Day 10 — Nîmes to Béziers

The Plan (the whole Plan)
Day 10 : Thu 31 May : More wine country, and a rather newer bridge

You should think very carefully before visiting the amphitheatre in Nîmes with a hangover.

The building (Les Arènes to give it its official name) is genuinely magnificent. The rake of the terracing is steep, making the view from the gallery intoxicating in its own right. And what's more, while the lower levels have fixed seatng, fences, advertising placards and the like, the higher tiers of the arena register a rare triumph over The Forces Of Health And Safety by eschewing visually-intrusive additions such as handrails, barriers and the like. In some parts, even the original stone parapet is missing so there is nothing between you and the street outside (and far, far below). So any unsteadiness, dizziness or general lack of alertness caused by (entirely hypothetical) excesses of the night before can cause you to have some nervous moments.

Some pictures:
They were setting it up for some kind of motorcycle display, so people are still finding weys of getting themselves killed here. They were setting it up for some kind of motorcycle display, so people are still finding weys of getting themselves killed here.
Which brings us neatly to... Which brings us neatly to...
The shortest way down. The shortest way down.
Are you reading this...? Are you reading this...?
Some pensioners sit attentively while some kids take a more relaxed approach. Some pensioners sit attentively while some kids take a more relaxed approach.
Some light passages Some light passages
And some dark ones And some dark ones
A statue of a bullfighter below A statue of a bullfighter below

We decided to take the pretty route to Béziers, over the hills of the Cévennes. But the rain started and wouldn't let off, so we had a few disappointing views of the countryside and a rather cold, wet picnic at one of the summits. Then, in case you think we hadn't seen enough bridges on Day 8, we went to Millau to find another, more modern one. It was still raining very heavily so the pix aren't all they might be, but here you are anyway.

Sorry about the cloud, the bridge is actually a lot longer than this. Sorry about the cloud, the bridge is actually a lot longer than this.
A view from below. A view from below.
A view from on it. A view from on it.
Bloody hell, it's wet! Bloody hell, it's wet!

The hotel in Béziers was quite a way out of town, and it was still peeing down with rain, so we decided to have a quiet night in for once...

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