Aix-en-Provence - My Last Night, 4th August 2015

It is my last evening in Aix before I depart for Grasse tomorrow afternoon. I've set out for a wander, with a vague plan to notice some more fountains, to have a glass of wine in Les Deux Garçons and to grab some street food when I feel hungry. At 19:50, the heat is still radiating powerfully from the stone pavements and buildings and the light is golden. 

An artisan market lines Cours Mirebeau tonight - I could buy so much if I didn't have to carry it! Lovely linens, hair accessories and leather bags.

Aix is such a delightful town, bustling without being hectic. There is so much to see just by wandering about and looking around, looking up, and peering down side streets. There are plenty of shops and restaurants and it doesn't feel dodgy, at least not in the hours I've been keeping. 

I had a good feeling about Aix on my first evening here and two days later, that feeling is reinforced. However, it does something to the legs and feet, the heat from the streets seems to sap all energy and movement after a very short while, even with plenty of stoppage time. I feel like I've done a full workout after some really rather gentle meandering. 

Having paid a bit more attention to them this evening, I now understand why Aix has so many fountains - they cool the air immediately around them, providing a refreshing bit of open air air-con. As well as being stunning works of art, of course. 

Cours Mirebeau, the view from my table in Les Deux Garçons. It looks quiet, but people promenade along here all day long, making it a great people-watching spot. I saw all sorts this evening! You can see the market stalls on the other side of the street. I bought a delicious, gooey, almond macaron and narrowly avoided buying my body weight in stripy linens.

My neighbourhood.

My studio is just behind the building at the back of this photo.

Gorge du Verdon, 4th August 2015

I got up, showered, dressed, had breakfast, reviewed my route, headed to the car hire place, got in the car and felt... Better. I'd familiarised myself well enough with Aix to easily find my way out of town and before long felt comfortable enough to put the radio on. The next song that came on was 'This Girl is on Fire'! 

The first part of the journey was straightforward and I was happily cruising along in my brand new, air conditioned Renault Scenic, comfortable on the other side of the road.

Then I realised the reason for yesterday's anxiety. Switchbacks. Single lane switchbacks in an unfamiliar car on the wrong side of the road, no manual hand break and cyclists wobbling all over the place in front. Not fun. I had to pull over at the top to calm down and only then did I realise the lake was on my left. If I had gone the right way, it would have been on my right. All that trauma and I was in the wrong place. 

Adding to the disappointment, at the top I found myself next to a lavender field, but it had been harvested. Instead of glorious purple rows, there were tufty, greyish bushes. I managed to pick a few overlooked strands to scent the rest of my journey. Happily though, next to the lavender field was a field of sunflowers, put there, surely, to cheer up the stressed motorists and knackered cyclists who'd just made it up the switchbacks.

Luckily I hadn't gone too far wrong and via a few scenic viewpoints, I was soon back on the correct route - the two-lane switchbacks here were a doddle by comparison.

At last, I made it to the road bridge across the point where the gorge meets the lake. The lake was busy with people swimming and exploring in pedaloes, so I drove a bit further on and found a quieter spot for a dip in the lake and my picnic.

From where I was sitting, I could see across to the ridge on the opposite side of the lake, the one where I went wrong earlier, and was grateful that I didn't have to take the same route home.

Was it worth it? Can you tell from this picture the effort, emotion and inner reserves that went into getting it?

The gorge and lake were certainly stunning and it is always good to test yourself, get out of the comfort zone, but if something else on this trip presents complications, I might just take the easy option. 

My drive home was good, a lot more scenic than the way there. I came down from the high ground via wide, sweeping switchbacks, with steep forested drops and marvellous views across Provence, although I barely dared to take my eyes of the road and catch a glimpse. The roads were like something out of an early James Bond car chase and my driving was like Miss Daisy. 

As I journeyed on, the wilder high ground became more maintained and lavender gave way to grapevines. Sleepy villages dozed in the afternoon heat, plane trees provided shade on the roads and Chateaux advertised their wares along the way, making me feel like I was on the set of A Good Year. On reflection, I'm glad I made the effort.

