More than a month after its opening, the Meynier de Salinelles park has already won over the people of Nîmes

Le parc Meynier de Salinelles a ouvert tout début juillet au centre de Nîmes. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Plus d’un mois après avoir ouvert ses grilles, le parc Meynier de Salinelles semble avoir séduit les Nîmois, heureux de profiter de ce coin ombragé, en période de grandes chaleurs.

Five weeks have passed since the opening of the Meynier Park in Salinelles. Closed for ten years, the garden has escaped real estate developers, thanks to the mobilization of local residents and the neighborhood committee. A true green lung in the city, the 7,500 m2 park has been a great success among local residents since the first day.

Looking for freshness

Adèle regularly goes to this garden with her two children. “There are few truly shady places in the city.” The family does not fail to respect the routine that it has imposed on itself in these hot times: “Going out in the morning allows the children to play in the cool but above all to get some fresh air, because we don't go out much after lunch”, adds the mother. On the other side of the park, Mireille settles down with her granddaughter and her two dogs near the play structures.

They are regulars here, and particularly appreciate its shaded side. Indeed, the place is one of the rare wooded parks in the city center. It is 850,000 € which have been invested by the Department, to restore and develop this green space.

Calm and vegetation

At the end of the park, where the trickling of the waterfall resonates, and where the cicadas give themselves over to prevent silence from reigning, Abdel is installed on the steps of the wooden open-air theater.

Without ever forgetting to take a book, he has included visiting the park in his daily routine. "I come here every morning. It’s not necessarily to lock myself away for the rest of the afternoon and escape the sun, but rather to enjoy the calm of the morning, under the trees." 

But if Abdel swears by his reading of Mediterranean vegetation, Isco, his bulldog, is delighted to cool off in the park's water source.

Located on the Tour Magne hill, the park intends to continue to attract visitors when the summer season is over. This is also the case for Anne, 87 years old, who has been walking in these places every morning for a month: "I am convinced that the locals will continue to come in midwinter." 

Of course, if the hot weather perhaps encourages visits to the park, the place is also conducive to meetings and exchanges, experiences that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
 

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