We arrived at Montpellier late in the afternoon and plotted a course for McDonalds to connect to the internet. Along the way our GPS dropped out and as we made our way through the city centre we started following another van to ensure we weren't going to head anywhere we couldn't fit. We quickly realised this was a mistake when the van turned down a one way street (authorised vehicles excepted),  headed straight for the mall and oncoming trams. As the van we had followed pulled into a shop to make it's delivery we were left to continue up the No Go Zone to a point we could turn around and exit swiftly while dodging the trams that all seemed to be arriving at once.

After putting some distance between us and our latest impromptu f#%k up we parked the car at the Odysseum, a mega sized shopping centre containing aquariums, rock climbing and shops etc. Here we spent a more sedate time doing the groceries and laundry before finding a place to camp near Pic St Loup, the mountain range we planned on hiking up the next day.

After a quiet night we headed to the base of the mountain, parked the car and began our trek. The path up was rocky and usually steep but eventually it evened out and we were provided with same amazing views. It was a hazy day and we hadn't found the path all the way to the summit so we didn't get the reported panoramic view containing the Alps, Mediterranean and Pyrenees but what we did get was spectacular nonetheless. We continued along the path leading down until finally we arrived at a little village. From here we plotted a course along the road instead of retracing our steps where we discovered the road back was close to 12km. Deciding to take the longer but hopefully easier path we set off through villages and vineyards, both adding to the journey in their own way. The road back, however was far from easy requiring us to traverse hill after hill which started to taint the scenery until just when we had almost had enough we made it back to where we had parked the car. As a reward for our efforts while walking past the final paddock we were greeted by the resident horses who all came to the fence to say hello.

From here we drove to Nimmes and after a hot shower we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows, exhausted. Knowing what Nimmes had to offer we were up early and into town at first light. The morning was spent following a tourist path through the city streets which took us past some interesting buildings, most of which weren't the ones that the walk was meant to show. After lunch in the square outside the roman arena, we headed in to discover what the old ruin had offered in it's prime, learning a lot while sitting in the sun on the benches of the arena. From here we retraced our steps through the city to the Maison Carree, a fully preserved temple, which was now being used to show 3D films about Nimmes history. After the film we headed through the Fountain Gardens to the Tour Masagne, thought to have acted as a watch tower, which offered views of the city and surrounds. We ended the day heading to the village near the Pont Du Gard to camp for the night.

Upon arriving at the Pont Du Gard site our first stop was through the museum which gave us a greater appreciation of the difficulty building the 50km aquaduct where every stone was mined by hand. It also gave us an insight into how the Roman culture would utilise the supplied water as well as how water became (yet another) status symbol where the more affluent would have pipes running to their homes with gardens and fountains, while others would have to collect theirs by hand from communal taps. The visit to the museum was followed by a short film which added to the information we had already received before we headed off to see the Pont Du Gard. The structure was remarkable, even more so was the fact that this was just a small part of a much larger aquaduct. The Gardon river and it's surrounds were also amazing, with crystal clear water that invited us for a swim, if only it was a little warmer.

The next stop was Visiatome which we were under the impression was a museum of sustainable energy based outside the town of Marcoul. Instead it turned out Marcoul was a nuclear powerplant and the museum was dedicated to showing how nuclear waste was disposed, as well as it's necessity. It was filled with many informative displays but felt like propaganda, maybe due to the regular video displays featuring an employee advocating nuclear energy and how much they cared for the environment...

From here we headed to Avignon where we spent the first 2 hours there sitting in the van waiting for roadside assistance due to it not starting outside the campsite we had just paid to stay at for the night. As is always the case, as soon as help arrived, the mechanic turned the key and everything worked. At least we discovered that there was an issue with the immobiliser and knew what needed to be looked at. As we completed the paperwork for the mechanic we discovered a remarkable coincidence being that he was from Essaouirra, Morroco and his brother ran the camel riding on the beach there.

Our next day in Avignon was spent catching up with chores before heading into the walled city for a leisurely lunch. During lunch we had intended on learning what we should see in this city besides the Fort and Pont. During our research, however we looked into the Gorge du Verdon which we were going to visit on the way to Nice. After many rave reviews plus pictures of stunning turquoise-green waters from the river Verdon we decided to high-tail it to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to spend the night before touring the gorge the next day.