Self-Photo at Roman Pont du Gard

This Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard, has stood the test of time for more than 2,000 years and ticking. How utterly unbelievable. Although the Pont du Gard attracts over 1 million visitors a year, with nary a person in sight, we had to resort to a self-photo. The Pont du Guard was built to transport water across the Gardon River Valley, starting at a spring outside Uzes nearly 30 miles away, to the Roman city of Nimes. The Pont du Guard consists of three levels, the top one was where water was transported, and the first level actually was used as a road. It is estimated that it took 800-1,000 workers about three years to construct it. There was no mortar used in building this engineering masterpiece.

Roman Pont Julien, Near Bonnieux

Pont Julien is a small three-arched perfectly preserved Roman bridge, tucked away in the valley floor, just before the rising hilltop village of Bonnieux. It is also more than 2,000 years old, and up until 1995 was still used for traffic. Since then a new bridge has been constructed next to it. Pont Julien was named after the family of Julius Caesar. It was part of the ancient Roman trade road that linked the Alps to the Pyrenees, through the south of Gaul.

Secret Roman Ruins Outside of Aix-en-Provence

If you are intrigued by the Romans and their influence on Provence, create a "Romans in Provence" itinerary visiting Nimes, Arles, Vaison-la Romaine, Orange, Saint-Remy, to name a few places to get you started. Some Roman marvels are well known, and some are much less known. You simply happen upon them along your travels.

The Timeless Majestic Roman Pont du Gard

One day planning, and four days later hopping on a plane, my husband, John, and I were off to France in mid-March after nearly four years away. On a whim, and in the midst of the national French strike over pension, we traveled to South France and Paris in the off-season. It was one of our best trips to France yet, where everything seemed to flow effortlessly.

On a blustery day, edging towards sunset we stopped to take in the Pont du Gard once again. We had visited the aqueduct fourteen years ago on one of our first trips to Provence, on a much warmer spring day, approaching it from the other side of the river.

Taller than the Colosseum in Rome, the famed Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard, in the Gard Department in South France always takes your breath away. Built over the Gardon River, and designed to transport water to the Roman city of Nimes 30 kilometres away, it has remained timeless.

I could go on and on about how incredible an engineering feat it was 2,000 years ago; that it is estimated that it took 800-1,000 workers to construct it over three years; that there was no mortar used amongst the stones; and that it has actually three distinct levels.

It is such a place of reverence and respect. So well preserved. So discreetly tucked away, and one with the landscape. So beautiful, words can hardly describe it. To further heighten the moment, we were nearly the only ones there, just us with our thoughts.

Seeing the Pont du Gard, I felt I was actually seeing time, not experiencing, but actually seeing time. It has such an ethereal aura about it, one can’t help but think of time in many different ways. Why is that 20 years can seem like a blink of an eye, your little nephew is now an adult approaching 30, or you don’t know how you can possibly know a special friend for over 50 years. Yet, in other situations, time seems to stop or become frozen, and you don’t know why. It is our perception of time in relation to our lives.

What also immediately came to me—I was literally seeing time before me, a span of my life in years, a gift, and the sturdy foundation was my values, unshakable and steadfast, always grounding me in life, and keeping me on course to follow my dreams and desires. Gazing at the Pont du Gard, it was an homage to a life well-lived, including the ups and downs, and much more to look forward to.

Past Related Post:
Provence: Roman Marvels Endure

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Self-Photo at Roman Pont du Gard

This Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard, has stood the test of time for more than 2,000 years and ticking. How utterly unbelievable. Although the Pont du Gard attracts over 1 million visitors a year, with nary a person in sight, we had to resort to a self-photo. The Pont du Guard was built to transport water across the Gardon River Valley, starting at a spring outside Uzes nearly 30 miles away, to the Roman city of Nimes. The Pont du Guard consists of three levels, the top one was where water was transported, and the first level actually was used as a road. It is estimated that it took 800-1,000 workers about three years to construct it. There was no mortar used in building this engineering masterpiece.

Roman Pont Julien, Near Bonnieux

Pont Julien is a small three-arched perfectly preserved Roman bridge, tucked away in the valley floor, just before the rising hilltop village of Bonnieux. It is also more than 2,000 years old, and up until 1995 was still used for traffic. Since then a new bridge has been constructed next to it. Pont Julien was named after the family of Julius Caesar. It was part of the ancient Roman trade road that linked the Alps to the Pyrenees, through the south of Gaul.

Secret Roman Ruins Outside of Aix-en-Provence

If you are intrigued by the Romans and their influence on Provence, create a "Romans in Provence" itinerary visiting Nimes, Arles, Vaison-la Romaine, Orange, Saint-Remy, to name a few places to get you started. Some Roman marvels are well known, and some are much less known. You simply happen upon them along your travels.