Eating out, or more to the point eating outside, is very much a part of restaurant life in France. There are lots of places to choose from, and we love finding new ones. Here are a few restaurants we've just discovered as well as some old favorites.

Uzès

Restaurant Ten

Restaurant Ten, in the middle of beautiful Uzès, is somewhere we've been returning to since it first opened several years ago. One of the most delightful things about this restaurant, apart from the food of course, is the owner, Kate Tucker. A bubbly, warm, English girl from Devon with a million dollar smile who make you feel like she's welcoming you to her home every time you arrive.

And I'm pretty sure that Kate is the reason that celebrity chef and writer Rick Stein recommends and speaks so highly of Restaurant Ten in his fabulous cookery book Secret France.

Cocktails at Ten

Kate just get's it right; the ambience the vibe, the service and the menu. Doubtless drawing on her experience at The River Café in London (where Jamie Oliver also learned a few tricks) together with her French husband and their fabulous chef Damien Rolain, they've created an unpretentious little jewel of a restaurant. Interesting, well priced, beautifully presented, delicious food which never fails to impress, quite fabulous!

Crispy trout and quinoa salad at Ten

Restaurant Ten

10 Pl. Dampmartin, 30700 Uzès  +33 (0)466 22 1093

Open Wednesday - Sunday 12.00 -14.00 and evenings from 19.30

Reservations are advisable ~ tell Kate I sent you!

Click here for menu and website

Petits Fracis Provençeaux at Restaurant Ten

Other favourites in Uzès

Bec-au-vin

Le Zanelli

Pizza Duchy

Villa Curti we haven't here yet but it's recommended by Kate from Ten & it's where she goes out to eat!

Saint-Remy-de-Provence

Bistrot Les Pieds dans L'Eau

We normally go to St-Rémy-de-Provence on a Wednesday, market day, and if we have visitors, after lunch we often go on to Les Baux de Provence to the incredible art show, Carrières des Lumières. We've eaten in several places in St Rémy but no one restaurant has really stood out. Then a few weeks ago we stumbled upon Bistrot Les Pieds dans L'Eau, an old manor house and former school right in the middle of town where lunch is served on an expansive terrace.

The ambience was delightful and the staff cheerful and attentive. The overall concept at the restaurant of shared, family style plates was perfect, especially for lunch.

The building itself is an interesting property. The dining terrace restaurant is at the rear and there is a lovely courtyard at the front.

When you walk through the courtyard, before you reach the Terrace restaurant, you pass through a charming shop selling household goods, gifts and clothes.

On a busy day, should you have to wait for a table, you can watch the world go by out on the street from the comfort one of the restaurant's arm chairs and order a cocktail until your table's ready!.

Click for more information on Bistrot Les Pieds dans L'Eau

22 boulevard Victor Hugo , Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
+33 04 90 90 74 49

For restaurant ideas & information about St Rémy visit my friend Keith Van Sickle's website here. I'd highly recommend his guide book, 'An Insiders Guide to Provence' which you can purchase from this link.

Aix-en-Provence

Café Hôtel de Caumont

'Café' in France can mean many things, a place just for a coffee and lights snacks, somewhere serving casual meals, or an elegant restaurant such as the café at Hotel de Caumont, a beautiful art museum in the center of Aix-en-Provence. The dining room is exquisite, and when the weather allows the Terrace is a wonderful setting for breakfast, lunch or afternoon drinks.

My salade crevette was delicious and the desert trolley is outstanding!

Café Hotel de Caumont is open daily from 10.00 -19.00. Unfortunately it is not possible to make a reservation. Check their website for unusual hours

Click here for Café Hôtel de Caumont website

Hôtel de Caumont a historic property and center for the arts

And of course Hôtel de Caumont is not all about the food, it's primarily a wonderful art museum boasting a vibrant history.

Hôtel de Caumont was built in 1715 by the President of the Court of Auditors in Aix-en-Provence, François Rolland de Réauville, the Marquis de Cabannes, in the desirable Mazarin quarter of the city.

In 1758 it was purchased by François Bruny de la Tour-d'Aigues, the richest ship-owner, merchant and banker in Marseilles who named it Hôtel de Bruny. The property was inherited by Bruny's son who died shortly afterwards and so in 1796 it passed to his sister, Pauline. This resulted in a further name change to Hôtel de Caumont, after Pauline's husband the Marquis de Caumont.

