On Saturday we went back to the beautiful bastide town of Uzès. An hour and a half from Lourmarin, just west of Avignon, we often visit on a Saturday. We get up early to stop off on route at the Antique Market in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, a weekly event across the river from Avignon, to then hurry on to Uzès where on a Saturday Uzès plays host to arguably one of the finest markets in the region. This delightful duchy holds a special place in my heart. It's where we lived in 2012 and where the story of Shutters and Sunflowers began. It's also the stage for my World War II historical novel, The Sunflower Field, the true story of the Polish cryptologists who having cracked The Enigma Code in 1932, lived in hiding in Uzès, for two years during the war.

And within minutes of arriving back I was reminded of the inspiration for the title of my blog. The shutters adorning the windows of Uzès that so captivated me,

and the golden smiling faces of the sunflowers, which long after they've danced their annual repertoire in nearby fields, still fill the flower baskets in the market.

A market that was in full swing when we found our way there, shaded below its' leafy canopy in Uzès central square, Place-aux-Herbes.

Amongst the abundance of fresh produce was local purple garlic,

and colorful whicker baskets, greatly reduced in price as the summer season has begun to dwindle to a close.

And announcing the arrival of autumn, there was a wide variety of mushrooms, including a Provençal speciality, cèpes, only available for a few weeks at this time of year.

The market winds its way along the cobbled streets between the town's splendid golden arches.

And by lunchtime the restaurant tables are full, weary shoppers tempted by the plat du jours. Laughter and chatter fill the air and no-one seems to notice the market slowly slip away.

Leaving the bustle behind, it's an ideal time to explore the now deserted streets.

One quickly becomes immersed in the charming ambience of this truly special place. A timeless enchantment which never fades.

The worn steps of Rue rue Saint-Théodorit entice us down.

And finding our way back to Place-aux-Herbes, all swept and cleaned, it's hard to believe just moments earlier this was the hub of a busy, heaving market.

Crossing the square we wandered into a local favorite, the one shop I always have to return to, Les Pots d'Uzès

I wished I could buy some more, especially the very largest ones for my outdoor patio.

I had to content myself with just looking ......

As we made our way back through the streets we caught a glimpse of one of the treasures of Uzès, the Fenestrelle Tower, peeking its head above the roof tops.

Nearby a sunflower smiled in greeting outside one of the local artisan's shops.

We passed by more ancient, shuttered buildings,

and lingered for one last time in Place-aux-Herbes, not wanting to leave.

Standing wistfully outside the house where we lived (which I've featured in my novel)

we wandered back down the street and as always, I wondered disloyally, if maybe we should have bought in Uzès, it always beguiles me so....

Driving back, we promised ourselves to soon make a trip back to the magnificent walled city of Avignon.

And through the front windscreen, as we caught a glimpse of Le Pont Saint Benezet, we found ourselves humming the nursery tune we'd both learned in Primary school, 'Sur la Pont d'Avignon...'

That evening, back in Lourmarin, sitting outside our beloved Café Gaby, my doubts about where we should have our house in Provence, fade. I'll always adore Uzès and love every moment we spend there, but this is where we belong.....

Come and see for yourself!

Download  The PDF Travel Guide for Uzès my travel tips about Uzès

Rent Maison des Cerises ~our house in Provence, already taking bookings for 2022!

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  At the the heart of the beautiful city of Uzès' lies the architecturally stunning, La Place-aux-Herbes.
La Place-aux-Herbes is a vast, cobbled square surrounded on three sides by golden, stone arches
whose domed canopy covers the patios of shops and restaurants.
Her central feature is a large stone fountain which sits quietly chuckling at all who pass her by.

La Place-aux-Herbes is overlooked by tall, shuttered buildings,
softly painted in gentle shades of blue grey and violet, so delightfully French,
Place-aux-Herbes is like a splendid setting for a party.
Whether hosting her twice weekly markets, festivals, brocantes or local artisanal sales

Place-aux-Herbes is a place to gather, a place to meet friends, a place you will want to be in this charming, medieval city of Uzès.

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The enchanting medieval bastide city of Uzès,
just outside of Provence, in Languedoc Roussillon.
Come and wander its cobbled streets,
admire its gently worn, shuttered buildings.
Discover the Ducal château, its Medieval Garden and iconic Fenestrelle tower.
Sit under one of the golden arches fringing its magnificent square,
Place-aux-Herbes,
host to its weekly markets and festivals.
Listen to the soft splutters of the fountain,
become immersed in the beguiling atmosphere of this special place.
Watch the 'video glimpse' next
and discover why people who visit Uzès always return...

Download The Uzès, Travel Guide for Uzès and the surrounding regions of Languedoc Roussillon and Provence.

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Uzès, the charming town where I was fortunate enough to spend 4 treasured months in 2012. This vibrant, Duché d'Uzès, the oldest remaining Duchy in France, dating from 1572, steeped in a rich history, was as special as I had remembered it. I felt very nostalgic returning there but also very blessed to have been able to call this small treasure of Languedoc Rousillon 'my home', even if just for a moment in time.

