April 24 , Avignon to Nîmes

70 km  (sunny, moderate Mistral wind)

Visit of the Palais des Papes, so impressive and the tablets provided as electronic guide very well done. We then took the little tourist train (OK, good to rest the legs, Mistral wind) then walked through the city and visited 2 museums.

From there we drove to Fort Saint-André , almost in its original state (a few inhabitants less, we did not visit the Abbey). Mistral.

On to Pont du Gard, a must see construction, unbelievable and in such a good state 2'000 years old. I was there when I was 20 years old and we could walk on the top, today it is restricted (guided tours only) and the reception area grandiloquent, I am too old now to climb to the top.

Then to Uzès and Nîme (Hôtel Coté Patio,**, deserves not that many stars, but we survived).

Walked to the old city for dinner (a bit disappointing, a really tough toro cotelette, I hardly could eat half).

Pont du Gard, aqueduct 2000 years old.

April 25 , from Nîmes to le Grau du Roi

Sunny, then strong south winds shifting West (Tramontana) and North (Mistral) over the 2-3 days). 

60 km

In the morning we drove to the center of this historical town (we could not leave the car at the hotel) and visited the Arènes, still in use today, small (compared to the Colyseum) and well preserved, the old town and the Maison Carrée (interesting movie). We drove to Tour Magne (well worth a visit) (and many times around the city just following the  GPS instructions ;-).

End afternoon we arrived in Le Grau du Roi (where I started a sailing race many years ago) and after a search for a hotel, settled in the  Hotel Spendid (***), confortable but not extraordinary and we stayed 2 nights. We ate in the adjoining restaurant (windy with dark clouds), good.

Nîmes: Tour Magne, Cathedral and la Maison Carrée (on the Roman Forum). 

Grau du Roi and our hotel on the right. Cloudy with strong southerly wind, cool.