May 30th 2018: Narbonne
Our first excursion outside of Montpellier was to Narbonne.
We took the train to get to Narbonne, it took my first train in France! The public transportation is amazing in this country, its very easy to visit other places. As you see in this picture I was very excited to visit.
Our first stop was to Donjon Gilles Aycelin where we climbed over 100 stairs to reach the top but it was worth it! The view from the top was spectacular, I really loved it.
The architecture in France is so beautiful.
Next, we visited the Cathedral which is a Roman Catholic church.
We had some free time to explore the city. I took a walk along the Canal. It was really an amazing site to see.
Roman History
Narbonne was the site of Narbo Martius (Narbo), the first colony founded by the Romans in Gaul (118 BCE). It was a flourishing post. In the town square, they have an exposed part of the Roman Road! This map shows how Narbonne was during the Roman times.
The Via Domitia
Standing on a real Roman Road
Next, we went to a museum where we saw Roman Ruins. It was so cool to be standing "in history" and it's amazing how the things they built could last for so many years. Here are some pictures!
Finally, we returned to Montpellier and had dinner. I was happy to eat at a restaurant and order my first glass of wine in France. I had some pasta and some rosé.
Hope you enjoyed the blog post. If you're ever in the South of France I recommend visiting Narbonne, it is a lovely town with interesting history.