A first for me today when we took to the skies above the garrigue and the Pays d'Uzège in a hot air balloon. Slightly nervous, I had nothing to worry about. Les Montgolfière du Sud gave us an amazing trip, starting north of Lussan and heading south over the village, then over the mas where we could see our own dogs in the garden, and on across the garrigue and valleys . It was a whole new perspective on the landscape and fascinating to see the trails and villages which we

Happy New Year. Bonne Année from the Gard. It's glorious sunshine with a blistering Mistral blowing. But with blue skies above it's hard to feel down cast. Work has been gathering pace here, with the exception of a hectic Christmas. Lots to repair, refresh, renew and create everywhere we look it seems! We like our gites to be top notch so are working hard to make sure no guests will be disappointed. In our own house builders are just about to mount an onslaught so we may w

The Gard is a fantastic region to explore, and though we have barely scraped the surface, we never fail to be astonished wherever we go. Turn into almost any village and you'll love the stone buildings, the unfailingly attractive Mairie, and you're bound to find a cafe open. Stop by a river, stroll for just 5 minutes and you're sure to find a swimming spot. Or call into a local boulangerie and drool at the meringues, cakes, tarts, and enormous selection of breads. Round th

Debate is raging locally over the future of stunning Roman mosaics found in Uzès last year. Sadly it may be some time before visitors to the Gard / Uzès get to see them. Found when works started on new school buildings in the centre of town, the mosaics are the first confirmation that this was the site of the Roman town of Uzetia - mentioned in an inscription in Nimes but never precisely located. The huge mosaics cover an area of 100m² and feature animals and birds in perfe