Provence

You find these all over France, and I’ve read they were ordered by Napoleon to provide shade for marching troops – but I’ve also read that this is an urban legend – so I guess this is still a big mystery for me to clear up one day!

The Via Tolosana goes through the sleepy Provence town of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard – but at one time, it was the fourth major stop on the Via Tolosana pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

The entire village is filled with hidden and not-so-hidden references to this route!

You can see the Arles Amphitheater in the background. Very interestingly, the fountain is dry – they shut off the water. One wonders if this is due to global warming?

Another breathtaking view of Pont du Gard

One of the oldest and pretties villages in Provence – but sadly I did not stop. 

This is the spectacular Pont du Gard – which used to carry water – but it begs the question, where exactly did the water enter the aquaduct?  This and many more mysteries will have to wait for me to clear up on my next visit!

This is TRANSMISSION – and I took this snap just north of Nimes in the dense Garrigue region

Continuing the series, 

It always makes me wonder when I see a tall building like this – just north of Nimes – fall into disuse. The question is: if there are no other buildings anywhere in this region for miles and miles, then why did they build it?