Millau

To end a semester of exploring through French landscape, the highlands were the perfect stop. Before ending up in Millau later in the day, we stopped in “la garrigue”. Seen by many as a dry and lifeless area, it actually thrived with many types of vegetation. As soon as arriving there, I could smell the rosemary and lavender.

     Next stop for the day was at a farm hamlet. Poor soil conditions would characterize the area, so it was used to raise livestock instead. There is a trend nowadays where younger populations are returning to the farmlands. Sheep milk was produced at this farm, for cheese and yogurt.

     The sheep are specifically used for this purpose; using them for wool wouldn’t make enough of a profit for the farmers. It is a long process that the cheese has to go through. After 3 months + 1 week of being washed with saltwater daily, it is finally ready for sale.

     The final stop on our trip was the Millau Viaduct, which was designed by Norman Foster. It was a collection of engineering triumphs that made this project possible to complete in 2004. The bridge finally solved the traffic issues plaguing the area from tourists trying to reach destinations in southern France.

     This was the final link connecting all the places we had been so far this semester. Water was a common theme amongst all of them, and a vital/valuable part of life in France as well.

Uzes/Nimes

Uzes was another step towards discovering the different layers of French landscape. This trip emphasized how water moved from its origin to destination. The city that Uzes connected to for this was Nimes. A well-known route for moving water towards Nimes was through the Pont du Gard. It was interesting to learn that this landmark sits at an elevation 17 meters higher than its destination (Castellum) in Nimes.

     The Romans developed this intricate system of water transport when they ruled in Nimes. Prone to drought with its geographis location in the south of France, an efficient manner of moving water was needed.

     The Castellum welcomed the water from Uzes, and was distributed into the city by a series of smaller pipes. Once the 5^th century rolled around, water in the Castellum was still present, but ceased to exist in the 6^th century. Why did this happen? No one knows the answer, even today.

     Collectively, cities located on/nearby the river demonstrate how vital a natural resource is when it comes to development of the land. Another link was created to show the relationship of water to highlands, cities, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Beziers/Canal du Midi

     On our previous trip to Sete the type of landscape that we experienced was one that was directly adjacent to the sea. Now, we were to journey to Beziers, which moved further inland. This region had ideal conditions for wine production since it is located far enough away from the coast, but not too close to the mountains. One way that this land for wine is protected is by trees lining roads, which deters wind from causing any damage.

     Back in the 19^th century residents of the area utilized a majority of the land for win production, diminishing the natural surroundings at the same time. With its location in the Mediterranean Basin, an incredible amount of rainfall would occur causing issues such as erosion. To prevent even more damage from happening, farming terraces were built. For quite some time, nearby towns were used for their ideal soil conditions and proximity to Via Domitia.

     This road was heavily used by merchants for trading. From this road, water is drained into a ditch by a series of vineyards. Water is then moved to underground tunnels, which still function today.

Ultimately, growth in this region was dependent and developed from the Via Domitia.

     The production of wine now moves on to how the products was transported and distributed. Our next stop was the Canal du Midi, which connected the Garonne River to the Mediterranean Sea. This was constructed by Pierre-Paul Piquet. Enormous locks controlled the canal system, with the arch being the prevalent form. One can learn that this region has greatly advanced from small farming techniques to a large-scale canal system.