Entrance to Hôtel de Caumont, Aix-en-Provence

During the late nineteenth century the property fell into decline. By 1939, it had been divided into apartments run by Resistance member Hélène Ardevol (1892-1976), who during WWII bravely sheltered other Resistance members in the apartments. Its' last private owner was General Isenbart who completed extensive restorations before he sold it to the city of Aix-en-Provence in 1964 when it became the Darius Milhaud National Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Hôtel de Caumont today

In 2010 Hôtel de Caumont was sold to Culturespaces (who run Carrières des Lumières and other fabulous exhibitions throughout France) and they restored it to its former glory. It was reopened on 15 April 2015, and now hosts two temporary exhibitions annually. A film on Cézanne is shown every day, and a variety of concerts, musical performances and lectures are scheduled. Currently, until September 18 2022 the work of Raoul Dufy is on display.

The gardens are beautiful and well worth a visit.

Tickets to the museum can be bought online, click here

Hôtel de Caumont  3 Rue Joseph Cabassol, 13100 Aix-en-Provence  +33 04 42 20 70 01

Click here for website of Hôtel de Caumont

Le Four Sous le Platane

How often do I hear from perplexed overseas guests 'We're going to a Pizza Restaurant  in Provence, we're not in Italy?'

We may not be in Italy (although it's not far away) but the French certainly love, and know how to make great pizzas normally in wood fired ovens, feu de bois. The terrace at Le Four Sous le Platane is one of our favorites.

And if we can, we try to grab a spot by the fountain from where the restaurant get's it's name. Scrumptious pizzas served as huge wedges with a green salad and glass of wine, yum!

Click for more on: Le Four Sous le Platane

Lourmarin

There's no where new to recommend in Lourmarin and sadly a few places we thought were great have changed owners, not for the best ~ Le Moulin in Lourmarin and Petit Resto in Vaugine.

But we still love:

Louche au Beurre ~ the best steak frites!

Pizza Nonni ~our favorite for Pizza

Gina's Café ~ delicious homemade food, great for lunch

Café Gaby ~ the place for people watching in the very heart of the village, be it for coffee, an apéro or a casual meal!

La Maison Café ~ Great cocktails and small sharing boards, we love coming here after the Friday market  or for an evening drink.

If you'd like more information, download for free:

A PDF Travel Guide for Lourmarin

A PDF Travel Guide for Uzès

I'd love to know any restaurants you recommend in Provence!

The post Restaurants we love in Uzès, Aix-en-Provence & St-Rémy-de-Provence appeared first on Shutters & Sunflowers.

What motivates and inspires someone to leave where they live where everything is safe and familiar and move to another country? Somewhere with a completely different language, culture and way of doing things? What happens if you need medical attention or a plumber, or if your car breaks down, or if you get stopped by the local police, especially when you scarcely speak the language? Why would anyone do this unless they had to? Even if the place is Provence, which although utterly beguiling, still doesn't induce it's very many visitors to actually move there!

Author Keith Van Sickle does a marvelous job of attempting to explain why. His first book, succinctly articulates the key to survival in the title; ‘One Sip at a Time’! Yet while Keith and his wife Val may well have drawn courage sampling the splendid offerings of the local vintners, they have also made valiant efforts to really embrace this other place they call home.

And there is much to understand, the customs, the food, the language, a feat in itself, as Keith explains: 'there are a mind blowing 26 (yes, 26) tenses of French verbs!'

Refusing to be daunted by all those very many declensions, Keith and Val have opened their hearts and minds to the entire way of life in Provence and what they cherish most of all, the people. Perhaps it’s of little surprise that the title of Keith’s second book is the question they’ve so often asked themselves: ‘Are We French Yet?’ You’ll have to read it to decide. Click here to buy

Both of Keith’s books are fun, easy reads, full of charming, witty accounts of the many exploits, discoveries and occasional mystifying challenges he and Val have encountered in Provence. Many of which I can totally relate to.

There’s the issue of kissing when you greet people: 'If you gave three kisses when it should be two, would people think you were rather pushy and forward? If you only gave two kisses instead of three, would you be considered standoffish?'

