Dr Janet Hall

French Instalment 4 – A Day in the Village of Uzes

Dr Jan’s Trip June July 2010  

French Instalment  4   – A Day in the Village of Uzes  

Wednesday is produce market in Uzes. We set out early expecting a “bunfight” but were pleasantly surprised to find the Place Des Herbes (the main square) only scattered with stalls and shoppers.

The Place is harboured by tall and old trees so one is protected from the sun. We ate a croissant (you could bring your own in a paper bag…don’t try that at home!) and had coffee at an outdoor cafe.

It was heart-warming to see the folks catching up and greeting with not 2 but 3 kisses on the cheek.

Sadly the cigarette smoke was invasive –even sitting outside. I think this is how French women stay thin – they smoke instead of eating. You sure do see some hot mummas with baby in pusher – mum wearing 4 inch heels!

You should have seen the olives stall server too – what a stunner – and as John says – when they say Bonjour in their sing-song dulcet tones – you just have to buy.

Johnny was delighted to be at a market and chose very carefully –duck breasts, mushrooms, snow peas and potatoes for our first meal at home in our spacious apartment. We have decided to be more adventurous about cheeses this trip and have now a soft cheese made from sheep’s milk to try.

We spent the morning on our computers –easy to do because our main living room has a wide and full -length window with an outlook on the fabulous park that our complex is in, so it feels like you are sitting outside.

A lunch on the balcony patio of cheese and terrine, black market olives and salad and a bottle of Bordeaux and we deserved a siesta indeed.

In the afternoon we took our computers up to the Place Albert by the fountain and hooked up with the free Wifi.  A coffee, perier and Rose kept us lubricated whilst we did our emails in-between looking at the folks around and passing by.

We meandered home whilst window-shopping through the Place des Herbes – lovely local gifts and clothes displayed with charm. A quick stop at the Shopi supermarket for more wine and the essential toilet and kitchen paper and home to plan our day In Nimes tomorrow and eat the terrific duck dinner which John produced with flair.

It doesn’t get dark till about 9.30 so we continued to enjoy the light in the park and enjoy our wine.

France Enjoyment

Tuesday morning wakened to a lovely sunny day though the Mistral wind blows and blows unexpectedly – caution with putting the washing on the balcony.
Jan went to the Boulangerie to buy the almond croissant for her and Johnny’s chocolate au pain.
So good to make our own coffee in the filter machine and sit on the expansive balcony overlooking the beautiful parklands and view of the swimming pool we may not get to use as it is just not hot enough yet.
Then we set out for the wondrous 2,000 years old Roman aqueduct – The Pont Du Gard. John felt tingles down his spine as we first saw this huge and stately edifice over the serene river.We were glad to be there in early summer as apparently there are 15,000 visitors a day later!
We enjoyed walking across the lower bridge to the swimming bank where John took the kind of scenic photos he delights in. Have realised Jan is just the ”make a pic of me or us snap kindofgirl”.
The documentary film was so funny – more like a French romance – but we enjoyed the wet roman bath t-shirt display, the legionnaires marching and the portrayal of relaxing by the river over the centuries.
We enjoyed our first beer in France at the restaurant which overlooks the bridge. Then home to have the cheese and ham and tomato with the delicious French bread which is like cake to us! After our siesta we visited the tourist bureau and then tried to get service in the internet cafe but the chap was far too busy on his mobile phone. Luckily I noticed that the cafe was a free wifi spot so later we could check our email on our own computer at our leisure and at no cost!
(Pity the tourist bureau hadn’t told us of that option but the French way is to only offer information when asked! Bit hard when you don’t know the question…)
Our local Shopi supermarket was open hooray (it was closed on Monday due to inventory check) so we could collect our “necessoire’s” but held off on the produce because weds am is the Uzes market.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a restaurant on the ring road. Jan chose well with the Marget duck – a thick breast, tender and juicy. John’s entrecote not so quite…Are we having fun yet we ask??? 
You bet!

France sojourn 2

France sojourn 2.

Our 2^nd day at the Hotel and Restaurant called Le Clos de Vouge at the duck pond mill was a Sunday and time for a tasting of the wines.  We remembered how we loved our restaurant  so much on our previous visit  for the lunch in 2007. We had a morning drama then where John went to fetch the hire car in Dijon and could not find his way back via the narrow one way streets and we subsequently missed our breakfast. So when we staggered into the restaurant in Vougot (half hour out of Dijon on the cotes D’Or route in Burgundy and found ourselves eating Frogs Legs for John and Coq au Vin for Jan by the duck mill pond we swore we would return.

