We're not in Safeway any more Toto

Another shopping post....but no quaint stalls or artisan honey tastings here : this is conventional store shopping.

Welcome to the InterMarché. Think Le Thrifty Foods.

Just outside of downtown Uzès (a short 15min bike ride) is the new'ish InterMarché. As is the case in North America, it's grouped with complementary stores - so there's also a pharmacy and a Bricomart (a.k.a. Le Home Hardware).

It's always interesting seeing what other countries have in their grocery stores (even going to the US is fun - wine! fun cereals! Payday chocolate bars!). France is no different (and neither were Germany, Austria, Luxemburg or Italy, we just decided to wait until France to blog about it).

The biggest thing we've had to get over is picking up an item and turning the label around looking for the English. Ahhh, such is the reflex of Western Canadians eh?

The tinned fish aisle is extensive. And not just for types of fish in cans. The photo we took below is just the selection for sardines!

And equally as impressive as the sardine stack selection is the sensational sweetened cereal sampling (nice alliteration eh?). And not specifically sugared kids cereal (well, yes on the kid part) but the sweetness is specifically chocolate. And all types - milk, dark, filled, covered...endless ways to turn your morning milk a lovely shade of cocoa.

And speaking of milk (sans cereal here) - here's a shot below of the milk aisle.

Yes, no refrigerator here - the majority of the milk selection is shelf-stable. Even some of the plastic bottles in the cooler section have 'best-before' dates five to six weeks in the future.

But back to chocolate. Hazelnut and chocolate to be exact. Nutella and any reasonable facsimile of is in plentiful supply here in France. How popular? It's like our peanut butter - a giant selection.

Need an example?
- top shelf, small light-blue lid, that's the peanut butter (skippy, smooth, to be exact). The rest of the display is for chocolate-hazelnut spreads.

And what has now become a tradition with us, a quick snap of an unusual (well, for us) potato chip flavour. This time - smoked ham:

But if all the dizzying array of foreign foods is making your shopping head spin - there is a section to bring a little bit of home and comfort to the expats.

The British food aisle:

But waaaaaaait.......this ain't no Brit product!

I wonder if someone is writing a blog about Thrifty Foods and the fact we keep our eggs in the cooler (did I mention their eggs are on the shelf?)....or that our milk dies in ten days....or a household would actual buy and use 1kg of peanut butter...

Mt Ventoux: the Beast of Provence à velo...allez allez

Brad again... On my bucket list of things to do on this extended vacation was to ride to the top of Mt. Ventoux, one of the more popular HC ("hors categorie=beyond category= REALLY LONG AND STEEP") mountain roads in France. When we were here last time in 2006 we elected to drive to the top of Ventoux as the temperature was hovering around 35C. So this time around it would be late October and a little bit cooler. Plus our friend Clayton was joining me for the ride!

On the very foggy morning of October 25th we loaded the bikes into our Ford Focus station wagon (sporty and spacious... Well actually not SO spacious and not really too sporty, but it did hold two bicycles) and headed off to the town of Bédoin where the actual ride would begin.

By the time we arrived in Bédoin, the sun came out and it was a beautiful autumn day. Forecasted temperature: 20C at the base of the mountain.

The obligatory roundabout photo!

Clayton and me in the parking lot. Can you see the top of the mountain looming in the background? The tall structure at the very top is our destination. What to expect? 1600 meters of climbing over 21kms... Kind of like riding to the top of the Malahat 5-6 times, but without ANY flat sections to rest on. I suppose we were nervously ready to ride.

It has very recently begun looking like fall here in Southern France and it made for awesome sights along the way. Okay, I didn't notice the trees at all until I saw this photo afterwards. My view was of the road. I did see that people had painted "Go Brad" in several spots and thought "That is so nice" until I saw other names too, like "Lance, Andy, Alberto and Frank" and realized that they were likely referring to that other Brad (Wiggins). I was inspired nonetheless. Unfortunately there were no "Go Claytons" painted anywhere.

