Saturday was our transfer day from Avignon to the Villa under the wonderful care of Phillipe. Phillipe and his wife own the apartment where we stayed in Avignon. And Phillipe has been our driver and tour guide on Sat. and will continue to take care of as we explore Provence. He is a gem!

But, with suitcases packed and groceries bagged, we set off to explore the countryside on our way to the villa. our first stop was Nimes to see the Roman collosseum. Apparently it is better preserved than the collosseum in Rome, but I couldn’t tell you that from experience because we never made it inside. This weekend they were having a Cleopatra extravagance with multiple performers dressed in costume. It would have been such fun, but we had our schedule so after finding the ATM, off we went. I am so glad that we were not navigating the streets ourselves… traffic, traffic, ROAD CONSTRUCTUION similar to the “Big Dig” as they are installing a whole new tram system in Nimes, and crazy fast round abouts everywhere!

Next stop was Uzes for the market. Josie and Joan, our head chef and treasurer, were in charge of most meal planning and grocery shopping so they had a list of fresh produce to purchase at the market. The rest of us just savoured our coffee at one of the little shops and then wandered around enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the market. I haven’t looked at a map to see exactly where Uzes is located, but it is such a delightful picturesque village. It still has the feel of a medieval town with old architecture winding stone streets. I would have loved to spend most of the day there, even without the market, to explore and soak in the ambiance. 

 

 
Leaving Uzes we stopped at a typical Fench bakery for baguettes, croissants, quiche and all things yummy!!

  Our last stop on Philippe’s tour was another Roman ruin Pont de Gard, the very large Roman aqueduct situated in a large natural park area. We had less than an hour there but it was so very lovely, it was worth the effort to get there and see the aqueduct in person.

The countryside has been lovely. Provence is gentle and agricultural so we passed many vineyards, orchards and olive groves. We learned on Sunday that Provence was a separate area, not under control of the French King. Therefore the local royalty had great power and it kept the area more Medieval and it was reflected in the architecture and the agriculture. And so late in the afternoon on Saturday we arrived at Moulin de la Roque … “Mill by the Cliff.” We are in one of the buildings known as “Les Cigales” or “the cicadas,” with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We learned today that our building was originally the warehouse for the grain. So the heavy  ceiling beams are original, but the other rooms and walls were completed much later. 

We didn’t know any of the history when we first arrived. We just enjoyed our first toast and wonderful fresh fish dinner in Les Cigales.