We spent Sat and Sun at the house, enjoying the downtime. Despite the rosy forecast, we actually had a shower on Sat morning, and it rained on and off most of Sunday. We hadn’t planned to do anything those days, so it wasn’t a big deal. We spent both days reading and just taking it easy, then aperos, dinner and a film in the evenings. We had brought along an external hard drive full of films, but it was a struggle to make it play nicely with their television.
We decided to go out for pizza on Sunday night, and as usual, it was a challenge! I found a place on Trip Advisor which was in the nearby town of St Quentin, so I rang them to make a reservation and found out they only do takeaway. So we headed into Uzes, armed with the name of another highly rated pizzeria. We had no trouble finding it, but it was closed (fermature exceptionelle). Not to be thwarted, we located another restaurant, but it was a 7:45 when we arrived, and we managed to get the last table. The hostess informed us that there would be a wait for our food and indeed, it was nearly 9:00 before our pizzas arrived. So we succeeded in the end, but not without working for it.
On Monday, the weather returned to normal, although it didn’t quite make it above 30C that day. We took advantage by visiting a number of pretty villages in the surrounding area. We started in Lussan, a walled city on a hill with lovely views. We visited a second on the way to Tharaux, a village which sits above the river Cèze. We had brought sandwiches with us, and found a trail down to the river hoping to find a picnic bench. There weren’t any, but we saw a nice shady spot on the other bank, so bravely wandered across to eat there. I’m pleased that we made it there and back without getting wet. Our next spot was a larger town called Barjac where we had a quick look around before hitting our final stop. This was Montclus, and it’s designated One of the Prettiest Villages in France. The competition in that area is fierce, since all of the villages there are stunning, as Will’s pictures will attest. We stopped at the supermarket before heading home for a much deserved beer and swim.
We also had a “busy” day on Tuesday. Our first stop was the city of Avignon, about an hour’s drive along some nice backroads. We parked in a garage along the ring road. I only mention it because I think it’s where lost €35. I normally keep my cash tucked into my wallet, which I took out to put in the parking ticket. When I got it out to pay for lunch, the money was gone so it likely fell out in the garage. Although I’ve found random cash before, this is the first time I’ve been on the giving end. Anyway, the weather was back to normal, and it was already 30 when we arrived. We strolled around and visited the main tourist attractions: the Palais des Papes and Rocher des Doms, its surrounding garden; and the famous Pont d’Avignon. You have to pay to walk out onto the bridge, and considering that it no longer goes all the way across, decided to skip it.
We had lunch at cafe that does tartines (toasted bread with various toppings). I had looked up recommended restaurants and although we found a couple, they were both closed! There is a three-week festival in Avignon that had just ended, so many places were taking the week off to recover, despite still being the height of tourist season. We’d had enough of the big city at that point, so headed back home via the Pont du Gard, a 1st century Roman aquaduct that used to deliver water from Uzes to Nimes. It is a Unesco world heritage site, so very popular, and it was mobbed with tourists. We walked out to see the bridge, and hiked up to an scenic overlook, despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon, and very hot at that point. We stopped in Uzes for a few supplies before heading home for beer and a swim.
Wed was our last full day, and we just took it easy, reading and swimming. The next morning, we were up early, and started making preparations for our departure. As a thank you gift, I prepared our new favourite rice and bean pie for them to heat up when they arrived home that night. Will cleaned the house, including laundering our sheets and towels. My job for the week was looking after the horses, which meant giving them food and water. One is fairly aggressive, and enjoyed trying to bite my feet while I filled their water tank. That morning, I gave them an extra portion of food and said goodbye. We hit the road around 11, and apart from a scenic detour around Montpellier, we arrived home around 6:30, without incident. It started raining toward the end of the journey, and the temp steadily declined until we reached home where it was only 18C!
In summary, it was a relaxing week away, and a nice chance to see a different part of the country. For Will, the weather is ideal, but it’s a bit too hot for my liking. The population density is much higher than around here, and this was especially so being the height of tourist season. Despite that, the roads weren’t too crowded, and even the big tourist attractions were manageable. The area is popular with many European countries including The Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, but the biggest influx is from Belgium. Like here, some of the roads are very narrow, and the Belgians seem to enjoy driving down the middle and not moving over when passing other cars. Nearly everyone at the pizza restaurant in Uzes was Dutch or Belgian, and for a moment, we thought we were in Amsterdam.
The trip was also a chance to experience living in a village. In a nutshell, we didn’t enjoy it, mainly due to the noise. The house is on the road, and although it’s not a busy one, it was noticeable. Many of the houses in the village are undergoing renovations, so there was the noise from the construction and the lorries, starting from 8am. Rubbish collection is at 5am, twice a week. One of the neighbours had a car alarm, which went off multiple times. The village has a clocktower, which chimes the hour and a church bell, which also rings a few times a day. In the evening, the neighbourhood dogs start their nightly conversations, which often lasts for hours. So it’s nice to be back in nowhere-land, where we enjoyed a great night’s sleep.