Pont du Gard

On our way to Carcassonne, we stopped at a World UNESCO site called Pont du Gard. This is an ancient Roman aqueduct built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 kilometers to the Roman city of Nimes. Built of limestone, the aqueduct rises above the river in a fine example of Roman arches and engineering.
We walked down to the aqueduct and crossed it to the other side where I also took a look at a prehistoric cave near the base of the bridge. Olive trees and flowering shrubs dotted the landscape before giving way to the forest blanketing the hills. This is a beautiful and interesting area.
We made it back to the information center in time to watch a short video about the aqueduct and learned more about the engineering skills of the Romans. Of course, the hard work was done by the slaves, and I couldn't help but think that I would probably be a slave if I lived in those times. The emotional impact of this site would be very different from a slaves' point of view as opposed to that of a tourist.Læs mere