And the Pharmacies; much tinier than in the US and with different rules where you can’t just help yourself to over-the-counter medications: 'Instead, you have to wait in line to see a pharmacist, and then describe your problem so that… everyone in line can hear what you’re saying.' And if you don’t speak great French the Pharmacist will announce for the entire shop to hear: '“Speak up! You say you have a HORRIBLE LOOKING FUNGUS on your WHAT?” '

Then there’s the all-important thing our 'children' tease about, the wearing of scarves, not by me but my husband, an obligatory accessory whether male or female when living in Provence or as it turns out much to the 'children’s' amusement when you return to California! For as my husband (modeling below) and Keith know 'the French wear scarves year-round. AND they know how to tie them.'

Keith does a great job of articulating why he and Val love Provence. How it makes them feel, its’ alluring pace, its’ natural beauty, its’ people, its’ way of life, its’ fascinating history whose timeless traditions still reach out to touch life today. A myriad of tiny details as abundant as a basket filled with fresh sunflowers picked from the local fields, ones which have also smiled upon us and totally resonate.

We actually have much in common. We both live near San Francisco, we both enjoy food and good wine, we are both curious explorers interested in people. We might originate from different continents but we share a deep-seated passion for Provence which inspired us both to write, not just our blogs which connected us but to write a book. I'm still embarking upon the arduous conventional publication path for my World War II novel set in Provence telling the true story of the Poles who first cracked the Enigma code. With two successful publications to his name Keith is way ahead of me and I’ve enjoyed both of them

I’m in awe of Keith and Val’s impressive efforts to master the French language, somehow succeeding in declining all those tenses and getting their tongues to roll those r’s correctly. It’s inspiring to learn how it’s helped them build close friendships in St Remy-de-Provence, the delightful Provencal town I also love, where they spend the majority of their time.

I'm also impressed how by determinedly reading French literature and studying French newspapers and TV Keith and Val have developed a good grasp on what it is that makes French people French.

I would suggest that the answer to Keith’s latest book's title ‘Are we French yet?’ is ‘mais oui, bien sûr!'

You don’t have to be a Francophile to enjoy Keith’s books; they’re endearing because they’re about living. As Keith explains, just like us, he and Val are constantly asked: 'why do you want to spend so much of the year in Provence, what do you do when you are there, what new things have you visited?'

Whilst there is an abundance of things to still discover, that is not why either of us go there. We’re not tourists seeking to check off the next list of ‘must see’ sights, we go there to live: 'we’re just 2 people living in Provence and the business of living fills our days…..'

And that business of living is not only real but magical. And for us, just like for Keith and Val. 'Magical is the right word. Magic seems to happen to us in France.' 

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I am often asked if I could help to plan a stay in Lourmarin, so voilà! This itinerary would work from any of the nearby Luberon villages, I've planned it round my favourite market days, listed below. But don't rush around too much, allow yourself to simply ‘be’ ~ to enjoy just being there, immersing yourself in the captivating ambience of this intoxicating part of the world! And don't forget if you need a place to stay I have a village house right in the middle of the village, do get in touch if you're interested in learning more.

SUNDAY

Maybe a day to stay home, explore the village, discover the story of the Lourmarin chateau.Perhaps take a drive around the immediate vicinity, visit the chateau in tiny Ansouis or sample the local wine at the neighbouring vineyards, Château Constantin just along the road from should not be missed, tell the owners that I recommended you visit them, they will take extra special care of you! Sunday is a very popular day for the French to go out for lunch so definitely make a reservation. If you have just arrived & need to stock the pantry, local supermarkets close at lunch time, locations & hours below.

MONDAY

Within 30 minutes
 THE LUBERON
Drive up to Bonnieux, visit the Bread Museum (1 April - 31 October: 1 pm to 6 pm every day except Tuesdays). Enjoy a lazy lunch in the lovely gardens of La Bergerie, afterwards discover Lacoste Ménerbes & the nearby wine domaines before meandering the streets of the ghost town of Oppède-le-Vieux. If you wanted to book a wine tour for later in the week we loved Avignon Wine Tours.

Within 90 minutes 
Avignon (70Km) visit Les Palais des Papes and Avignon's famous bridge Pont d'Avignon/Bénézet, remember the song 'Sur La Pont D'Avignon?' Click here for what to see in Avignon.  Combine a trip to Avignon with a visit to its neighbouring iconic wine region Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

 The Roman towns of Arles (84km) and Nimes (115km) & their incredible Roman arenas.
Aigues Mortes (130km) the most well preserved medieval walled city in Europe, famous for its salt, Le Saunier de Camargue, mined since the 8th century, factory tours available, so worth the drive!

