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2 Joyous Housesitters in Uzes in France
Few people guess that I the founder of HouseSit Match love housesitting. Recently, I and my indulgent other half became housesitters in Uzes, well nearby at least. We were fortunate to be accepted for a three week housesit by cat owners who live in a village a few minutes drive from this beautiful medieval town, which proudly boasts a Cathedral, a museum, a thriving weekly market and breath-taking views over the Vallée de l’Eure. Here is a short chapter, a little glimpse into our wonderful stay as joyous housesitters near the village of Uzes.
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
Where is Uzes?
This delightful medieval town is located in the Gard Department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. It’s about 25 km North East of the bigger city of Nimes. The real joy we have enjoyed so far as housesitters in Uzes is that it is allowing us to experience this wonderful region in a relaxed and inquisitive way without the heavy costs of accommodation.
We have considered the idea of retiring in the South of France having really loved spending time in a number of different regions. But this is the first time we have been to the Gard together as empty nesters so each discovery was made with time to savour the place, the experience through all our senses without distractions. It’s a delight!
Pro Tip – Get your Vignette Crit’Air Early
If like us you are driving through France be sure to plan early and register for your Vignette Crit’Air. You will need this if you are driving through major cities. Be warned it takes some weeks to arrive although is not too expensive. At time of writing this blog the cost is only Euro 5 or 6 depending on your vehicle, and only Eur 2 if you are on a motorbike. All petrol and hybrid cars are charged.
Of course your other option is take public transport. The days we travelled to Nimes we took the bus, which took 40 mins (bus #152, you can hop on board at Uzes Post Office) for the princely sum of Eur 2 per person each way.
Who are the Joyous Housesitters in Uzes?
Hopefully one day, perhaps like us, you will find yourselves with fewer responsibilities at home, we are empty nesters, one of us is retired the other a digital nomad and we are keen on travel. We are Lamia and David Walker and I founded and run HouseSit Match the friendly housesitting network where free care for your home and pets is exchanged for free accommodation.
Why do we love being housesitters? Well we really like discovering new locations we’ve never been to before, and what better way than to help other people by making their holiday more affordable too in offering to do the house and pet sitting while they are away. And on this occasion David and I chose to apply to be housesitters in Uzes because we love cats, and we love France and have never been to Uzes before so we applied and were accepted. It’s as easy as that.
Photo courtesy of Lamia and David Walker
Meeting our Hosts as Housesitters in Uzes
We have been very fortunate in our hosts in the village near Uzes, a British couple retired to the South of France who adopted two rescue cats to complete their lovely home. They introduced us to Thomas and Timon, delightful ginger toms, of such different characters. Timon is shy and a little nervous at first, where as Thomas makes his presence known and reminds us when it is feeding time.
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
Following the Homeowner’s Top Tips
One of our first recommended outings was to the local weekly market in the Place aux Herbes in Uzes, on the Saturday which is the main market day. What a fabulous gathering of market stall holders selling all manner of goods, and local produce. The fruit and vegetables were bursting with colour the foods cooked at the market stalls sending out waves of delicious smells and the colourful clothes and crafts drawing the eye to every corner of the space.
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
It should go without saying that David and I delighted in many of the homeowners’ suggestions for where we might visit, which cafes we might sample, and which tourist spots to explore. Their list was extensive and researched over six years as local residents.
Now after a whole week, we as housesitters in Uzes we’ve made great headway into their list of suggestions. But with only two weeks to go we feel we are running out of time to enjoy every recommendation first hand. Yet, as David commented, we’ll give it a damn good shot.
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
WANT TO TRAVEL AS A HOUSE SITTER
Fancy travelling as a house and pet sitter, like these housesitters in Uzes? Join HouseSit Match as a housesitter, build a profile, run through the easy checks and apply!
Touring the Locale as Housesitters in Uzes
We have managed to tear ourselves away from Uzes and the local village we’re staying in, to visit some of the remarkable Gallo Roman sites of interest. I’m not a classicist by any means, yet the achievements of the Roman Empire, still visible and functional in this part of the world are simply extraordinary.
