Nimes--Day 2--The Museum

Recreation of Roman dwelling

Saturday of Roman Games weekend was so much fun.  It seemed that at least 80% of the people in the city were in costume.  There were at least 3 tents in the encampment in the park renting costumes to the public.  What was really amusing was to see, inside the museum, people dressed as Roman Legionnaires looking at the antiquities of "their time" and taking photos on their cell phones.  I loved all the un-self-consciousness of the people in costume.  Nobody appeared to feel "geeky" and some people got quite into their characters.  I loved the pompousness of the men dressed in togas with the stripes of Roman senators.  The museum was full of costumed viewers.  It all made me smile and I regretted that |I did not have a costume.

Inside the dwelling

Carved in stone--to last

Through the centuries

The museum, Musee de Romanity, is fairly new.  It's well curated.  For people who do not speak or read French, it might be lacking, as there are no audio guides in any language, and no English language brochures.  In fact, there are no brochures at present, just signs in French by the displays.   That does not work well for me at present, because my cataracts prevent me from reading in the dim light needed in a museum to protect the displays.  I will definitely return there once I have had the surgery and can once again see.  But I was blown away by, of all things, the glass!  I did not know that the Romans did such beautiful work in glass...wonderful blues and greens.  I was thrilled to see the sculpture that had been preserved from the elements--beautiful.  There were some floor panels that I swore were woven tapestries--so fine was the mosaic work.  

Opalescent glass work

Vibrant blue glass

Not a rug--a portion of a floor mosaic

The temporary exhibit was about Pompeii and was also quite well done.  I don't agree with their premise--Pompeii, the Forgotten Story--but I liked the exhibit.  After I wandered through it for a while, I made my way out tot he gardens where some artisans were demonstrating work in bone, work in glass and work in weapons.  Again, if one does not speak French, the experience could lack some  accessibility, but their skill was obvious.

Back in time

Bone-worker's tent

Glass worker's tent

Metal worker and armorer

Don't you think he looks Scottish?

Ouch!

The gardens of the museum are still pretty sparse; perhaps they will be developed as time goes by.

One very large jar

Some familiar names

I had lunch, and then spent several hours at the tent village and in the park.  How wonderful it was not to have a suitcase to drag behind me.  There were costume rentals, shoemakers, jewelry makers, herbalists, soap makers....it was a varied collection of vendors.  I bought some sheep's milk soap and a sort of hard cookie made in ancient Roman fashion--it was pretty hard, if I do say so.  There was not much sugar and not a whole lot of taste.  I can see why they never developed a sweet tooth!

Carving from the Pompeii exhibit

Amphora at the bottom of the sea

Ship in the Pompeii exhibit

Made me think of Mount Saint Helen

A lovely afternoon in the museum garden

After a pretty full day, I made my way back to the hotel, for a light, late supper of fruit, cheese and some of that leftover cookie.  I fell asleep looking forward to day three in Nimes and my turn to witness the Great Roman Games.

Some of the vendor tents

Inside the museum