A trip to the other side

Sounds kind of ominous doesn’t it? Kind of like shifting over to the dark side or riding the rails with Lucifer. In reality, all we did was take a trip through memory lane over to the west of the Rhone.

We started with the market in Bagnols sur Ceze. Anybody counting markets? This is a market that we frequented when we stayed at Peter & Margaret’s first home, Mas de Viales. This is a good place to find all of the essentials and lots more to which Dawn can attest.

Because of the nuclear recycling facility at Marcoule, there has been a huge influx of residents into Bagnols from former French colonies in the north of Africa. This market is therefore teeming with Muslims. I found many of the younger Muslim ladies to be extremely fashionable.

From Bagnols sur Ceze, we drove up over the hills to the Mas de Viales and had a short visit with the new owner, Anne. She’s done some upgrading here, like a new roof and restuccoed walls, but otherwise, the rest of the place looks the same.

Then, we drove to another old stomping ground, Uzes. The smaller market here was finished when we arrived, so both parking and walking were much more enjoyable.
We found a nice spot in the church parking lot and had our first French pique nique.
Uzes, despite its location on the west side of the Rhone, is considered a hot Provence tourist destination. A walk through its streets is never dull.

Finally, we crossed back to the right side, which is actually the left bank of the Rhone. Our drive took us through the vineyards of Tavel and Chateauneuf du Pape. Quel dommage!
Back at the ranch, we enjoyed the breeze on the terrace with lots of rose wine.
Dinner tonight was in-house with pork brochettes and lots more time on the terrace eating up the fabulous Cotes du Rhone views.