Jottings from the Journals... Nîmes

Tuesday 13th

...L'Arène, the Roman amphitheatre that sits in the heart of the city of Nîmes.  To one side is the Palais de Justice, on the other a newly built museum.  Boulevard Victor Hugo, with all its city traffic, is a few feet away and elsewhere this fantastic structure is faced by hotels, restaurants and shops.  Everything you would need in a city.

The amphitheatre is almost 2000 years old and was probably built around the same time as its twin in Arles, around the 1st/2nd centuries AD.  Used in Roman times to entertain the people, gladiators fought here until 404 when these contests were forbidden.  Oh, and when you next watch the film, Spartacus, don't believe everything you see.  That thumbs down sign to signify the kill – not totally accurate, apparently.  Gladiators were skilled fighters.  They were highly trained and prized men.  They were the property of whoever owned the training school.  So, if one of your gladiators received the sign for the kill, his 'owner' could claim compensation to cover his loss.  Mostly, when combat was clearly at its limit, the sign to sheath weapons – with the hand palm upwards, the thumb across the palm and the fingers wrapped over it - would be given.  But, I suppose as far as the director of Spartacus was concerned, that just doesn't have the same dramatic impact, does it?

Despite its great age, this fabulous monument is still used today for fairs, rock and pop concerts and bullfighting.  There are three ferias a year, February, Witsun is the longest and most well known, and the last is in September.  The city, at these times, is full to overflowing.  Nîmes is one of the few places outside of Spain to hold formal authorisation for Spanish bullfights.  But there two sides to every story.  There is a statue that stands outside the amphitheatre.  Christian Montcouquiol (1954–1991), born in Germany, was a French Matador known as Nimeño II as a result of a contest in Nîmes in 1989.  In a subsequent fight, in the bullring in Arles, he received severe injuries from which he never fully recovered and, in 1991, Christian committed suicide.

From the amphitheatre, it is a short walk along Boulevard Victor Hugo to Café Napoleon... Well, when in Nîmes…