Pont du Gard

In the past few months I've had the opportunity to see and be impressed by many of Mother Nature's creations.  I've also had to chance to see many man-made structures that have been equally as impressive. Close or at the top of the list for those structures made by man would have to be Pont du Gard,  which we visited last Saturday. 

Pont du Gard is a 2000 year old Roman aqueduct bridge that is part of an aqueduct that runs from a spring  to the city of Nimes more than 30 miles away. In Roman times the aqueduct supplied about 44 million gallons of water per day to Nimes which at the time had a population of around 50,000. The actual bridge aqueduct is a tremendous work of art and engineering, not taking into account the roughly 31 miles of aqueduct that was built underground, tunneled through solid rock and also smaller bridges above ground.

Pont du Gard - 160 feet from the top to the river below.

A trail will take you to a point that provides a nice view of the aqueduct and countryside

Tunnel next to the aqueduct bridge - water continued through here towards Nimes

Notice the protruding blocks that were used for scaffolding during construction

18th century bridge built right next to the aqueduct. 

2nd level archway

The top were the water flowed - no water now and no admittance either.

An impressive sight from all directions

The bridge itself consists of 3 tiers of receding arches with the top tier consisting of the actual aqueduct in which the water flowed towards Nimes. Immediately after the water passed through Pond du Gard it then passed through a tunnel hammered out of solid rock, which would have been no easy task just by itself.

All the stones for the bridge were quarried, cut and put into place with only the tools and technology available during the time. The stones, some of them weighing 6 tons were cut to such exact specifications that mortar was not used in the construction of the bridge. 

From a distance or standing next to this bridge it would be hard for anyone not to appreciate what it took to build it and just the fact that it has survived nearly 2000 years. It is no surprise that Pont du Gard is one of the top 5 tourist destinations in all of France. 

Return trip....

On Saturday we made a return trip west of Avignon to check out some areas we didn't have time to see during our trip last week. First we stopped in the village of Castillon-du-Gard mainly just to get out, stretch our legs and give Rudy a chance to walk off some of his excess energy.

Like many in the region, this small village is built on a hill surrounded by vineyards with quite a few summer vacation homes in and around the area. We walked the dog, or should I say he walked us through the nicely kept streets of this quiet little town.

Street leading to the center of town 

The village Post Office 

Pont du Gard in the distance - this impressive display of human engineering was our next stop. 

Residential entrance-looks super solid at least from the outside. I think the Three Little Pigs would feel quite safe here

After our walk we jumped back into the car and made the short drive to our main point of interest, Pont du Gard. This is an old Roman era aquaeduct that has to be one of the most impressive man made structures I've seen since arriving here. I'll post photos of Pont du Gard later and leave you with some photos from our visit to Castillon-du-Gard. Already Sunday afternoon here and Rudy wants to go for another walk, so out the door we go.

A nice archway with a dog fountain to the right.

See...it actually is a dog fountain..at least for Rudy

Walking tour....

Full Moon April 6 - The moon had risen well into the night sky when the clouds gave way long enough to take this photo.

 Cloudy and cool most of the week here in the valley with springtime weather giving way to cooler temps and more raindrops. We haven't had alot of rain but those clouds keep hanging around giving us some sprinkles just about every day. Earlier in the week and during a nice, sunny afternoon we took a short trip up into the Grand Luberon range just south of Apt. We stopped south of the little village of Buoux for a short hike along a small creek that was flowing with some clear and cold water. Rudy took full advantage of the water by fetching sticks we had thrown in for him to retrieve.

From there we pointed the car towards Sivergues which is a small, remote village we had also visited in the fall of last year. However, this time we really put the walking shoes to the test and started our ascent out of town and further into the Luberon hills. There were some really nice views in all directions and as always Rudy led the way during our journey. We ended our walk were the gravel road turned into just a trail that leads up and over the range. Of course I wanted to continue but Rudy and Alicia were much too tired to continue so I was over-ruled by a 2 to 1 majority..  :-)  

Our landlord Bernard says more clouds and rain are forecast for the weekend so I'm not sure what the travel plans will be. Hopefully we'll get some parting of the clouds that will allow us to get out and hit the road again to some of those sights and places yet to be seen. 

Another stop above Sivergues with a panoramic view - Apt in the valley below

Near Buoux - A brave soul climbing the rocks

At the end of our walk above Sivergues 

A newly planted field of lavender on a plateau above Apt and below the Luberon range

A big chunk of rock we stopped to admire during our walk up from Sivergues

Rudy "fetching" one of the many sticks thrown into the water.