Working my way to the top. The hardest sections are back in the forest, but this still seemed awfully difficult.

A couple of kilometres from the summit is the Tommy Simpson memorial, a British rider who, quite unfortunately, died while racing here in the 1967 Tour de France. Supposedly he was quoted as saying "Put me back on my bike" when he collapsed at this spot. Whether he ever said those words or not, people are drawn to this special place. Unfortunately, it also said to me that there was still two kilometres to go! "Shut up legs" to quote Jens Voigt, was all I was thinking.

We're getting sooo close!! Cool socks, eh!

Success at the summit! It felt REALLY great to finish the ride. Plus it's so contagious because everyone at the top is so happy to be there.

One final photo of the road marker at the summit. These are placed at every kilometre and display the distance to go and the average grade of each kilometre section. And we bought a mini version as a souvenir to bring home with us.

Next time: Tourmalet? Alpe d'Huez?

Over the Hill and Yonder

We really have a wonderful view of the great outdoors from our apartment here in Uzés and we have taken advantage of the warm, sunny weather to get out beyond the city walls. Outdoor recreation is huge here, with detailed maps showing hiking and mountain bike routes all around our town and the neighbouring villages. So off for a hike we went.

After crossing through the park where the aqueduct began, we followed the signs (and the advice of a local man named Jacques) up the hillside opposite the town. Not only are the trails marked on the maps, they are also well-marked while out on the trails. Okay, so that isn't so earth-shattering, but two things stood out different from home. First, people can hike on these trails from town to town to town, and the markers tell you how far away the next town is. Second, and perhaps more important, these trails are also used for mountain biking. How about that, the towns encourage mountain biking.

Here is the view back to Uzés from the hillside. If you squint, you can see out apartment. Good luck...

Miscellaneous things we saw on our hike...

Totally gnarled tree roots, growing over top of the old Roman aqueduct foundation.

Our friend the Praying Mantis. Almost didn't see her(?) on the trail and side stepped at the last minute.

A very nice holly bush... with acorns!!??

The Table d'Orientation. Set on the top of the hill in 1969, it shows a 360 degree view of the countryside and villages one can see from there. Also interesting and cool is the fact that it is (was) one large piece of hand-painted pottery.

On a clear day, we could see Mt Ventoux off in the distant. It's that hump in the back of the photo. More on Ventoux later...

...but we'll drive there...

Beer (la biére) in France

Having spent time in England, Scotland, Belgium, Germany and Austria I (Brad) was curious about what I would find in France for quality(?) beer... So I certainly did a bit of searching to find beer in our new home of Uzés as well as the nearby cities.

And these are some examples of what I found...

When we arrived in France, we headed over to the Ikea in Avignon to buy a few things for our apartment, and lo and behold, there it was: Ikea beer! It tasted pretty good and it actually came with its own Allen key to pop off the lid. Okay, I made up that last part.

However, Cassie discovered, in our own home town, a real and true brewery! While they only have a few different brews at a time, they do seem to change up their products on a regular basis and offer up seasonal brews from time to time. Below is a photo of the Christmas beer; very tasty! For those of you who appreciate a good microbrew, think of it like Driftwood Brewery in Victoria. The other bonus of having a local brewer is that they set up for the weekly market in the town square!

Since my quest (helped out by Cassie) concluded so quickly, I thought I would include a couple more photos of beer from around here...

Stella Artois is blazing a trail of new innovation here. They've introduced a new type of bottle cap that I think will really catch on in North America! Who would've thought caps could "twist off"!

And of course there is the ever popular Duff Beer which is pretty much available through all of Western Europe... I guess that demonstrates the 'influence' that the Simpsons has, even over here.

The Bon Marché!

Post Warning : Market and related food photos again....

As everyone knows there are certainties in life - death, taxes and Cassie loving markets.

The french tradition of weekly markets is such a way of life here still (at least it certainly seems to be, judging by the crowds at the various stalls). This isn't to say that it's the only show in town. Within the small town walls here in Uzès, there are three small grocery stores - say about the size of The Red Barn Market at Mattick's Farm (without the fresh meat/deli parts) as well. And on the outskirts of town there are two supermarkets (supermarchés!), but more on those in a future post.

