Wednesday, July 04, 2007

THE GARD PROVENÇAL...

PONT DU GARD / UZÈS - MAY 2005

The «Gard Provençal» is the land between Provence and the Languedoc hills.
The main monument of the Gard region is the world known Pont du Gard, one of the wonders of antiquity. The site where the Pont du Gard stands is inhabited since thousands of years ago and there are three important caves there, though not open to the public: Balauziere, Salpêtriere and Sartanette grottos!



"THE PONT DU GARD - 2000 years ago over 1000 people worked for 5 years on the construction of the aqueduct to transport water from the Eure spring near Uzès to Nîmes, a distance of over 50 kilometres. The splendid arches across the river Gardon of the Pont du Gard, located between Avignon and Nimes, are the most well-preserved section of the aqueduct. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985, the Pont du Gard is the most visited antique site in France, with over one million two hundred thousand visitors per year"

***

Uzès is a town located about 23 km northeast of Nîmes, and 11 kilometres from Pont du Gard. A 1st century temple to the first Roman Emperor, Octavian Augustus, is known in Uzès. The civilized and tolerant urban life of 5th-century town contrasted with the Frankish north. Later, in the 13th century, Uzès hosted a small community of Jewish scholars, as well as a community of Cathars. Furthermore, the title of duc d'Uzès is the premier title in the peerage of France (First Duke of France), coming right after the princes. It was his job to cry out, «Le Roi est mort. Vive le Roi!» at each state funeral, as well as defend the honour of the Queen Mother. The title of seigneur d'Uzès is attested in a charter of 1088.


"TOUR FENESTRELLE - The 11th century Romanesque «Window Tower», with its paired windows, is probably the most famous icon of the city"


"MARKET - Its colourful and highly renowned Saturday market is filled with many regional products. It is said to be the most beautiful French Market. If you're a truffle lover, prepare your wallet (cash only, 1500 Euro/kilo) for the famous Truffle Market in season (December through February). Otherwise, taste a truffle omelette at a local restaurant..."


"THE DUCHY - The castle of the Duke. There are some funny stories about the family: the Duchesse d'Uzès was in 1896 the first woman to be granted a driving licence; the same year, she was arrested by the police (on foot) in the Bois de Boulogne for exceeding the speed limit, then 15 km/h and sentenced by the police court to a fine of 1 franc. She was also the single heir of Mrs. Cliquot, better known as Veuve Cliquot for her champagne..."

21 comments:

Aditi said...

Its amazing to think that a man made structure like those arches have survived such a long time...

kuanyin333 said...

You sure have a great lifestyle!

JaamZIN said...

I love these old buildings..especially the roman ones!

Peter said...

Well, you are still in the region of France I know the best. Happy you visited it and can (of course) confirm all your statements.

All the small villages around Usèz are charming and getting extremely popular. Prices for a house or a flat are now on the level of Luberon. (Sometimes I - hate to -think about the fact that I was offered to buy a small piece of land close to Baux de Provence in 1968 - for almost "nothing", but was too poor even to pay "nothing"!!)

Truffel is delicious, but in small doses (fortunately, if you consider the price for it)!

Best regards to your wife! She is really part of your blog!

lyliane six said...

Thank you, for all the information left on my blog, they supplement my beautiful voyage In Mad�ra
You make known the good things of France.
I swam in Gard, under the bridge, there is much dangerous movement.

Peter said...

Like Lyliane, I have also been swimming under the bridge! Refreshing a hot summer day!

By the way, the first times I visited Pont du Gard, you were still allowed to cross the bridge on the top level (and the road was still open for normal through traffic). Not very secure - and not allowed anymore! Anyhow, I survived, as you may guess.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

isn't that expensive for truffle....i like it but not as much to spend money like that.....:)

Shionge said...

You are so well travelled and gave insightful briefing too :D

I love sunday markets when I was in Europe.....:D

Lori said...

That aqueduct is amazing! That's really something to see! Thanks for showing us.

lv2scpbk said...

The weather looks great there and looks like your wife is having a really good time at the market.

Lara said...

great skies, great buildings, great pictures. and for sure, always a nice story!

Ele ^_^ said...

Il pont du gard è davvero una bellissima costruzione, molto simile all'acquedotto romano che c'è a Roma! Sembra molto bello anche il castello con lo stemma sul tetto!
P.s: Ho aggiunto il tuo link sul mio blog.. a presto ^^

Kunterbunt said...

Pont du Gard, that's a Roman masterpiece. I was very impressed when I saw it for the first time.

Re: thanks for missing my photos.
Why not Vista? I'm not the only one. I think a lot of programmes will not run on Vista. You have to buy them all again (that's what they want, I think). But not me ... I'm happy with XP.

Cuckoo said...

SO much Roman it is.

Lovely skies. Lovely structures and so lovely is your wife !!

Thanks Gil, for showing me the world thru your camera. Not able to post anything on my travel blog though I have many. Just been somehow managing my main blog.

Anonymous said...

woow we dont have 1st century temple.
thats amazing!!!
wat are they selling behind your wife??
i can see only your wife lol

isa said...

What glorious photos of the Pont du Garde! Boggles the mind to think it was built 2000 years ago - still so nicely preserved...

Ah, yes, the Sunday markets...truffles or not, I miss them!

Annie said...

Oh, I was once so close but didn't get to see these sights. It's a delight to find them here, to remind me of what I missed and why I must return to this area, soon.

Anonymous said...

extremely beautiful there - love the Roman architecture.

Neva said...

That structure is amazing! You know quite abit about what you photograph. Nicely done.

Ash said...

Such wonderful buildings....thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Sorry everybody, I took another weekend at the beach in Algarve and was too lazy to carry a laptop... Anyhow, I'm back!

Aditi,
Zsolt,
Piika,
Ash,
It’s actually amazing the amount of lovely and well preserved structures we still have in Europe from Roman times!

Kuanyin,
Thanks. I take it as a compliment…

Peter,
Thanks for confirming. It’s probably better to avoid talking about prices in Provence and nearby regions… either for land or for truffles. It’s a shame that you didn’t manage to buy that piece at Les Baux, surely one of my favourite villages in Provence; and I’ll post two or three pictures of it on one of the next posts… Swimming under the Pont must have been an exciting experience!

Lilyane,
It was a pleasure to see your posts on Madeira. Loved and enjoyed to add some further information...

Moi,
Well, truffles are rare, so the cost… Anyhow, can you imagine the work (and cost) of training all those pigs (and dogs) to find them in the wood. Not a piece of cake (or chocolate)...

Shionge,
Thanks. Markets are usually a great excitement; the problem is that in some places they’re being evicted by supermarkets...

Lori,
You’re welcome!

Lv2
The weather was great at the end of May, and we managed to avoid the summer crowds; that was an additional reason for the happiness...

Lara,
Thanks. Much appreciated.

Ele^_^
Ci sembrano essere tanti acquedotti a Roma... State parlando del Parco degli Acquedotti, del Palatino o di un altro che io non conosco? Il castello del Duca
Grazie per il link!

April,
I fully agree on the Pont! Thanks for the hint on Vista!

Cuckoo,
Thanks for the comment. I’ve also enjoyed the posts on your main blog!

Niki,
They are selling vegetables, but not truffles; too late, May...

Isabella,
Thanks. I can imagine you (packing a bunch of banknotes and) enjoying those truffles on winter Sunday markets... ;)

Annie,
For sure you should go back and visit this particular area; it’s lovely...

Neva,
Thanks for the nice comment!

Again, sorry for being late in answering, and thanks a lot for your visits, comments and support.