Fun In Aix-en-Provence

After visiting the market at Lourmarin, we followed Naomi and Kate (who were in a cute white convertible small car) down twisty roads and up and over the mountains to the bustling town of Aix-en-Provence, fondly known as Aix (pronounced something like the axe that you chop wood with).

This is a lovely place, with crowds and lots of young people. Not surprising since it is one of the places that young people like Naomi come to learn French. When Kate visited her the first year she was in France, she was a student at a language school. They even showed us where she lived then.

I love the fountains which can be found in many places, but especially along the main drag, called Cours Mirabeau. I was very taken by the fountain surrounded by stately lions and fanciful sprays of water (photo at top of post and below),

but also loved one that was so quiet that moss had grown over a lot of it.

Another delightful aspect of Aix were the public plazas, often surrounded by outdoor cafes with tables shaded by umbrellas.

Although it started raining as we returned to St. Sat, in Aix we had sunshine and perfect fall weather. The pavement looks we in these photos because they had just finished a market and hosed down the pavement.

Naomi showed us a lovely cafe, Le Chastel, on a plaza that is usually quiet, but we found that there was road construction going on. Not as scenic, perhaps, but the food was excellent. When they served the after lunch espressos, there were cute little cookies at the side of the cup. It's little grace notes like that which the French excel at.

I was a bit sad because this was the day we parted ways, with Kate and Naomi staying in Aix so Kate could catch a plane, which Sweetie and I drove back to St. Sat. Still, the people watching and window shopping were stellar!

Of special interest to me were the shops selling sweets, like beautiful pastries and delicious candies.

The display in the candy store was extraordinary!

Too soon, it was time to leave. Sweetie discussed routes back to St. Sat with Naomi.

Then we headed back to where our car was parked. On the way we passed a bit of fun in Plaza Charles de Gaulle. Someone was making large and small bubbles and the children were running around trying to catch them or pop them.

A delightful way to leave Aix-en-Provence. Next time we need to spend the night there and enjoy it a bit longer.