Visitors' Gallery
A Visit to the Duchy d'Uzès with Mike & Kathy
March 2001
The Duchy of Uzès, designated the first Duchy of France,
with its crenellated towers and colorful tile roof...just up the street
from our house. We're neighbors with a Duke!
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We climbed 140 winding, claustrophic
steps to the top of the tower...
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...where we were treated to a breathtaking view of the
countryside...that's the cathedral of Uzès in the background...
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The trip down was a little scary...
but kind of necessary.
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Next day, up and at 'em early...always on the road if the
weather's good here in the south of France...
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Braving the cool wind at the Pont du Gard, an astonishingly
well-preserved Roman aqueduct just down the road from Uzès...
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...and then a quick trip to Nîmes where the Health Workers' Union
were having a demonstration at the Roman Arena...not sure why the
bullfighter is involved...
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Inside the Roman-era arena, Mike and Kathy try to find
their seats...yes, this two-thousand-year-old building still hosts all
sorts of spectacles, from bullfights to concerts to ice shows. With its
removable roof cover, it's all season, and holds 7,000 under cover; 18,000
as an open arena, compared to the original 23,000 capacity during the
Roman days of gladiators.
.
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Meanwhile, at the Maison Carrée, close examination reveals that it's
NOT necessary for Mike to hold up the building despite thousands of years
of use and erosion.
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As the afternoon wore on, we stopped to enjoy the sunshine in the
Jardin des Plantes, then hiked up to take a look at the Tour Magna, a
pre-Roman fortress that is all that's left of the wall that surrounded
Nîmes in the second century BC.
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| All that fresh air and time-traveling called for a serious
dessert celebration at the end of the day, and so Joe divided up our
delicious pastries to create a "Sampler Plate," as seen right.
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And the trip continues...click here to follow the Meaghers' progress!
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