Day 50 - Aix de la Provence

August 24, 2018

Monday, August 20th, 2018.

Today we woke up at 9:00am. We went to bed late and woke up late. I think we are going to have to change our schedule next week when school starts! We need to go to bed earlier and be able to wake up earlier to get some work done and then go explore!
Anyway we had a nice leisurely breakfast and then left the house around 11:00am. We first took the bus to the metro, then the metro to the train station and then the train to Aix de la Provence which only took 15 minutes. Gregory was thrilled when he found the tickets and for much less than the bus, well we found out why. The SNCF train station is outside the city so when we got there, we still had to take a bus to go to downtown, and there go our savings! No big deal but we just needed to pay attention to come back on time to catch the last train at 5:45pm.

We walked to the old part of Aix discovering old buildings and a lot of fountains, no wonder why is called the city of the fountains. We walked around for a while and then the kids discover a place where they sell "boba". It was too hot and they wanted their treat so we gave in, they got their boba tea. Then after a while of walking some more and seeing lots of cafe and restaurants and smelling great smells, I was hungry. We stopped in a boulangerie artisanal that sold delicious baguettes. We sat there and had our amazing sandwiches while we watched the people walk by. After that, we walked to see the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour. This is a must see church because you can see the additions through the centuries. They actually respected the original baptistry founded in the V century. According to Wikipedia, the cathedral was built on the site of the 1st-century Roman forum of Aix. it was built and re-rebuilt from the 12th century until the 19th century. It includes Romanesque, gothic and neo-gothic elements, as well as Roman columns and parts of the baptistery from a 6th-century Christian church.

We sat in the church for a while trying to escape from the heat but then it was time to continue. We walked to see a free art exhibition in one of the many squares that Aix has. Only Sunshine and I went downstairs to see it. Afterward, I ended up chatting with the artist and her husband. They were so sweet and interested in places in Mexico. They complimented my French and they gave me a copy of a poster and a letter that she wrote were she expresses what Art is for her.
One of my favorite sentences was: "
I finally came upstairs after half an hour and found everyone ready to leave. We then walked to the studio of Cessaze where he did his work for the last 4 years of his life. Only Sunshine and I were interested in seeing his studio where did his art. Gregory and Daniel walked around the house in the gardens where he also worked.

It was very nice to see the objects he got inspired and the natural light of his studio. I just love to admire where the artist lived and where they work and did their masterpieces. I wanted to go home and read more about Cezanne and his post-impressionist movement!
After finishing walking around his garden which wasn't that beautiful or impressive, we rushed back through the old town, back to the bus that would take us back to the train station. We walked fast and we made it with plenty of time to the new train station where we waited for our train. I took a deep nap, it felt like I just had closed my eyes when we arrived! (Well she kind of did, the train was only 12 minutes.)

Before we went back home, we made a quick stop in Super U to get few groceries, even if I wanted to look for some other things, Gregory said we had little time so we could use the same bus tickets. They are good for one hour! I'm glad we made it because otherwise, we would have to walk more up the hill, like most of Marseille streets. When we got home, Virginie and Rosalie were arriving and we talked to them for a little bit about our day. Perhaps we will do something with them tomorrow.

When we got home, everyone ran to their favorite chair and turned their computer. I wanted to say, why can't I just do the same?! Instead, I opened my diet coke (which is a big treat for me) and started dinner, (sigh...) how am I ever going to change the rolls? Anyway, I don't complain because Gregory does all the hard work of research and reservation but the kids? My fault. Tomorrow I will have them help me clean the house we are staying on. Unfortunately, the cleaning lady that we wanted to hire had too much work and couldn't do it, so now is the Harris family job to do it. Did I mention that we stay here for Free for a week!! The least we can do for them is leave the place nice and clean!

Anyway, I'm falling asleep. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask questions that you may like to know about how things are going on our trip.
Bonne Nuit!