Gorge du Verdon - Apprehension and Anxiety in Aix, 4th August 2015

I had real 'shall I?' / 'shan't I?' dilemmas about this one yesterday. Gorge du Verdon is a place I'd like to see. I've pinned pictures of it on Pinterest and it looks really spectacular. The problem is that it is not easy to get to. I originally looked into going on an organised tour, much as I can't usually bear them, but there is no availability tomorrow and tomorrow is the only day I can do. I thought about bottling out and putting it on the 'another day' list, but instead I've hired a car (much cheaper, bonus!). I'm a bit apprehensive but I don't really know why. I've driven in France before, alone, and the very fact I'm on this trip at all shows I am a little bit brave (stupid?).

On the other hand, I'm also excited to see some more of Provence up close. Having done some research on the route, it takes me through the lavender region. I may have missed most of the blooms, but you never know... I also don't know what else I'd do in town if I didn't go, so that's it, I'm going.

Pictures below are pinched off Pinterest to remind me why I'm doing this:

Aix-en-Provence - How to end the day with sore feet but happy, 3rd August 2015

The tourist office gave me a map of the Cézanne trail which is a walking tour of all of the places relevant to the artist, from his school, the bar he liked to frequent and the cemetery where he is buried. The route starts right outside the tourist office with a statue of Cézanne, unfortunately with a building-site backdrop at the moment.

The trail is then marked with bronze plaques with a letter C embedded in the pavement. 

Cezanne's grave.

Handily, the route meanders around the area where I am staying, which also happens to be the shopping district. I was able to nip home for a quick glass of chilled water and a pee, as well as into any shops that caught my eye. Just to cool down you understand, it is very hot today.

At lunchtime, I planned to go to Cafe des Deux Garçons, a brasserie that Cézanne and other famous artists and writers liked to frequent, however on arrival, I realised the price of lunch would have taken my entire daily budget, so I opted for the cheaper place next door figuring the view of Cours Mirebeau is pretty much the same. Without realising, I found myself in an Irish bar but as far as I could tell, I was the most Irish thing about the place. Here, the Frenchmen were not drinking rosé but very frivolous cocktails with pom-poms on the straws!

Cours Mirebeau

After lunch, mellowed by my glass of rosé, I ambled slowly in the direction of Atelier Cézanne. The streets were very hot by this time, even in the shade, but there was a warm breeze for which I was very grateful. 

En route, I bought a few local products - soap, lavender and sampled the famous calissons, made from candied melon and marzipan, they were good!

Atelier Cézanne is my kind of museum, just one room, left, if not exactly as it was when Cézanne died, but with all the of the objects that were present in the studio at the time. The skulls were there, some fruit (some of it was wizened but definitely not the originals!), the green jug. Cézanne changed the studio to his specification, adding an enormous window for light and a special opening in one wall so that he could get his huge canvasses in and out. 

Atelier Cezanne

I always thought that the shadows in his still-life paintings were rather heavy, but having been in the very room where they were painted, in the same Provençal light, you can see that they are really very accurate. I was really quite moved by the atmosphere of the place.

Afterwards, I was able to wander around the garden and rest a little before walking, on weary feet, further up the sun baked hill to Terrain des Peintres.

It was totally and utterly worth it. Getting to the top of the steps at the top of the hill and then turning around and seeing the mountain, La Sainte-Victoire, which I'd previously only seen in paintings, was draw-dropping.

Sainte-Victoire

It was very peaceful up there. When I arrived there were some Chinese tourists sitting under an olive tree, but they soon left, leaving me, the cicadas, the breeze and the view. Just stunning. I can completely understand why Cézanne was so captivated up there.

By the time I got back to town, my back and feet were aching so there was only one thing to do - sit in a square, order another rosé and watch the world go by. 

I've decided that tomorrow I will go to the Gorge du Verdon. There are no organised tours available so I've hired a car and bought picnic ingredients - cheese, tomatoes, apricots and bananas and I'll pick up some fresh bread in the morning. 

