Day 8: NImes and Cannes, France

Day 8 (July 7, 2004) Nimes and Cannes, France

We woke up and had petit dejuener. It was the typical continental breakfast along with cereal and milk. We left Orange earlier than scheduled and made our way toward Nimes.

Laura Hayden and Doug Abel inside the Amphitheater

Laura Cochrun, Meggan Wiles, and Lauren Simpson at the back row of the Amphitheater

We got to Nimes and saw a Roman style building (from the Roman Empire times) and saw the Amphitheater. The Amphitheater is a smaller version of the Coliseum in Rome, but better preserved. They've had concerts in their, including Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. In fact, an opera set was being set up as we visited. We got back on the bus and headed for the Pont de Gard. The bridge is also an Aqueduct which transported water to Nimes. We visited for about an hour and got back on the bus again.

Ben Patton and BJ Poortenga at the Pont de Gard

The Palace of the Popes

We went a few hours to Avignon. We saw the bridge that was missing a section off of it. This is the same bridge that is part of a famous rhyme in french. We saw the Palace of the Popes, a place where the Popes stayed when it was too dangerous for the papacy to stay in Rome. There was a history of the building and grounds, the Popes that lived there, and what they did during their time. I was one of the last ones in the palace, easily spending two hours listening to the explanations in English thanks to the little "listening phones" that we got. I walked around Avignon and almost got lost. I met the rest of the group at 3:00. Getting a Greek salad to go (€10) to go, we walked back to the bus and drive to Cannes. The three hour bus ride became longer because of a traffic jam caused by an accident on the free way. There was even a helicopter on the paved road.

We arrived at Cannes at 7:00 in front of the Pienne and Vaccances hotel near the beach. We ate first at a restaurant a few blocks away and got back in time for the thunderstorm. the storm discouraged the kids from going to see the city, but a few got wet to see the beach, which they liked.

I stayed in the middle of the hotel lobby and watched the world go by. I even had some pizza with Doug and Terrie Abel. After bed check, I did some laundry and got to bed early for our big day tomorrow.