Things to see and do Midi-Pyrénées

5 kilometres from Nîmes, the village of Bouillargues faces the town of Park and is also known for a massive development that adds nothing to its stamp. Indeed, it consists mainly of a set of beautiful villages of villages dating from the triumphant times, the beautiful park which ennobles its city centre, domains of Costières settled on its territory and, above all, a women's handball team that has been evolving for years at the highest national and European level by regularly providing volunteers to the brilliant national team of speciality.

Unusual, this address that hosts some kind of Nîmois Horse factor. The sculpted facade, carved, sculpted, draws strange shapes covered with mosaics where there is a woman's face here, an animal. A text in a niche drawn from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Emile preached «be human, that is your first duty». And it is true that this artistic reconstruction that moved to the roof assault of which it changes the contours gives a share of humanity to the anonymity and monotony of facades. Pieces of ceramics sometimes reveal their old function, fragment of bowl, plates, shapes in forms, which come together as to highlight the landforms. On window support, some plastic bags containing dishwashers debris, deposited there by passers-by, neighbors, admiring and anxious to see the artist continue his work.

This monumental fountain is the sculptor James Pradier. Dedicated to water, which accompanies the history of the city, the feminine figure represents Nimes, and the allegorical characters surrounding it symbolize the Roach, the Rhône, the fountain of Eure (the one that the Romans have captured to bring water to Nîmes by the famous aqueduct) and the fountain of Nîmes.

Another green lung in the city, the Mont-Duplan does not have the dimensions of the Gardens of the Fountain. But its charm is elsewhere. Its bottom-up on the hill and its popular attendance with the locals make it indispensable. At the top of the mountain, the plateau hosts a large playground for children and a bike circuit where the small can get to the road code. Boulodromes are the playground of the powerful local boulistes association. Despite the opponents of the project, work for the installation of a mobile phone antenna, at the top of the park, began in 2009. Associations were formed in the name of the precautionary principle in this public park where children, parents and elderly people find themselves on a daily basis. Case to follow!

The Parc Expo de Nîmes is an exhibition center. It is easily accessible by bus, with line 7 and the "l'Estanque" stop, and by Trambus 1 with the "Parnasse" stop. For those who prefer to come by car, free parking is available.

Coming from the Atlantic coast, the practice of erecting megaliths reached the south of France around 3,600 BC. The territory of Lozere, and the Causses region, was then covered with menhirs and dolmens, funerary constructions buried under mounds. The Cham-des-Bondons (north-east of Florac) has a number of menhirs which has nothing to envy to the site of Carnac. Under the aegis of the Cévennes National Park, several discovery circuits have been established.

The Departmental Committee on Tourism contributes to the implementation of the tourism policy of the General Council, the mission of which is to organise, promote and develop tourism in all its forms in the department of Lozere. In practice, it contribueà the development, promotion and marketing of tourism products, in collaboration with professionals in this sector. As a departmental relais of Gîtes de France and Clevacances, it also participates in tourism fairs in France and abroad, and declines in various forms tourism in Lozere: seasonal thematic (winter otherwise, autumn otherwise…), equestrian tourism, fishing… found on the web, but also brochures and tourist maps republished each year, and the biennial magazine "Breathe". The collaboration with the tourist offices of the department allows the collection of reliable information on its website. It is also the Lozere Résa reservation centre, La Maison de la Lozere in Paris, and the reception and information antenna at the Lozere area on the A 75 motorway. Finally, we cannot forget the remarkable work of communication and promotion towards the press, written or television, carried out with a communicative passion by Brigitte Donnadieu. Le Petit Smart would like to thank her for: she is a formidable ambassador of the Lozere!

This garden, with a surface area of 3 300 square metres, is located in the former park of Hotel Montcalm. It offers a pleasant green stop in summer. Its rehabilitation has highlighted existing plant forms, a legacy of a th century plantation.

This salty expanse, surrounded by hills, was exploited from 1856 to 1945 as a salt marsh. Today, this beautiful pond fed by rainwater and runoff is reserved for migratory birds. During your walk, you will surely have the pleasure to contemplate some wading birds in full nap or meal. You will also contemplate the original colours of the Doul, a characteristic linked to the fact that the pond is the deepest (about 3 metres) and the saltiest (70 grams of salt per litre) of the Narbonnaise.

The pond of Pissevaches is located at the mouth of the Aude. It communicates with the sea through a grau which opens and closes according to the sea's movements. It is thus fed by the alternation of salt water and fresh water causing a soil rich in sediment. Landscape diversity also since it is practically dry in summer. This site is a lagoon complex including a zone of sansouire, a heath of salicornes, that the presence of nearly 200 species of birds has transformed into one of the best ornithological sites of the department.