TUESDAY

Gordes and Roussillon
Tuesday is market day in Gordes! After lunch maybe visit the Le Village des Bories. Don't miss L'Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Senanque, a great photo opportunity especially in June when the lavender is blooming. The tour takes an hour & is in French but is a fascinating insight into a working Silent Order. Then continue on to explore the ochre wonders of the village of nearby Roussillon.

WEDNESDAY

 St Remy-de-Provence, Les Baux de Provence & Carrières de Lumières
If you only do one day trip it should be to the video art spectacle at Carrières de Lumières by the perched village of Les Baux de Provence. Admission to the château ruins at Les Baux (an excellent self-guided audio tour, allow an hour)  and to Carrières de Lumières is combined at a discounted rate if you have time. 

Visit on a Wednesday, stopping first at the charming town of St Remy-de-Provence where it's market day. Have lunch in St Remy (poor options at Les Baux) before you take the short drive through the olive groves & vineyards; the view of Les Baux will catch your breath as it become visible on the rocky escarpment to your right!

Within 90 minutes
If you are feeling in need of some sea breezes, Wednesday (& Friday) is also market day in the pretty coastal town of Cassis.
 Take a boat tour to see the incredible finger like inlets Les Calanques de Cassis.

THURSDAY

Within 30 minutes
Bonnieux  Lacoste, Ménerbes, Oppède-le-Vieux  ~ see Monday. This time have lunch at the delicious La Terrasse in Goult. If like me, you love the film 'A Good Year' (shot locally in Bonnieux & The Luberon) you could visit Chateau la Canorgue & the filming locations, click here for details.

If you haven't already done so maybe this is your day to spend in beautiful Aix-en-Provence. (39km)

Within 90 minutes
Avignon(70Km), Nimes(115km), Arles(84km) and Aigues Mortes(130km) ~ (see Monday)

FRIDAY

Lourmarin market day
Stay local enjoy the market and lunch in the village!!

SATURDAY

Within 30 minutes
Market day in Apt. You could drive back from here on a different route stopping for lunch at L’Auberge des  Tilleuls in Grambois and then go on to the Occitane factory at Manosque. If you still haven't been to Aix-en-Provence go there today!!!
Within 90 minutes 
Uzès' (107km) Market day, reputedly the best market in Provence, if you haven't visited this delightful bastide city it is truly heaven, again leave early parking is tough on Saturdays, click here for the Uzès Travel Guide! Do stop at the Roman Aqueduct Pont du Gard (UNESCO site) on your way home, quite unforgettable!

SUNDAY

l'Isle sur la Sorgue antique market, stroll the rows of antique stalls by the canals! Great fun but get there early as parking is tough and beware, prices are higher than Paris!! Afterwards you could visit Fontaine de Vaucluse the mysterious source of the Vaucluse river!

MARKET DAYS IN PROVENCE

Monday: Cadenet, Cavaillon, Lauris
Tuesday: Cucuron, Pertuis, Gordes, Lacoste, Coustellet, La Tour d'Aigues, St Saturnin les Apt
Wednesday: Mérindol,Cheval-Blanc, Salt, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, St Remy-de-Provence, Le Thor, Nimes, Cassis
Thursday: Goult, Ménerbes, Rousillon, Pertuis, Lauris, L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Aix-en-Provence,- La Motte d'Aigues & Ménerbes evenings
Friday: Lourmarin, Lagnes,, Les Taillades, Bonnieux, Aix-en-Provence, Cucuron evenings July & August, Cassis
Saturday: L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Maubec, Vaugines, Mérindol, Apt May- mid November, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, St Remy-de-Provence, Uzès
Sunday: L'Isle sur la Sorgue antiques, Ansouis, Coustellet, Mormoiron, Aix-en-Provence, Aigues Mortes

LOCAL SUPERMARKETS
Lourmarin  
VIVAL: Place du Clos Building Savournin 84160 Lourmarin
~ just along from the Tourist Office, a small grocery shop
Tuesday - Saturday: 08:30-13:00/15:30-19:00  Sunday:08:30-13:00 Monday:closed

SUPERT TAF 2:  42 Rue Philippe De Girard 84160 Lourmarin

BOULANGERIE:  8 Rue Henri de Savornin 84160 Lourmarin
Tuesday - Sunday: 07:00-13:00/15:00-19:00  (Summer hours:15h30-19h30)