Aix-en-Provence - First Impressions, 3rd August 2015

The minute I stepped out of Rue Rifle-Rafle last night and went in search of dinner in the streets of old town Aix, I felt such a wave of excitement for today - it was 19:30 and the still-warm sun cast a glow on the yellow-toned buildings. The streets of polished stone from the many feet that explore them were busy, but not hectic, with people out enjoying the evening sun, having an aperitif, and like me, browsing the street menus of the many restaurants. I ended up wandering around for 45 minutes, taking in the atmosphere of this beautiful city before my stomach overruled my feet.

A golden street in Aix

Aix is often called the city of a thousand fountains. This one is The Fontaine de la Rotunde.

First stop today is the Tourist Office to get a map of the Cezanne trail and to find out what else is going on. France has nice, civilised opening hours for many things with 10:00 counting as early so I will probably head to the Cours Mirebeau for a drink and to see what market is being held there today before getting on with sightseeing proper. 

Carcassonne - 31st July to 2nd August 2015

I arrived in Carcassonne in the late afternoon to grey skies and before long a thunderstorm was in full flow, with rain hammering down. Luckily I had booked to stay with a very warm and welcoming French lady, who as well as speaking very good English, lent me her dusty umbrella and pointed me in the direction of a delightful creperie in 'the modern town'. The modern town is not modern at all, but is considerably newer than La Cite, the old, walled part of Carcassonne. The streets were very quiet - perhaps due to the rain, and all the houses were shuttered giving the appearance of an abandoned town. It turns out this is normal and is a way of keeping the houses cool. Not that this was needed this particular day. I was glad I'd packed my light jacket and wrap.

My galette Narbonnaise with scrambled egg, cheese and ratatouille. The waiter here was very patient with my clumsy French and taught me the difference between tres bon and tres bien.

The next morning was still grey, but the forecast was for brighter weather in the afternoon. I set off to visit La Cite via a 30 minute stroll along the river Aude. The river was a dark green colour, slow moving with sheets of lily pads spread along the surface.

My first view of La Cite - moody.

Out came the selfie-stick on the Pont Vieux.

Perhaps due to the weather, La Cite wasn't as crowded as I expected when I first arrived, however this soon changed when lunchtime brought blue skies. The narrow streets within La Cite were packed, somewhat ruining the atmosphere of such an historic place - the tourist tat shops didn't help either. I decided a glass of rosé would probably help. It did.

Afterwards, I took a walk around the lists - the space between the two walls where knights used to do their thing. From here there were stunning views across the modern town to the Pyrenees.

I'd had enough of the crowds after this so decided to stroll back via the town, pausing for a rest and drink in the main square. Is there anywhere else in the world where it is normal to see a group of 7 young men, sitting at an outside bar in the sunshine and order a bottle of rosé?

A sunny version of the selfie-stick picture from Pont Vieux.

Aix-en-Provence - 2nd August 2015

I have arrived in my bijou studio on a tiny street in old town Aix-en-Provence. The first thing I did on arrival was pour a glass of chilled water from the carafe my host had left in the fridge. The second thing I did, immediately after, was take off all my clothes and stand in front of the fan!

I journeyed here using Bla Bla Car again. Today I travelled with Dominique, a fifty-something lady from Normandy who wore a blue and green tie dye dress with tassels and drove 'Daddy's car', hers being too battered to make the journey. Dominique had just been to a Jazz festival in Marciac and was on her way to Grenoble for the rest of her holidays. Daddy is 91, still cooks, still drives and is bored without Dominique around.

The first part of the journey was awkward for me because I couldn't converse very well and felt bad about keeping quiet. I was embarrassed about my poor French conversation skills and was also fretting about how to explain where I wanted to be dropped off. To fill the silence, Dominique put on a CD, Sting, and told me 'I loorve 'im' whilst holding her hand to her heart. However, as you can tell from what I have found out about Dominique, her schoolgirl French served us well and we were soon communicating, of a fashion, and sharing a few laughs. 

It was very hot on the journey - we were in another small, black car with no air-con and the temperature is 31 degrees. I then had a ten minute schlep with my rucksack to my studio on Rue Rifle-Rafle (appropriate, non?), enviously walking past people having cool drinks at pavement cafés. My first glimpse of Aix looks promising and I am looking forward to dinner and exploring more tomorrow.

My little home for the next 3 nights.