Buying Pillows in Uzès, France

My husband, John, and I last summer bought a little stone house dating back to 1850, in a little village outside of Uzès, France. Officially in the Gard Department, it is often considered the very western part Provence, about 25 miles from Avignon.

It was a dream of ours that somehow got tucked away for twenty years. A yearning for more of Europe and a thinking of a “next chapter,” back in July 2022, we started looking online at properties in South France.

It was my task mainly to find this dream house and property for us. I started searching online in the Languedoc area, as suggested by friends. A very personal choice, somehow, something felt missing, and it occurred to me that from all of our travels and familiarity with Provence, that maybe we should be focusing on an area closer to Provence.

I was looking for a charming little stone house, old—but moderately updated. I didn’t want a lot of property to keep up, but perhaps a few flowerbeds and an outdoor terrace. It had to be in the countryside in a smaller village, and with great access to airports and trains. It had to have a lot of potential to decorate in a rustic, simple style. It had to be in an area that had vineyards, colorful markets, festivals, and a lot going on. I had a very clear vision of this house in my head.

Mas de Manion Needing A Gardener’s Touch

On our May 2023 trip to France, time had run out. John and I were driving back to Barcelona in two days to catch our plane home to California. I remember thinking vividly, “okay, this is not going to happen this year.” The very next day we found the listing, by pure luck. We were visiting a small village market, new to us, and saw a small real estate office off of the market square. I had a feeling about this house from the very first time I saw the photo and listing in the real estate office window. VILLAGE HOUSE FOR SALE. MAS, RARE. It was meant to be.

Mas in French means farmhouse. Barely 800 square feet in size, it is a charming little house with a kitchen, living room, and one bedroom and bathroom upstairs. A pied à terre. A small outdoor terrace connects the main house to a separate studio, which was originally the tiny barn where they kept animals. Mature landscape was there, yet overgrown, but nothing that a little pruning and gardening attention could easily remedy.

“Cooking Up a Storm” at Mas de Manion

This area of France is very beautiful. There are lots of vineyards, farms, little charming villages, black truffles, and even magnificent Roman ruins. I can’t say enough!

John Happy To Explore The Vineyards Around Uzès & Beyond

The Roman Aqueduct Masterpiece, Pont du Gard, Is Close To Our Village

The Stunning French Countryside This Spring Outside of Uzès

For those of you who have big dreams of something in your life. My advice to you is, “chase it” and not tuck it away. Do it now. You won’t regret it!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

The Timeless Majestic Roman Pont du Gard

One day planning, and four days later hopping on a plane, my husband, John, and I were off to France in mid-March after nearly four years away. On a whim, and in the midst of the national French strike over pension, we traveled to South France and Paris in the off-season. It was one of our best trips to France yet, where everything seemed to flow effortlessly.

On a blustery day, edging towards sunset we stopped to take in the Pont du Gard once again. We had visited the aqueduct fourteen years ago on one of our first trips to Provence, on a much warmer spring day, approaching it from the other side of the river.

Taller than the Colosseum in Rome, the famed Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard, in the Gard Department in South France always takes your breath away. Built over the Gardon River, and designed to transport water to the Roman city of Nimes 30 kilometres away, it has remained timeless.

I could go on and on about how incredible an engineering feat it was 2,000 years ago; that it is estimated that it took 800-1,000 workers to construct it over three years; that there was no mortar used amongst the stones; and that it has actually three distinct levels.

It is such a place of reverence and respect. So well preserved. So discreetly tucked away, and one with the landscape. So beautiful, words can hardly describe it. To further heighten the moment, we were nearly the only ones there, just us with our thoughts.

Seeing the Pont du Gard, I felt I was actually seeing time, not experiencing, but actually seeing time. It has such an ethereal aura about it, one can’t help but think of time in many different ways. Why is that 20 years can seem like a blink of an eye, your little nephew is now an adult approaching 30, or you don’t know how you can possibly know a special friend for over 50 years. Yet, in other situations, time seems to stop or become frozen, and you don’t know why. It is our perception of time in relation to our lives.

What also immediately came to me—I was literally seeing time before me, a span of my life in years, a gift, and the sturdy foundation was my values, unshakable and steadfast, always grounding me in life, and keeping me on course to follow my dreams and desires. Gazing at the Pont du Gard, it was an homage to a life well-lived, including the ups and downs, and much more to look forward to.

Past Related Post:
Provence: Roman Marvels Endure

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie