Nimes

A must-see in Nimes is the Arena, one of the best preserved Roman arenas in the world. The arena was build around the end of the 1st century. The arena could seat 20.000 spectators and each of them had a good view of the entertainment. When the arena was build, a typical day would be to start with wild animal fights, during lunch the executions of criminals and as the highlight of the day: gladiator fights.

Contrary to common believe, gladiator fights are not as deadly as you would think. Research shows that about 90% of the fights did not end with death. It is the organiser (and financier) of the games which decides over life and death, but a death had to be paid to the owner of the gladiator and that was quite expensive. The audience could try to convince the organiser by shouting (cheerleaders avant la lettre :-)) but the final decision was his and his alone.

Besides the Arena there is also a lovely Forum, called the Maison Carrée where they show a historical movie about the origin of the city.

You can also visit an old Roman tower, but we were unable to do so.