Early Saturday morning we walked to the Avignon Bus Station and caught the bus to Uzès, a small village 40 kms to the west. It is an old Roman Settlement that was the source of water for Roman Nimes and the famous Pont du Gard aqueduct to the east of Uzès was part of the supply infrastructure. This small town has had a long and turbulent history for one so small. Gauls, Romans, Jews, Moors, Goths and Cathars have called it home. Its latter day fame was for the fabric Serge which is still used today for making suits and high quality woman's fashion, though the industry no longer exist in Uzès. Its present day fame is for the Market held there every Saturday.
Local producers of fruit, veg, wine, liqueurs, confectionary, cheeses, cured meats, poultry, beef, pork, flowers, preserves, herbs/spices and essential oils crowd out the central Place aux Herbes and spill out it the spiderweb of streets that radiate from it. Clothes, shoes, manchester, kitchen and tableware are also well represented. The place is packed with customers and window shoppers and it is virtually impossible to get a car space to park in if you come late. We arrived early and sat at a small cafe in the main square and watched the mayhem before diving in. The clamour, the spiels, the music, the scents and aromas is a heady mix and a wonderful experience not to be missed if you are nearby on a Saturday.
We set off on Sunday our favourite travel day heading South. The plan was to stay overnight in Narbonne, which was only an hours drive. The Aire we picked to stay at was next to the Cultural Centre and across the road from a huge Carrefour Commercial Centre. It was also just a short walk into an interesting city. When we arrived the Aire was gone replaced by the partially constructed new football stadium. So we headed further South and ended up in Collioure, a small French fishing village just north of the Spanish border.
We were here two years ago and it is a beautiful place where you can just relax and chill. The town and surrounding hilltop is dominated by medieval fortresses. The town lies within the perimeter of the Chateau Royal Collioure and directly overlooking the town to the North is the Ancient Fort Miradou which is part of a modern military complex where French Army Commandoes are trained. The day we were there we saw them training in Zodiacs boats in the small harbour and hand to hand combat on the training field as we walked by. It was great just wandering through the cool and colourful streets again. Morning coffee by the harbour is not to be missed and the lunch was amazing and cheap.
We left Collioure and headed along the coast road into Spain. I say road but its more like a paved track on the French side. I'm convince 'D' Road in France means Diabolical. It's Stelvio without the width or elevation. Perilous drops, hairpin bends, blind corners, deformed surfaces and Margie freaking out when a bus or truck was coming from the opposite direction. And if that wasn't bad enough trees and buildings overhanging the road in every seaside village we drove through. Going by the damage it doesn't pay to live in a house on a corner here. We crossed into to Spain and suddenly the roads were better. The way was easygoing from there as the road is fairly straight to our next stop Roses on the Spanish Costa Brava.
This is one of our favourite GoTos in Spain. Its tucked into the northern curve of Gulf of Roses which stretches out like the letter C facing East. The town is nothing spectacular and the only antique structure of note is the ruins of a Renaissance Citadel that houses the ruins of a Medieval Church and a Ancient Greek settlement. The Romans lived on the other side of the C in L'Scala, but that's next week. Roses is a C side resort town with a long promenade on a beautiful bay with a vibrant laid-back atmosphere and great shops, bars and restaurants facing the Med. Great food and wine and a pleasant place to relax. But not in July or August.
We took a boat ride to the small fishing village of Cadaqués which has become famous as a haunt of many notable artist who spent time there, notably Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Whitewash and terracotta dominate the steep landscape and narrow warped cobbled pathways meander through cool shaded alleys to balconies that overlook spectacular views. The surrounding waters of Cap de Crus are a scuba divers paradise. We headed back to our little corner of paradise in Roses and just relaxed until it was time we headed for the other side of the C.
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