This Sunday after a sumptuous breakie of croissants and ham and cheese and cake and yoghurt (phew)… we set off at 10 am for a wine tasting and struck it lucky at Paul Leclerc  where we had 3tastings of  Premier Crus  ( the best almost) and then to the blends of tasting to top it off. The sassy vintners wife could sell and sell and was overgenerous in her servings so we bought some and went home to sleep it off.

We could not have lunch at the duck mill because it was Mother’s Day and full up (“complete”) so we drove to Nuit Saint George and had a lunch at the cafe on the corner where all the action was – a cycle race and all the entourage sped past while we waited for our So yummy terrine and cheese.

Then we bravely faced up at 7.30pm at the duck mill resturant for the Sunday dinner – oh my goodness. They have a Menu option in France which is usually entree, main and dessert and so well priced that you have it even when you are not hungry as.  In this case we had it all – yabbie lookalikes on aubergine diced mound and lovely sauce, escargot and mushroomy cream cassoulet, pork and amazing vegetables and then the cheese trolley (you could actually have as much as you wanted of about 10 cheeses). We embarrassed ourselves by thinking that we were sharing the plate that John ordered. Oh no – Madame was entitled to her own plate too. I demurred gracefully and we shared.

Then the Dessert was served – delicate strawberries coveerd in a crème brulee still slightly warm and sprinkled with cinnamon and crystalised sugar.
What a struggle to get up the stair to welcome sleep to take away the pain of the fullness!
(How, I wonder, are French women  NOT fat?  Must read the book…)

Now to Monday and a determination to go slow on food and speed up on driving south to our next goal – the charming town of Uzes near Nimes. We lasted till 2pm on a quick roadside stop at 10am where we shared a roll of ham and cheese and then found our only option to be yet another menu of 3 courses – but so refreshing entree of asparagus, tomato and salad, and then to our surprise – a dish of Beef Bourgogne (hadn’t we left Burgunday 5 hours ago???) but it was terrific and topped off wth apple tart and cafe.

Well there goes dinner again…?

 After some tense moments going around and around the mediaeval village of Uzes and not knowing how to contact our manager of our apartment, we were very relieved to finally find ourselves in a stunning park view apartment – hey is this France or Cairns?- so much space!

We are here for a week and relieved to empty our suitcases into drawers. Johnny deserves a medal for driving the medieval streets in our clumsy little but heavy Renault!

A final spurt in the car to a supermarket to buy essentials for a light supper of bread and cheese and ham and bottle of red for 99cents –true- and coffee for the same! Then we fell into bed to dream good dreams of more food and wine.

Getting away to Paris Wednesday 26th May 2010

Oh dear – how little space you have! 8 hours to HongKong and 12 hours to London. Wait 4 hours and arrive Paris 7.15pm  Train then taxi to our BnB Le ciel de Paris: Lovely apartment owned by Lynnee and Phillipe Dumas. Small but so lovely room. The painted ciel in the living room so lovely.

Late dinner obliogated to choose more expensive but fantastic marty restaurant with Jan snails and foi gras and John steak and frites. Lovely red Bordeaux.  Breakfast supremo croissant, fruit and fraiche.

Walk to Pantheon and see Faucault Pendulum – intriguing and amazing. Magnificent structure.
Notre Dame a bunfight so back to Mouffatard St for menu : JS chevre chaUD AND beef borgogne, Jan avocado and shrimp and duck and potatoes.
Big sleep and enjoy the free wifi  at Le Ciel until outing to over the road brasserie for snack: JS cheesberger and Jan the cheese.

Sleep a problem for Jan. Then mixup re time caused lots of anxiety to get to station Bercy in time for 9.20 train. Embarked without a tix and almost had to pay for them again but all well.
Then ordeal to get taxi to Restaurant Escargot in Dijon but soooooo good food assiettes and so full. Car to duck Mill and Room Romantique with yellow net curtains around bed but spacious.
Nearly had accidents and went wrong way up to the Chateau so relieved to have quiet night in with bottle of local wine. Food cooking smells a challenge.