849, some dude from California named "Levi" or "Monsiuer Strauss" or something like that, began importing the traditional "serge de Nimes," a durable blue fabric now known as denim. [How's that for a little trivia for all you San Francisco Bay Area folks?!]
But I digress. Today's blog is about ENTERTAINMENT. Obviously there are many ways for people to entertain themselves. Nimes is home to the best preserved Roman arena in the world.
Built around 100 AD, and with an original capacity of 24,000 spectators, the arena was host to the top entertainment of its time... animal fights, hunts, execution of criminals, and of course gladiator fights. In modern times, as there are no gladiator fights and because public executions are no longer considered a spectator sport, the arena is home to bullfights, concerts and other "spectacles." The times... they are a changin'.
It being July in France, I had an ulterior motive for visiting Nimes...
Though the crowd was about 3-4 people deep, I managed to find a decent place within 100 meters of the finish line. After waiting and waiting and waiting, Mark Cavendish of Britain sped past in a split-secong, winning his fourth stage of the Tour de France. A slpit second. Oy. Ahh, but the joy was in actually experiencing the event, in being there. The remaining riders crossed the finish line over the next few minutes after completing the 182 km race, which is "only" one of 21 stages of the 3,500 km race. Bravo for all of the things we do to entertain ourselves.
Yes, that really is Mark Cavendish, winner of the Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey) that day. He dropped out of the race a couple days later, an injury is the official explanation. But following all of the doping scandals and the arrest of two members of Saunier Duval (the team in the photos from my day in Brest,) I remain a bit skeptical.
The crowds were very large and this is as close as I made it to the podium and the presentation of the maillot jaune - yellow jersey.
Okay, even I need to entertain myself, and anyone who reads my blog. So, despite my desire to never let this photo see the light of day, I say "to hell with pride" and am showing you what must be the most dorky, errrr I mean entertaining photo I've taken in a long time. Or at least the past week.
3 comments:
Dude, where's your neck? Funnily enough, I am just proofreading the maps for our Provence 2009 book and have just got to Nimes. Too bad I couldn't have you check it in person (although we did have someone there quite recently). Howie was mucho dismayed that the Paris book was not at the hotel as he left it with a girl that he thought seemed very trustworthy. He can't remember her name, though. Is it worth calling back and asking for the "femme who works the desk sometimes?" I could also email you it as a Word doc or PDF. Let me know.
Hola. THanks for the comment. You are the most reliable and win the prize for "top comment-ator." I could check for the book again at the hotel. Do you know if Howie left it with a note, in a bag or envelope, etc? Thanks for reading my blog. Sorry I couldn't be of help in Nimes. Ciao for now.
I think I would have at least photo shoped your "entertainment center" and made them all wonder...
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