Larger Supermarkets
SUPER U PUYVERT: RN 913  84160 Puyvert ~ a 5 minute drive towards Lauris.
Open every day 09.00-20.00 Sunday until 13.00

CARREFOUR PERTUIS:  Route d'Aix En Provence, 84120 Pertuis ~23 minutes drive
Mon- Sat:08.30-20.30 Sunday:08.30-12.30 (In Pertuis there are a few large supermarkets)

To read more about this beautiful region download the printable The Lourmarin Travel Guide

If you need an on-sight expert contact Christel. Christel manages my village house Maison des Cerises in Lourmarin. She also offers wonderful gourmet cooking and other great concierge services. Christel has a wealth of local knowledge, speaks fluent English & is charming. Tell her you found her through me, she'd be delighted to help make your visit special.

There are many others places I've yet to discover, let me know what you find!

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The incredible art of Russia's Marc Chagall at Carrières de Lumières has been a 2016 sensation! Yet another maestro’s talent splashed upon the towering walls and floor of the former bauxite quarry in Val d'Enfer, by Les Baux de Provence.  Set to a mystical, musical background, the spellbinding spectacle was breathtaking once again.

Even for the art philistines amongst us, this video extravaganza never fails to captivate and Marc Chagall at Carrières de Lumières was no exception. It is an enchanting visionary thrill, hard to tear yourself away from but one you'll leave excited to return to for the following year's stunning performance!

How to visit Carrières de Lumières

Located: 800m from the enchanting perched village of Les Baux de Provence
Route de Maillane 13520 Les Baux de Provence
Tel: +33 4 90 54 37     Email: message@carrieres-lumieres.com
By road: Motorway A7 (exit Avignon), A9(Nimes) and A54(Baux-de-Provence) 10 minutes from St Remy-de-Provence, see the map below
Open: 9.00am -6.00pm, (later in summer months) 7 days a week from March – January Check website for details, re-opening March 5th 2017
Admission: 12 Euros, family and other discounts available.

Marc Chagall at Carrières de Lumières 2016 ~ Midsummer's Night Dream

Tip: Combine the entrance ticket with entrance to the Chateau ruins of Les Baux for a fascinating self-guided audio tour which will transport you back to the time of knights and swash buckling heroes.

Les Baux de Provence

This ancient perched Provencal village, set high on a rocky escarpment above Les Alpilles is believed to date back to the times of Balthazar, one of the three wise men.

Owned by the Grimaldi family of Monaco, it is only a five minute stroll from Carrières de Lumières.
Wander its meandering cobbled streets and peek into its chapel, simple but serene.

Tip: The chateau tour is excellent, don’t miss the video film of a helicopter ride over Provence, shown in the small chapel near the exit.

Tip: Eat elsewhere, in nearby St Remy-de-Provence or Arles, the Les Baux dining choices are disappointing.

Tip: If you have time, visit one of the many olive mills and wine domains as you wind your way through the valley Le Crau and the Roman road Via Aurelia below Les Baux on your departure.

History of the quarries of Val d'Enfer, site for Carrières de Lumières

Located in the heart of Les Alpilles, the quarries of the Val d'Enfer have been known for their white colored limestone since the second century BC. In 1821 a red mineral used for the extraction of aluminium was discovered. It was named bauxite after the neighbouring village of Les Baux, it was mined industrially until 1935.

Mining in Val d'Enfer

Today the walls still reveal the intensive marks of the crocodile saw used to extract the stone.
This saw was operated by a single worker, with its large, trapezoid form its teeth only cut when the worker pulled the saw towards him. Easier to handle than a two man saw it was also cheaper, cutting about two meters of soft stone a day.

Val d'Enfer as a center for the arts

The magical atmosphere and cool temperatures of the site have inspired many. It has been the setting for Dante’s 'Divine Comedy', Gounod’s opera 'Mireille' and Cocteau's film 'The Testament of Orpheus'. In 1977 the combined vision of Cocteau and research of stage designer Joseph Svoboda led to the transformation of the walls into projection screens. In 2010 Culturespaces selected it for to become Carrières de Lumières, profiling the art of the Masters, it is an artistic sensation!

Carrières de Lumières 2016, Chagall ~ Midsummer's Night Dream

Next year Bosch, Brueghel, Arcimboldo, 'from the fantastic to the wonderful' ~ not to be missed on any trip to this part of Provence.

