Road less traveled, Wednesday

To Uzes, Orange, and Avignon

On the road less traveled to Uzes, a small well kept village recommended by my French partners/friends/drinking buddies, a sweeping story about green emerged, 

varying hues, shapes, heights, textures with vineyards (of course!), thick leaved rounded polygonal bushes, open fields, lone trees, intermittent copses, deep reaching forests. 

In the margins on either side of that story, stood small villages, stone fences, houses, old and new, warehouses, medieval and modern. 

Bright red fields of poppies punctuated the story, sometimes thick with red points, 

 sometimes sparse.

I began the trip with my head down in the cockpit looking at my smartphone for navigation. Mistake/no need. Beauty lifted my eyes out: set down the device, and paid attention to signs. Wonder of wonders, arrived Uzes. Here's the town square:

Statue in the square admires a hen atop the structure. Eggs are a critical part of French cuisine. Is this why she's up there?

View from the cafe, villagers walking by engaged in their day to day. Chatting. Didn't understand a word. Felt like I was afloat in a world I don't understand, bobbing up and down, hanging on to a couple pieces of wood that keep me bobbing up and down with the surface, head above water. Even surrounded by English speakers, am still not understanding much. However, am refreshed by the ducking that comes from time to time. Have come to be okay with that.

Lunch at Pont du Gard, an aqueduct built by the Romans in 1st century to supply the Roman city of Nimes. Was down pretty much right beside the river. The view downriver:

View upriver

Dining companion was Cerberus, the dog, guardian of the river, used to be an olive tree. Very well behaved, quiet and watchful.

Then, in a nod to my fricky dicky Dutchness, I had to go see Orange, the town that belonged to William of Orange, considered the Father of the Netherlands. It's this title that led the Dutch to go crazy with the color orange. Also known as William the Silent.

This guy looks like he's straight out of a painting by Goya. The eyes. 

A light orange facade with light blue window doors in Orange.

 Let me finish with a view from a beer at the Village Centre in Orange. After Orange, ended up in Avignon, where a Catholic saga of parallel Popes played out. Tough mix: religion and politics. Peace to you.