We decided to go kayaking down the Gardon river under the Pont du Gard. We went for dad's birthday and we ate his birthday lunch sitting on a rock in the middle of the Gardon river with a beautiful view all around us. The Gardon river was much bigger than anyone coming from Santa Fe, or any other desert, would have anticipated. It was twice as wide as the "Rio Grande" in New Mexico and probably at least three times as deep. In fact it was deep enough for Bridget and I to jump off a small cliff into the river, something we would not have even considered as a possibility in New Mexico. Bridget and I paddled fast in ordered to beat our parents to the Pont du Gard, but we didn't have to worry because for one thing the river was doing most of the work for us and for another our parents were just drifting down the river enjoying the scenery. We passed a castle on the river's edge which was very picturesque and put us in mind of medieval times. Just as we were beginning to worry that we wouldn't reach the Pont du Gard in time we came around a bend and saw a three tiered aqueduct that Bridget and I figured must be the Pont du Gard because it was the only Roman aqueduct around. The day before our lovely english teacher gave us a history lesson about Agrippa who had ordered the construction of the aqueduct. He was also the founder of Nimes which we visited the day before. The aqueduct carried water to the town of Nimes and although it is no longer in use, it is still perfectly intact. After a break to go swimming and eat chocolate we kayaked under the Pont du Gard which gave us an up close view of this ancient monument.
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