The Pont du Gard
I first came to visit the Pont du Gard as an exchange student some 40 years ago! I an a school group from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire were matched with pupils at the Lycée Alphonse Daudet in Nimes, and the Pont was on the visitors list for our school party.
Photo Credit – Lamia Walker
Built around 2000 years ago the Pont du Gard is an aqueduct is still standing, and carried vehicles as late as the 1990’s! It was constructed to carry water over 50kms to the city of Nemausus, known today as Nimes. It is one of the best preserved examples of an aqueduct from the Gallo Roman era still surviving. And it remains as impressive today as it was when I first experienced it in the 1980s!
Les Arènes de Nîmes
Another remarkable place to visit as we explored our theme of the Gallo Roman monuments of the Roman Empire was Les Arènes de Nîmes. A stunning remarkably well preserved Amphitheatre in the centre of the city, which today is still used for public events.
And while there are no longer gladiator battles there are still bull fights hosted between May and September, and especially during the Feria de Pentecôte in Nîmes on the fifth weekend after Easter, where bulls also run through the city as part of the weekend’s festival with music, dancing and all kinds of other street activities.
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
Back to Uzes for our Daily Walkabout
This beautiful town with an immense history doesn’t disappoint on any level. The medieval history, the literary history and the sheer beautify of the place has delighted these housesitters in Uzes.
Photo Credit – Lamia Walker
A Little Literary History for Fans of French Literarture
Andre Gide
Did you know that Andre Gide’s family hails from Uzes? Ever read ‘La Porte Etroite‘? Gide’s ancestors, originally from Lussan (18 km north-west of Uzès), settled in Uzès at the end of the eighteenth century to give rise to a line of notaries and magistrates.
The family settled in an apartment, overlooking the Place aux Herbes on one side, where today the weekly market is held every Saturday. It was there that André Gide spent his childhood holidays with his grandmother Clémence Gide, née Granier, as he recounts in his autobiography ‘Si le grain ne meurt‘ (I, 2, 1924).
Needless to say David and I found a lovely café in that very square to toast Gide and all who’ve enjoyed Uzes before us!
Photo credit – Lamia Walker
One of the most enjoyable activities we did was take our time to walk around each day, discovering new facts and hearing interesting stories from locals we bumped into. Most people were very friendly and kind as they indulged my rusty French.
Jean Racine
On one of our walks we met a delightful woman, a retired teacher, who took enormous pride in telling us about Racine’s connection with the town of Uzes. Did you know that he spent a year in Uzes with his uncle ostensibly to study theology and become a priest?
Apparently, his one year in Uzès proved a decisive crossroads: instead of preparing him for an ecclesiastical career under the guidance of his uncle, he realised instead that he was more interested in literature and the intellectual life of Paris. Isolated from the cultural world he longed for, he continued reading and writing, and longing for Paris.
In choosing to leave Uzès and abandon a religious vocation, Racine broke with the expectations shaped by his early education and all family aspirations, instead committing himself to the uncertain path of the theatre. This decision defined his career and informed the tragic vision of his later writings.
We learned all that because I had asked a kindly looking woman for directions to the Andre Gide Museum nearby…Fascinating! We needed some more refreshment to mull on that little encounter.
What do we Love About Being Housesitters in Uzes
It is so hard to summarise such a great experience, and we’re only one week into our three week housesit as housesitters in Uzes! We love the town itself, the history, the architecture, the lively atmosphere, the market, the remarkable statement it makes on the landscape, the warren of medieval roads and alleys that run through the centre like miniature arteries keeping people moving and the lifeblood of the place active.
The food is distinctive, the wine varied and rich. The literary history appeals to me, the medieval history to David. The sheer savoir vivre of the inhabitants is inspiring. I think I’ll take another look at the homeowner’s recommendations. There’s so much more to discover.
Photo Credit – Lamia Walker
Further reading on housesitting, housesit travel and housesitters
At HouseSit Match we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting, such as this one on housesitting in Uzes. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters and house sitting in Europe useful.
