The Pont du Gard Inn (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 26 – Part 1)

The road leads Edmond to a lonely inn by the Rhône. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 26, Dumas paints a vivid picture of the Pont du Gard Inn, a shabby outpost between Beaucaire and Bellegarde. Its tin sign creaks in the wind, its garden is little more than a patch of garlic and dying fig-trees, and its setting lies under the constant scourge of the mistral. Around it, the plain resembles a dusty lake, where even the sparse wheat struggles to grow, each stalk a perch for rasping grasshoppers. This bleak landscape sets the stage for what Edmond will soon encounter within.   ⸻   New to the journey? Start from the beginning at: http://countdownofmontecristo.com   Want to talk theories, themes, or betrayals? Join the conversation on our Discord: https://discord.gg/Sg2prdm   Support the project on Patreon and receive full-length, story-only audio after each chapter: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod   Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf3vyewhvQugX5M3oREl57A   ⸻   The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.