 The Wednesday produce market bustled for a mid February day with much to tempt us, including wine and preserves from the local nuns, still blessing us with the hand-made fruits of their labours!

As we strolled the worn, cobbled streets, below the magnificent, golden arches surrounding Uzès' Place aux Herbes, none of it had lost its appeal, its warmth or vibrancy, my memories had not deceived me! Trodden by visitors and locals for centuries and hopefully to be preserved and remain unchanged for centuries to come.

The street we had lived on stirred great emotion.

And 'our' pretty little house 'Masion Sept', where I so longed to be able to turn the door handle but was no longer entitled to. A reminder of how life is a constantly changing rhythm of kaleidoscope moments. Even when something truly belongs to us, nothing stays the same forever, time like a seamstress, specialises in altering and mending. Doors open and close, seasons change, life evolves and it is up to each of us to choose which openings to walk through, which paths to tread, which perspectives and attitudes to embrace, no matter what is thrown at our feet and who to include on our journey with us.

The country lane I used to hurry along on my morning walks

Just below the beautiful famous landmark of Uzès, La Tour Fenestrelle, and cathedral

Final images of Uzès, to imprint on my mind and add to my already overflowing collection of reminicsences.

Download The Uzès, Travel Guide for Uzès and the surrounding regions of Languedoc Roussillon and Provence.

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“Parlez-vous français?” - “Oui, un petit peu” - was my response when I arrived in Uzès in January before I had began learning French. By the time I left at the end of May I was able to truthfully answer the same question a little differently:
“Oui, je parle français, si vous parlez lentement” - 'Yes, if you speak slowly!!'

The improvement, (although there is still much work required!) is in large part due to my delightful and endlessly patient French teacher, Maryse, who greatly helped me my learning french more than anything gave me the confidence to speak, however incorrectly and however terrible my pronunciation! Twice weekly, 3 of us struggling students gathered in her petit salon where we were gently encouraged to listen, repeat and often just share whatever came to mind. Maybe that was the key to our progress, no worrying about conjugating verbs or whether the noun required a ‘le’ or a ‘la’, we just chatted, searching our limited vocabulary for a word that would fit, stumbling often but conversing none the less and laughing as we did so. My fellow classmates, as anxious as I to improve their learning french became my new friends. Interesting people with different life journeys, from California, Sweden, Australia and Britain, bound together by our shared love of France and our joy at being able to live there, even if just for a moment.

It was with great sadness I bade then 'au revoir', yet I knew it was just that, an ‘au revoir’, for I would certainly be returning to this beautiful region and to Uzès. Uzès, the "Premier Duchy of France," in the Gard region of Languedoc Rousillon, southern France, just 45 km west of the magnificent and now much beloved medieval papal city of Avignon and 25 km north of the Roman stronghold of Nimes.

Uzès, this enchanting bastide rooted in a rich history had seduced me with its charm and authenticity. Its ancient, winding cobbled streets, its elegant squares, shaded by gently worn, golden, stone, shuttered buildings.
The glorious Ducal Castle, cathedral, and renaissance mansions. At its heart, Place-aux-Herbes, dominated and sheltered by the broad leaves of long ago established sycamore trees. Place-aux-Herbes fringed with its splendid arches, offering an array of enticing restaurants, many now old favorites, 'Pizza du duche', 'A Cote', 'Le Terroir' and 'Zanelli', where one could sit and enjoy the chatter and bustle and gentle sound of the Places’ glorious fountain. Place-aux-Herbes, host to carnival, the annual truffle fare, art fares, pottery exhibitions, brocants and renowned twice-weekly regional markets. Marchés, which had become such a part of my routine; smiling locals with linens, ribbons, baskets, and flowers, cheese makers, olive growers, and an abundance of fresh produce.
Uzès, with its unique, beguiling atmosphere to which I would always be bound had given me the feeling of having lived one hour, one day, one moment, back in time...........

Download The Uzès, Travel Guide for Uzès and the surrounding regions of Languedoc Roussillon and Provence.

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Life perspectives change maybe just like the seasons. Right now Uzès is bursting into life. The new leaves have gently uncurled, already beginning to form their natural canopy of shade along the streets and in Place aux Herbs. Shops and restaurants, previously closed are opening everywhere and there has been an influx of people for the Easter weekend. It is fun to watch them stroll across the Place aux Herbs, so obviously tourists with their ‘holiday garb', clutching cameras with that familiar look of curiosity and exploration. Probably looking just as I did when I arrived and probably to the real locals still look!

