Early start this morning, my ankles still hurting; but I can walk on it so it's obviously getting better.

Our first stop, as we continue to head south; was the town of Mont?mar (Home of Nougat). The stop was purely to stock up on Nougat, but we had time to take in a little of the town.

The south of France is a fantastic place to explore, many of the cities and towns retain a medieval feel; such as Avignon with its Notre Dame des Doms and Palais des Papes (Which translates to palace of the Popes); or the walled town of Aigue Mortes (Which I'll be visiting after Barcelona).

Then there is the C?d'Azur; Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez & Monte Carlo to name a few. I'm not sure whether I love the region enough to move here (I certainly couldn't afford it, even if I did!). But I could certainly return to the C?d'Azur multiple times and never tire of its beauty.

There are, of course; the relics from the Roman era that also add to the beauty of the region; including the bridge of the Gard (Pont du Gard), which I have come to see.

Constructed in the first century, the aqueduct has survived earthquake and flood; where more modern bridges over the Gard did not. The aqueduct is a grand testament to the skill of Roman Craftsman, and is considered such an important historical site that it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

I heard a local myth which attempts to explain how the bridge survived. According to the tale, the architect made a pact with the Devil. If the Devil made the bridge solid and unbreakable, he could claim the first soul to cross it. The Devil agreed and made the bridge unbreakable, then went to wait for his soul.

The architect however, suddenly gained a conscious; and to save an innocent soul, sent a rabbit across the bridge. The Devil jumped up to clam the soul and; on seeing it was a rabbit, threw the animal against the bridge and vanished.

Supposedly you can still see the black silhouette of the rabbit on the aqueduct. Don't you just love folklore?

Oddly enough nobody saw the rabbit, and after admiring the bridge and grabbing lunch we continued to the French-Spanish border; seeing the Pyrenees for the first time.

There is something about mountains that fascinate me. Perhaps is the sheer vast, awe encompassing presence they have? Or the romance and mystery a snow covered peak cloaked in mist emits. I don't know, but I'll be seeing all of the major mountain ranges In Europe on this trip. So expect many more comments along the same lines.

Carl.