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Easily reached on a day's excursion from Lourmarin is the one of the most magnificent cities of Provence, Avignon and vibrant university town of Aix-en-Provence.

The Mediterranean coast is a short drive further; Marseilles, and the quaint fishing towns of Bandol and Cassis.

Not more than an hour from Lourmarin are the charms of Provence's Bouches-du-Rhône region; the bustling market town of St Remy-de-Provence and probably the most splendid of all of Provence's perched villages; Les Baux-de-Provence!

Uzès and the World UNESCO Heritage site, The Pont du Gard, are under two hours from Lourmarin, well worth a visit!

Avignon

Aix-en-Provence

This colourful university city in the Bouches-du-Rhône region of Provence is only 30 minutes from Lourmarin. Stroll the famous Cours de Mirabeau, visit the wonderful daily markets and walk in the footsteps of Cézanne and other great artists, you'll be entranced!

Cassis and Bandol

St- Remy-de-Provence

Les Baux-de-Provence

Les Carrières de Lumières

Uzès

Pont du Gard

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As I woke on Wednesday morning, contemplating the day ahead and my life in Provence, I thought that to celebrate the year’ s extra day, February 29th, I should be doing something special, other than focusing on work. Then I remembered with a quick thrill that today was market day. Not the all consuming bustle of Saturday but a smaller affair, still overflowing with the abundances of the local area.

That my reaction to a stroll round a market, even in the chill of winter filled me with such joy made me smile.

The truth is though, that for me, every day here, living my life in Provence seems special, some more special than others, but isn’t that how life should be? Living in the ‘now’ enjoying the gift of each day as it enfolds, rather than rushing through it and wishing it were ‘a few days time’ to the day ahead where we have made ‘plans’ to 'fill our hearts with joy'. Actually we can fill our hearts with joy even momentarily, each and every day, looking at the bough of newly open blossom, the smell of freshly cut grass, when someone we don’t know smiles at us……… if we only have the time to notice.

Maybe my delight in the market is that here, where the pace is slower, there is time to contemplate the ‘ordinary’ it is just part of life in Provence! Hardly fair though to label ‘ordinary’, a market set within the walls of an ancient  bastide, surrounded by the seeing eyes of worn sash windows and shutters, afterwards to sip coffee outside in the ever warming sunshine, in February!

Last Saturday we ambled our way through the beautiful Luberon Valley, ('The Peter Mayle country') about 60 miles east of Uzès. Retracing our steps of three years ago, we went through the charming town of St Rémy de Provence and on to the Luberon villages of  Bonnieux, Ménerbes, Gordes. Finally twisting to the southern side of this breathtaking vine laden area to the small village of Lourmarin.
I had fallen in love with this delightful little “Belle Ville de France” on my first visit and I was not disappointed. It’s south facing aspect, nestling under the hills of the Luberon gave it a warm glow of contentment as it basked in the late afternoon sunshine. Restaurants overflowing with people laughing, enjoying a late lunch or a coffee out with friends, we wound through the delightful cobbled streets and I contemplated how I might get some of the treasure from the ‘petite magazines’ into my suitcase! A skilled master at cramming things into my travel bags I realized that perhaps this was a place to return to with an encouraging girlfriend rather than face ‘mon mari’s’ dumbfounded look and shake of the head as he muttered to me in complete despair ‘well why do we need that and where on earth are you going to put it?’ Is that ever even a consideration when we are tempted by some absolute ‘must have’ treasure’?!!!!!

Sunday took us on a different and quite magnificent stroll to the Pont du Gard. Guided by well posted footpath signs we abandoned ‘Clio’ in a field and set off through the trees. As we meandered through an olive grove and scrub oaks, we could have been in California and hoped we were heading the right way.

The walk took about 30 minutes and eventually tipped us out by the river and ‘voilà, there was the Pont du Gard

It was quite breathtakingly unexpected even though it was actually what we were expecting to reach!
A Unesco World Heritage site since 1995 and deservedly so.

The highest known Roman aqueduct in the world, spanning the Gardon, it was built around 500 AD and carried water from the hills behind Uzès to the vibrant Roman city of Nimes, some 20 miles away, for nearly 600 years.

In the Middle Ages the batteries were cut in the second floor and it was used as a road bridge.

During the 16^th century a degree of restoration work was competed to preserve its integrity.

A road bridge was attached to it 1743- 1747 and finally in 1840 it was classified as an historic monument.

It is a site to be behold.

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