Avignon & Pont du Gard by Fabiani Duarte

As the last days of our 7-week program trickle away, our weekly group excursions become all the more cherished and appreciated. Every Tuesday before any excursion to Nice, Roussillon, Marseilles, or any nearby region, pairs of students organize an informational presentation on the city or area, its history, significance, and present-day attractions. Ginny, James, and Mala rounded off our last excursion talk by dressing up like a Pope and two Popettes and expounding upon the distinctiveness of Les Palais des Papes or Palace of the Popes in Avignon due to the Great Schism in the Catholic Church. Soon following their theatrical explanation of the gargantuan proportions of this papal fortress, a similar exposé was done on ancient roman aqueduct Pont du Gard that we would be visiting the next day.

Currently Avignon is hosting its world recognized Theatre Festival and therefore when we arrived, we entered a community full of street clowns, troupes of actors, comedians, dancers, singers, jongleurs, and production teams excited about sharing their thespian creations with the world. Although we exited this world of folly, excitement, and laughter as we entered the solemn Palais des Papes, the theater festival continued inside as a large courtyard of the palace grounds was constructed as a new open air theater.

After arriving at the Pont du Gard, we were able to intimately explore the remaining vestiges of this aqueduct system whose precise mathematic measurements and design allowed it to be built without any mortar whatsoever. This great Roman engineering project was composed of stones each weighing at least 6 tons, perfectly placed, and slightly tilted to allow for the water flow. With the group, we were able to walk through the ancient water passage at the top of the great structure. After enjoying the architectural magnificence of this Roman building feat, we bathed in the cool river running under the aqueduct. Could this really be our last excursion?