Our First Week - March 16th, to Sunday, March 22nd, 1st Markets

We have ventured forth several days this week....not wanting to just stay in the house.  The weather has not been the best, being cool and raining off and on many days!  We have had one sunny day, and two days with a bit of sunshine!

The Pont du Gard
One, rainy day we took off to go to see the Pont du Gard...a stone bridge & aqueduct, over the Gordon river, about 25 minutes from here.  The bridge/aqueduct itself is quite impressive...it is built of limestone, and, of course, we knew it was quite old...being a rainy day, we visited the museum.  It was shockingly impressive!  The bridge dates back, from before Christ!!  Approx. a century BC, and then, updated by the Romans!  The Romans evidently figured out how to use limestone mortar to build.  The limestone is quarried a few miles from the bridge, and either floated down to the bridge site, or hauled in by cart!
   More importantly, the top layer of the bridge is an aqueduct, bringing water from the mountains, to the town of Uzes, and the entire area nearby.  The aqueduct on top is closed most of the time, but if there was too much water, it would spill out and over the bridge.
   Amazing! Napoleon needed more room to crowd the bridge, so he built additions at the base to be able to move his supplies and troops more easily!  Simply amazing!
   The aqueduct has not been in use since the early 1900's; and the bridge is one of France's beaux sites, and has been declared a World Heritage site, as well.

St Remy du Provence
On Wednesday, it was sunny, very cool, and blustery day, we headed to our first outdoor market in St. Remy du Provence.  It is a weekly market in the middle of the town...full of color, and vendors with tents that they set up about 7:30 to 8:00 am., and promptly remove at 12:00 noon!  But, of course, they must break everything down to go to lunch!!!  Everything stops for lunch!
   The market wanders from a central location in town, down the stone streets and into another little stone square.  We are lucky in getting parking spots since people come and go.  But here, we saw vendors with:  Colorful woven market baskets, clothing, linens, jewelry, fruit and vegetables, olives, lavender, cheese, breads, pastries, spices in open burlap sacks, original watercolors of Provence, furniture, fish vendors and butchers.  ALL Fresh!  Fruits and veggies are from France, Spain, Israel, Morroco, Tunesia...all over the globe!  There were 2 vendors who also had antiques.
   A bit shocking was the whole skinned rabbits in the butcher cases!  The fish vendor had everything from huge scallops, 20 different kinds of fish (fresh water and salt water), shrimp, skate, squid, mussels and oysters!  One of the vendors sold nothing but oysters, and there were about 6 different kinds!

We had a lovely Plat du Jour lunch on the main square, of brochette of beef, polenta, and a mixed vegetable side of zucchini and green beans.   Bruce had a salad as big as a dinner plate with olives, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, ham, and lots of other things!   A little wine, and bread, and who needs dessert!?

We eat heavier at lunch, and lighter at dinner.  I bought a roasted chicken at the Charcutrie.  For a two days we had chicken and salad for dinner.  Then, I bought  fresh vegetables for soup from our market (marche) on Friday!...a real challenge was trying to figure out what kind of vegetable stock I would use for the soup, every word on the box is in French...and about 20 different kinds!  HA!  Took me at least 20 minutes!  Anyway, the soup was fabulous!  Much thicker vegetable stock than we have, but VERY tasty!

A successful week!  We have been to the supermarket most days, but prefer to buy our fruits, veggies and meat/fish from the outdoor markets.  Most of the things that we buy at the market are for the house.
Bruce's first purchase was a car vacuum!....his car buddies will love that!

Observations
- The markets, especially on sunny days on the weekends, are PARTIES!!!  They are a riot of color, great food odors, and people, who dress up a bit for the fun!  Many people go out to lunch on those days!  A place to see and be seen!  Everyone is out for a good time!

-DON'T TRUST THE GPS!!!!  The navigation systems are in valuable, but they take you through the COW PATHS!!!!!  We have gone down more dirt roads, through forests with hunters, and followed tractors to the bigger roads....(please read 2 lane roads, because NO roads are as big as Jamboree road in Ca.!)

- Although our village is smaller, and not fancy, the larger town of Uzes, on market day, is a bit fancier!  More blonde women, and women who looked like they were from Paris...jewelry, very fine clothing and handbags, etc.

- Except for pure tourist spots, DO NOT try to go out to lunch on Sunday, without a reservation!  You will be turned away!  Families all go out to lunch,...Mama, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, and kiddies!  Young and Old!  All together for at least a good 2 hour lunch!

- EVERY young child is picked up from school at about 11:30 to 12:00 for lunch!  They ALL walk home, holding hands with their parent/grandparent!  Every child hold hands!  Even older children walk holding hands with their parents...perhaps, up to about age 13 or 14!  It is very dear!

Lots of Love!
Irene, Bruce, Easy and Breezy