We have a whole weekend to enjoy together. Chris’ recovery from surgery has been
excellent and smooth, right from when the ambulance drove him home and the nightmare of the previous 3 weeks has begun to fade. As so often in life when you are immersed in a drama it seems never ending and then almost as quickly as it turned you life upside down it is over and things gradually resume to normal leaving you with some scars and bruises, the lesson being that nothing lasts forever, good or bad. Our dear friend Kristen, from California, has come and gone. For 5 days she sprinkled her joy and friendship arriving with her grandmother’s WWII nurse's uniform to help tend the patient!

 Together, in-between ‘hospital duty’ we revisited many of my favorite spots, Les Baux en Provence, Pont du Gard and Avignon. Seeing these sights through others eyes, what they notice and comment upon and equally what they don’t see is fascinating.

Pondering this whilst sipping a coffee outside the Palais des Papes as Kristin was doing the tour, (I declined, a 3^rd time in one month seemed excessive!!) As I stirred by cappuccino I first reflected on the very many different ways the French served their coffee. Each time I thought I was ordering the same thing and each time ‘quelle surprise’, so many different interpretations! Café crème, café au-lait, café longue, never mind espressos, americanos, cappuccinos, all presented in a myriad of ways depending on where you ordered and yet not a Starbucks in sight, phew ‘quelle délivrance’! Café crème for instance could come with frothed milk, too much milk, too little milk, with whipped cream, without, in a tall glass, in a mug, or in a cup with a saucer. A plethora of different presentations.

In some regard a bit like the people I was watching in the square in front of me. All the same and yet all uniquely different. Many clad in the ‘uniform’ of jeans, but adorned slightly differently, sneakers, ballet flats, boots and heels. With scarves, without, sporting hats or not, smiling, scowling, looking absorbed or perplexed or bored or just exhausted.
Most posing for photos outside a world famous landmark, which they had travelled far and wide to marvel at. A moment held in time to be secreted away, uploaded, downloaded and stored in a private collection of memories. Some to be printed and lovingly mounted, included in a carefully crafted album of vacation reminiscences along with the ticket admission stubs, postcards and other vignettes of treasured travels. Others merely stored within in the bowels of a personal PC, photo collections maybe to be glanced at once or maybe not at all. People doing the same thing but all so different, just like my coffee experiences all different but yet the same. Different people on different days, playing the tourist. Relishing the experience or letting it pass by like a dandelion puff that blows almost unseen in the air right in front of our eyes, sometimes to be captured and noticed sometimes not. The rich tapestry of an every day tourist day unfolding in front of my eyes……

Download The Uzès, Travel Guide for Uzès and the surrounding regions of Languedoc Roussillon and Provence.

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A medical crisis in Uzes is not something I had anticipated. I never expected to have to learn such french words as 'infirmière’, ‘douleur’, ‘ordonnance’, 'chirurgie’ - nurse, pain, prescription, surgery… There are of course other words which have a much easier translation - 'agonie', 'hôpital', 'le médecin'.
The distressing reason for my newly acquired increased vocabulary is that 'mon pauvre mari' was admitted to hospital with a slipped disc.

The hospital has been fine and we have managed to understand each other with our combined ‘franglais’. Today he moves to a private clinic for possible surgery. Although very upsetting and worrying and a medical crisis in Uzes is not an experience we would ever have sought, we have faith in the care he is receiving and trust all will be well.
Even this horrid turn of events has not been able to dampen our enthusiasm for life
here. The fact that your own life is in crisis yet life around you continues, provides calm and reassurance that 'this too will pass'. The children's carnvial, laughing, chattering, excited voices, went ahead as scheduled in 'Place aux Herbes'.

The winding streets basking in the golden light, as more shops and businesses sping to life with the approach of Easter and the beginning of the influx of tourists. Driving to the hospital, albeit following an ambulance, stirred the heart. albiet I was in the middle of a medical crisis in Uzes Field after field of vines still showing no evidence of spring growth and silvery, green olive trees softened with the pink blossoms of cherry and almond orchards now in full bloom.

Spring has arrived in southern France, shutters have been flung back, windows opened, thick coats been replaced with shirts and blouses, sweaters tied carefully over shoulders and scarves everywhere! The streets have become even more crowded with chairs and people embracing the warmth of the spring sunshine. ‘Clio’ and I have discovered many ways to navigate the 45km journey to the hospital and have abandoned the AutoRoute for the gentler calm of the country lanes that twist and turn through the fields and actually get us there just as quickly but feeling calmer and more relaxed

My poor friend Michelle, having braved the long journey from California, was here throughout this medical crisis in Uzes. Although a real disappointment for her, I was so grateful of her support and to have a smiling face and an open bottle of wine to return home to each night from the hospital. Michelle even succeeded in making my birthday special despite everything, whisking me away to a stunning boutique hotel, a welcome evening of escape!
Most of our plans were abandoned replaced with different unwelcomed ones but those that constitute ‘real life’. Together we experienced the efficiencies of the French health system, nurses and doctors visiting the house, helpful pharmacists explaining drug procedures and everyone encouraging me on with their smiles and stoic words of encouragement ‘bon courage’, could there be a more appropriate phrase for me right now?

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