When one mentions Uzes, people think of the Duchy or the Tour Fenestrelle (Window Tower).
How many of you have heard about the Château de Fouzes or the Vallée de l’Eure Park?
This way for a short guided visit…
Château de Fouzes served during World War II as a clandestine center where Polish mathematicians in particular decoded the German military’s radio messages. (There is nothing left in the château itself to testify to this episode of the war, except for the commemorative plaque on the entrance wall. The château is privately owned and has been transformed into apartments.)
Nearby, just east of old Uzes, one can enjoy the Eure Valley Park. It follows the southward flow of the Alzon River, which winds its placid course through the grassy valley. However, traces of the fury of the water were all around us on this 1st of November 2014. From the park itself, one can take any number of hiking trails, including one leading to the Pont du Gard 19.2 km away.
The numerous springs at the entrance to the park were used by the Romans to feed the 50-km long aqueduct that brought water to Nîmes, via the Pont du Gard. Nowadays, the springs form the water supply for the city of Uzes.
At the end of our walk, I found this lovely grazing donkey, sculpted out of an old tree trunk. I like to think that Modestine, Robert Lewis Stevenson’s companion during his hike in the Cevennes, found her way here to Uzes, to live out a contented retirement.
Photo credits: Denise P.
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