The town of Uzès is known in the area for the weekly Saturday market (and if that wasn't enough, there's also a smaller market on Wednesdays) that draws crowds from far and wide. Vendors large and small set up in the main square, in the streets leading to the square and around the periferal road around the town.

So the normally quiet Place aux Herbes transforms from this (note the tree):

To this:

There are the usual market offerings - two different seafood merchants, including one stall with a live tank so you can pick out your fish and have it gutted and shop-vac cleaned immediately. There are at least four large cheese vendors - and that's on top of the six or more stalls selling chèvre only.

There are numerous produce stalls (with local grapes), honey stands (offering multiple varieties) and olive oil tables (by the petite bottle or jerry-can size). And to season it all - huge bins of spices (where the owner will drop samples into your hand for taste testing):

And it's not difficult to see what's in season right now - with a giant display of mushrooms at this stall:

And your bulk food needs are covered as well (an area missing in the large supermarchés). Here they'll scoop however much you want of nuts, dried fruits - even Japanese rice crackers!

The butchers are well represented here - usually separated by type of meat (the pork people, the poultry guys, the beef vendors) including these guys:

....yes, the horse men.

And lest you think it's only food....it's not. Most of the ring road is jammed with people selling skirts, shirts, socks, purses, scarves and knock-off crocs. There are a few more interesting stalls - like this ribbon and thread one:

Or you can find someone (there were two to choose from) to re-cane your chair seats:

And if it's cheap belts you're after - there are three of these stalls scattered through the market. They'll swap out the leather or buckle to make the belt you want and will shorten it while you wait....all included in the price:

This stall sells pottery from the nearby town of St. Quentin la Poterie. So named because of the potters who have been established here for centuries (great clay!) producing stunning goods like this:

The petit town of St. Quentin also holds a weekly market, on Fridays, smaller but with no lack of interesting offerings as well. If you need a feathered friend in time for the weekend:

Or if your old bed is ready for the dumpster, you can find your new one right at the market. Sleepcountry, right in the middle of the Moss St. Market....

And modern conveniences as well.....

It's obvious at the Uzés Saturday market that its ability to draw throngs of locals and tourists, allows an eclectic and interesting mix of vendors.

And drawn they are.

The market starts to come alive around 9am as locals descend to buy their food for the coming days. An hour later, most of the merchandise stalls have finished setting-up and the market population has swollen incredibly. By the time 11am rolls around, it's difficult to manoeuvre from one stall to another.

It's bumper to bumper (hip to hip?) wicker basket-bags and wheeled shopping caddies galore. And patiently waiting with their owners:

Or some who have almost given up hope completely:

Shopping...until they drop.

Built to last...and then some.

A not completely unexpected benefit of our location is the proximity to the Pont du Gard. The Pont du what, you say?

OK, Roman historial ruin 101: It's a (still significantly intact) giant aqueduct bridge that carried water over the Gardon River. The aqueduct ran from the source (Uzès!) to the buzzing metropolis of Nimes - a distance similar to driving from Victoria to Cobble Hill.

Here's a snap of a map (in giant 4' x 5' sandstone!) in the park behind our apartment which shows the actual start of the aqueduct and the direction that water ended up taking):

And just a few steps away is the actual start of the spring. It pumped quite a bit in its day - over four million gallons of water flowed from tiny little Uzés to big ol' Nimes each day. It is still producing water, but it now flows directly into the nearby Alzon River.

And all that's left of the start of the system that would carry the water to the big smoke: the regulation basin - which allowed the Romans to divert water away from the aqueduct if needed (ie., water was overflowing downstream or repairs were needed somewhere along the way):

Those Romans eh? - they liked to make it hard: "Our fountains and baths could use MORE water, let's pipe it in!", "The source is 50km away?....through valleys and hills?....let's DO this thing!". Which is really the feel you get from the visitor's centre/museum - they built the Pont du Gard both because of need and to show their engineering ability. Because it's not like this thing took the 'as the crow flies' route - it really had to meander through valleys and over chasms.

There were actually several bridges as part of the Nime Aqueduct, but with the fall of Roman empire and those nice square stones just sitting there....well, the recycling bug kicked in and much was 'repurposed' into houses and walls. The Pont du Gard, being dual purpose (a bridge AND a water-pipe!) stayed mostly intact.

The only admission you have to pay is for parking - so we had a nice free hike as it's a short bike ride to the site. And plenty of rocks to picnic on.

And here's a better shot of it without those pesky tourists in the camera shot.

As you walk up to the aqueduct, you pass by three huge, gnarled olive trees. They look like something out of Lord of the Rings.

The nearby stone is inscribed with their story of how they came to be there:
"I was born in the year 908.
I measure 5 metres in trunk circumference and 15 metres in stump circumference.
I lived my past until 1985 in Spain in an arid and cold valley.
The General Council of the Gard was fascinated by my age and my story.
I was adopted with two others. I was planted on 23 September 1988.
I am proud to be a part of the prestigious decor and nature of the Pont du Gard"

So we've picnic'd where Romans walked and touched a tree that experienced the original Y1K.

Act II - France

Scene opens with Brad and Cassie clutching a baguette and sporting berets...okay, actually clutching a French phrase book and sporting a Kitzbühel and (free!) BMC ball hats respectively.

We have landed in France. Southern France.

Because if you're going to 'live' somewhere else for a few months, why not choose somewhere warm for the Fall?

On our first trip to France in 2006, we visited and loved the nearby city of Montpellier. Enter the Internet and numerous searches for apartments and links and voila - we found this place in a town we weren't too sure how to pronounce (FYI it's Oo-zess). It sounded like a good fit though - not so big that it wouldn't feel 'French' enough, nor too small that no one would speak English. A bit of a leap of faith, yes - but eased when relaying the location to Cassie's co-worker who'd visited here a few times and loved the place (merci Ben!). And it has proven to be everything we'd heard and read about.

We don't have a car for the full duration of the stay, but are close to two larger towns for renting when we need one. There is a great regional bus system here too - all trips are €1.50 - whether it's 10 minutes out of town or an hour to Avignon. The system also runs the school service, so depending on the bus time you choose, it could be packed with twelve yr-olds. And with the thought of contracted out school buses and middle school kids, it's getting WAY too close to work thoughts for both of us....must....banish!

So....here's a little peak into the place we've rented while we're trying to pretend we're French. The town of Uzès is quite small, so no house/hotel/apartment is too far out. Our apartment is on the second floor of a small building and located only two small blocks from the main square, Place aux Herbs.

Here's a shot of one side of our living room. As you can see, we've parked our usual mode of transportation inside the apartment. Brad's is the one on the left, ha ha.

We found a great place to rent bikes from for the duration of our stay. And best of all? The owner is from Britain and was able to get us set up with bikes without us having to slaughter any more of the French language.

Brad picks out a nice road bike to explore the hills and valleys of the surrounding area with and, eventually, to ride one of the Tour de France epic mountains, Mont Ventoux. Cassie's has panniers. For epic rides to the local Intermarché.

Here's the other side of the living room. It's definitely decorated in classic French style (but I guess when you're here, it's just classic style). Big comfy chairs and a large bookshelf with books (mostly in English!). To get in the mood, Cassie's already read Chocolat.

Moving along into the kitchen - complete with chef!

Fortunately a good sized fridge, which we were surprised at. And we're used to the gas cook-top, although the gas here burns HOT. As in, we're able to boil water on the small element setting in a few minutes (and also burn soup....).

And he's best part of the place....the deck!

It's right off the kitchen, so we eat out here most meals. And because the apartment building is located on the peripheral road, it's right on the edge, literally. The view is unobstructed as the surrounding houses and yards drop away down the hill.

Ahhh....could get used to this....