I said that's life (that's life)
And as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks
Stomping on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down
Cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin' around...
As the good old Frank Sinatra sang in one of his songs in 1966... So we gave it a go as the second week of our "séjour" showed up, and made a little afternoon trip to the heart of Nîmes. After catching a bus to the city centre and not missing the right stop (which seemed like an enormous victory since the majority was on request), we got off and headed to the "Arènes de Nimes," which seemed like an obvious first stop on our little "tour" through the city.
After taking thousands of photos and selfies, and being real tourists with backpacks (only the white socks and sandals were missing :)), we visited the "Maison carrée" - an ancient Roman temple that inspired the neoclassical Église de la Madeleine in Paris and the Virginia State Capitol in the USA.
After some history and admiring the architecture, we wandered around the square, peeked into a few shops with the must-have "Bandes dessinées," and enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere and picturesque streets.
As fate would have it, we came across an ice cream shop and made the crucial decision - Are we old enough to have dessert before dinner? Well, you guessed it, we couldn't resist :-)
Last but not least, the "Musée des Beaux-Arts," was the highlight of our day, but surprisingly not because of the art (which was by the way gorgeous), but because of the cashier lady, who was kind enough to talk with us in French and didn't switch to English (as most of the people did). She even asked us where we were from and if we liked the city and gave us leaflets and brochures for free.
After spending here an hour or so and acting as art critics, we approached the bus stop and headed back to the campus. It truly felt like a vacation.
So, Nîmes, do you know what? Be ready because we'll be back very (very) soon!
À très bientôt!
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