Uzes....

Saint-Theodorit Cathedrale

Saturday was a full house with Katie and the girls visiting here and they also brought along their newest addition to the family, a 9 week old Jack Russell Terrier. I was a little concerned how Rudy would welcome a new puppy friend into the house but he was good with the little pup during his visit. Good thing we have tile floors here since he's not quite house trained yet.

After our company departed for home on Sunday afternoon we decided to take a road trip to destinations unknown. After pointing the car towards the west we found ourselves in Avignon and Alicia remembered reading about a town called Uzes somewhere west of Avignon. After driving around the city we saw a road sign that pointed to the direction of Uzes so off to the west we continued until we arrived there about 40 minutes later. 

Both of us (Rudy included) were pleasantly surprised by how nice the area seemed to be. The city dates back to the Roman Era when the area was first used for an encampment or settlement. Throughout the Middle Ages much of the city was destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again with many of the buildings today built in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. There are a few buildings remaining though that date back  all the way back to the 11th century. 

The city has those typical narrow French streets that are lined with all kinds of different shops and since it was a nice day outside those streets were full of people. Uzes is famous for its Saturday market which we missed but they were having a small market on Sunday with vendors selling all kinds of pottery from the region. Of course many restaurants were open and with the weather being as nice as it was, many were taking the opportunity to dine outdoors as most people in France like to do. 

Teddy Bear security team watching out over the shop below. 

Cafe on the main street through town 

Be the first to test drive one of these 2012 models.

Duche Palace 

A nice little wine shop in Uzes

Cathedrale 

Some of the pottery from the region on display

Market on the square

Today (Monday) is a holiday in France so it was another day for traveling. We stayed fairly close and decided to head south into and around the Vaucluse range. I've posted some photos taken in Uzes and I will post some photos of our trip today later in the week. Lots of walking today in those hills....somebody's legs are tired. 

Maubec...

Thursday evening - rain clouds on the horizon.

Today is already Friday and it seems the week came and went very quickly. Lots of clouds and cooler temperatures the past few days with a few raindrops but no downpours yet. I've been planning on trying to get some moon photos but the clouds last night made that impossible so I'm hoping tonight we'll have a break in the clouds so I can at least attempt a few. Those lunar photos are quite tricky as you have to have the right shutter speed and aperture settings to even have a chance at getting anything of quality. When the moon is rising it does move quite quickly so a tripod is an absolute must or you will be left with one big round blur. Here's to hoping those clouds exit the valley for awhile, at least for the early part of the evening.

A couple of weeks ago we visited the small village of Maubec that sits on the western edge and in the shadows of the Luberon range. We had been within a mile of two of the town numerous times but had never stopped to take the walking tour. Maubec sits on a small and narrow ridge with an old wall still surrounding most of the village. The houses are very well taken care of with most being restored and in very good shape. The area is also known for its wine and vineyards dot the landscape below this quaint little town.

Road leading into Maubec

Residence in the middle of town.

I wanted to knock on the door of this place and ask for a tour. 

I'm sure they have some nice views on their back porch.

Clock tower in the middle of town

Clock tower. Part of the wall around the city built into the natural rock formations.

One of the roads through the village turns into this path as you exit the town.

Apt market...

A closer look at the cherry blossoms 

The vineyard with the cherry grove in the background

I mentioned in my last entry that we visited the Apt market Saturday morning. This market draws hundreds of people every weekend that do their shopping as well as discover things they just can't live without. Most of the center of the town is blocked off to car traffic allowing everyone to leisurely walk the streets and browse all that is offered from the numerous vendors and businesses.

It was last week that the cherry trees in this region really started to blossom and show their colors. When I arrived here last August I just saw alot of trees, not knowing really what kind they were. Of course you really take notice when those trees start to bloom those white colored flowers that dot the landscape.  Although not as abundant as cherry and olive trees there are alot of fig trees that grow here. I did pick my fair share of figs last year and I must say they are very tasty right off the tree.

After a sunny and warm weekend the weather has shifted to a lower gear here today with cooler temps and at times it looks like rain. I know the farmers need some rain here after what was a dry winter...hopefully they will get some of that precipitation soon.

Those are some BIG chunks of cheese. They say France has a different kind of cheese for every day of the year. Actually, I think it's more than that. 

Need some olives? Whole olives or mashed olives...take your pick. 

Soaps of all colors and scents.