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| Dancing on aire at Remoulin |
Trip miles 2,927
Heading west we found with unexpected trip luck a
vintner’s aire at Uzès. This utterly beguiling stone built medieval town was
built upon a Roman settlement linked to the astonishing architectural gem of
the Pont du Gard, a little further west. To view the bridge we cycled from a
busy free overnight stop at the pretty waterside town of Remoulins.
The bridge and three-tiered aqueduct was a breath-taking
sight bestriding the currently low waters of the wide river Gard. We wandered
behind to see the more obviously weather-beaten northern side and the
engineering of the beams and constructions used 2000 years ago, to carry fresh
water from a spring in Uzès to the prosperous Roman city of Nimes.
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| Pont du Gard |
The bridge is decorated with graffiti from the18th century and later. Presumably there were earlier recorded declarations of love
(and defamation) carved into the soft sandstone but they were eroded with time.
It was both spectacular, and theatrical.
Uzès quickly won our hearts, its 17th century elegant
boulevards endow a medieval and Roman heritage which somehow despite the
damaging wars of religion that decimated the South of France under Cardinal
Richelieu, has survived. It’s high limestone walled castle keep and villas
shelter a winding market town of covered walkways, public squares and private
alley ways.
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| A view across to the Uzège villages |
Its stone-ribbed cathedral is a witness to the turmoil of
the region’s religious past. Completed in 1090 it was destroyed in the first
crusade against the Cathars, to be rebuilt as a Protestant temple and later
destroyed in the Religious Wars. Today it is a quietly impressive and peaceful space
in the bustling heart of the old town.
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| Three days on a vineyard |
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| Cycling in the Cevenne foothills |
We stayed for three days enjoying cycling the local area
full of vines, poppies and chick-peas - it was harvest and celebration time of
the ‘pois-chiches’. Fortified villages tumbled up and down the hillsides and we
admired public bread ovens, covered wells, simple churches and crumbling
graveyards.
Every garden and allotment was pristine and many village houses had
carefully tended roses and wisteria growing around their brightly painted
shutters. Although so windy - it was hard to stay on the bikes at times - the
views across to the Cevennes foothills were stunning.
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| Market day in Uzès |
We enjoyed spending a day’s budget on local food at Uzès’
Saturday market of gourmet and farm producers and in the evenings we returned
to enjoy café life under the leafy plane trees and watch the townspeople go by.
Saturday brought the annual fete at the vineyard hosted
by brothers Didier and Robert. We were invited to join the trestle tables of
picnicking families and friends inside the cavernous cave and small jazz
four-piece played sentimental French songs as well as some swing classics which
we all danced too!
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| On our way to the soirée at Domaine Saint Firmin |
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| The party in a wine cave |
