Today we head to Vers du Pont, about a 20-minute drive from San Siffret. We park in the large car lot and walk to the modern, indoor/outdoor building, housing "La Grande Expo du Pont du Gard." This multi media museum tells the history of the Roman-built Nimes Aqueduct. Photos and Films show the aqueduct as it remains today, following the route to Nimes, showing the remaining vestiges sprinkled throughout the countryside.
The early techniques of the Roman engineers are shown in drawings, models and cutouts. These also show how the aqueduct worked. The Aqueduct is made of blocks of stone, some as heavy as 6 tons, put in place with ingenious pulleys worked by the many slaves that helped to build it. It carried water a distance of 50 Km from the famous Eure Springs in Ezes and snaking through the rugged countryside of Garrigues, Gorges and Ravines to the city of Nimes. Pont du Gard has been named a world heritage site by UNESCO.
This amazing waterway was not without it's problems. The biggest one being the people who lived along the route of the aqueduct, who would poke holes in the pipes to collect water for their own needs. The aqueduct was in use for 400-500 years. Later parts of it were dismantled and the stones used for other purposes. However vestiges may still be seen throughout the region. The largest and most awesome being the Pont du Gard.
Also in the museum is ludo, an interactive games area for the young and young at heart.
After a cool drink in the outdoor restaurant, we stroll through the trees, down the pedestrian walk above the banks of the River Gardon. Between some of the trees clumps of purple lavender grow in profusion and we get occasional glimpses of the river.
No matter how much reading and research we have done or photos we may have seen, they could not take away our awe, surprise and delight at our first view of this magnificent site. The beauty of its form, the many arches and its huge proportions leave us speechless. The bridge (Pont) at 160 ft or 49 meters high is the highest bridge ever built by the Romans.
As we set foot on the bridge from the right bank we see on top of the second arch, there is a phallic symbol carved in the stone. This symbol is very prevalent in Roman times as it is considered a symbol of good luck. As we look down the river, now fairly slow moving, we see some signs of the inundation, (felled trees, some flotsam, hillside washouts) we experienced just a week ago. It is a very pleasant experience, just sitting on the bridge, enjoying the view and feeling the incredible history of the place.
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