day3-unknown ancient civilization of the Meditteranea

There are certain things we expect to see in France: towering cathedrals with rose windows, winding narrow streets paved with time-smoothed stones (maybe with an obstinate and contemplative herd of cows on them, if we're lucky), and of course, lots o' induldgent bakeries. French culture doesn't usually connote a massive ancient shrine made of limestone, gleaming under the splash of cascade that falls down its surface. But that was exactly what we found on the little hill overlooking the town of Nice. The rain made the pine trees look like a thick growth of a tropical rain forest. Then it turned to an impressive downpour that soaked us from head to toe, nothing short of a floodening downpour of Peruvian rainy season. The spotlights lit the stone structure through the curtain of vapor, magnifying the oh-I-must-be-sleepwalking-in-a-Mayan-jungle feel. I've had hard time imagining the possible reasons for the Nicoise to build it on top of the hill, instead of a fancy, overdecorated chateau, which would be the first thing to come to one's mind as a tourist attraction in any French town, but at least it is a surprise, and isn't a surprise one of the reasons we take a trip despite of all the tiresome things--starting from the tightened security and ending with the same?
impossible shrine in tropical forest in Nice
Originally uploaded by uBookworm.