The South of France

Confession. We've never done a trip like this ... Choosing a destination with no plan, other than a home-base and car rental. We had been to Provence before, but never like this and it was just THE best trip!

It was also our honeymoon. And I can't emphasize enough what a BIG DEAL it is to find the right partner at this stage in life - and get to do life together, including traveling the world. This vacation through the South of France put an exclamation point on that idea and ideal.

Our home away from home for this trip was a teeny, tiny little village called Pouzilhac. No restaurant, no bar, no coffee shop. Just the most incredible (!) home rental - a 600-year-old former guard house for the castle next door. Our friend, Patrice, lent us the place for the week. And wow!

Pouzilhac served as the perfect location from which to take day trips. We woke up each morning without a plan and let the day take us on new adventures. 

Here's how our honeymoon unfolded:

Day 1: Uzes / Avignon.

After sleeping in (gasp!), we began our journey in the ancient town of Uzes. Dating back more than 2,000 years, we found 2,000 reasons to love this place. The restaurants, the picture-perfect squares, the shops and Saturday market … charm is on overload here which had us coming back, throughout our honeymoon.

On our first night in France, we headed to Avignon (a place we had been before - a place we love). We returned to this city, steeped in history, to check out the Papal Palace after dark while walking through dimly lit squares and vine-lined alleyways for dinner – and then a late-night coffee. [If you haven’t been here before, we recommend going during the day – there’s a lot to see and do, including great shopping!]

Day 2: Nimes / Saint-Remy-de-Provence / Castillon du Gard.

Based on the recommendation of a stranger, over lunch in Uzes, we headed to Nimes and found a must-visit city for history enthusiasts. It’s got some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in France, including the iconic Arena and Maison Carree. Totally walkable, we visited both in a matter of hours – including lunch!

Then, we drove to Saint-Remy-de-Provence – the most charming, Provencal hilltop village. A place that inspired some of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. We wandered, wowed and spent the perfect afternoon there.

That evening, we headed to another town that was recommended to us for dinner. Castillon-du-Gard was within a stone’s throw of our home rental. It’s sleepy but so pretty! And has a surprising number of highly rated restaurants!

Day 3: Saint-Victor-la-Coste / Pouzilhac.

On a mad quest for coffee, we happened upon a hidden little village that boasts beautiful – and seemingly undiscovered (by tourists) castle ruins. 

We had planned to spend our afternoon biking the vineyards of Pouzilhac (and we did) but decided we also needed to head back to Saint-Victor to hike up to the castle. We did that too – after enjoying lunch at Domaine les Cadinieres (a winery) – and it was one of our favorite days. The castle ruins are a true treasure and gifted us an unexpected, and lovely, afternoon.

That night, for dinner, we headed back to Castillon du Gard.

Day 4: Pont du Gard / Lussan.

This was the ONLY morning that we woke up with a plan. A half-baked plan, it turned out. We knew we wanted to see Pont du Gard at sunrise. What we didn’t know is that it’s closed until 8A. 

But, in true spontaneous form, we decided we wouldn’t let that stop us. We parked with our hazard lights on and snuck into this monumental site (in fairness, we saw people hiking in – from somewhere). We were pee-your-pants-scared but excited and the questionable choice paid off. Big time. We were among the only people there and got to experience this awe-inspiring Roman aqueduct (a UNESCO World Heritage site) almost entirely by ourselves. 

That afternoon, we found Lussan – another little town recommended by a local. It was beautiful, on a hill overlooking Provence. Upon arrival, when I saw how gorgeous this little village ways, I began looking up real estate. Nothing was available, but I have my eye on a little chateau with blue shutters next to a former sheep market. A girl can dream!

Day 5: Uzes and its Saturday market.

On the last day of our little honeymoon getaway, we headed back to Uzes to experience its hyped-up Saturday Market. It deserved the hype and more. This town’s historic streets were alive with stalls selling fresh local produce, lavender, art, clothing and more. We got to really experience and capture a day in true, "real" Provencal life while we were there.

That evening, we watched the sun set over a historic, cobblestone-clad square shadowed by centuries-old trees and we thanked our lucky stars for our new beginning in the Old World.

No matter where you go, there you are. Stay present and focused on the joy and gratitude that surrounds you. Fly higher!