Uzès

Summer weather is arriving and some of the lavender buds are already showing a blue shade. More on this later.
For our anniversary we went over to Avignon to have lunch by the river at Le Bercail which is located on the small island of Barthelasse across from the city. It was very windy but we braved the gusts and sat at a table in the sun which was protected.

We had some really great views of the water  and Avignon too.

Don't you love the colors??? This is a bottle of water and a really tasty little aperitif with grapefruit juice in it!

The wind was still going at it the next day when we decided we just needed to get outside anyway and drove over to Uzès which is town I have been wanting to visit. It became the first ducal city of France designated by Charles IX in 1565.

We got there around 12:30 and walked over to the Place aux Herbes and were surprised to find a farmer's market going on.

Of course I knew there was a Saturday market but this was a happy surprise. I bought some honey from a local beekeeper.
There is not an unattractive spot in this whole city.

The architecture unites medieval to XVIIIth century structures which are a treat for the eye. I was particularly taken by the many archways all around the square which protected shops, cafes and restaurants.

In fact, there was something new and beautiful down every street. Some amazing doorways too.

We spent several hours walking along the narrow streets and I could not stop taking pictures. We were mostly protected from the wind too which was a relief. This is the Ducal palace compound...I like the coat of arms tiled into the roof on the right.

This elegant structure is now a hotel but was once a private home of the Chambon family.

 Entrance to the Medieval gardens....

Uzes is the home of silk culture, licorice and special pottery....all things I love actually. Here are some sweet pottery chickens. I would love a coop of these fellows!!!

They made marvelous silk here until the late 1930s when an illness killed the silkworms and the trade for silk stockings fell off. There is a chorus in the Gounod opera "Mireille" (which takes place in Camargue which is nearby) about the silkworm and the girls who work with the silkworms as they spin their cocoons. According to the words of the chorus the silkworms like to hear singing in order to spin...it is a very pretty melody!
I think we will try to get to a Saturday market in Uzes but I am not sure we have the time...our stay in France is starting to wind down and we will leave our sweet little apartment around June 26th....

Someone is looking down at us....

 A really unique clocktower. The wrought iron around the bell was made to keep the tower from blowing over in the wind...instead of solid stone the openwork allows the wind to blow through it.

Here are some  selfie views of the wind velocity front to back on our drive through Rochefort up on a hill!!! Front...facing the Mistral...

 Mistral from behind...

How do people get good expressions in a selfie photo??? This never happens for me!

The solid little church on the hilltop...

Looking down into this valley...medieval vestiges in lower part of the photo.

 Off in the distance is our location! A bientôt!