Aix-en-Provence

It felt nice to be back on the Cote d’Azur, after our two weeks “up north”. The weather was thankfully back to normal, with blue skies and plenty of sun! We had hoped to do a bit of skiing this weekend, with the plentiful snow and all, but unfortunately we had both caught a bit of a cold during the holidays, and decided to give the skiing a miss this time. But with the beautiful weather, we decided we had to make the best of it anyway, and decided upon visiting Aix-en-Provence, after some deliberation.

Aix-en-Provence is a city brimming with history, Founded by the Romans 123 BC, it was made the capital of Provence during the 12th century. The city reached its zenith under the enlightened good king Rene, during the 15th century. These days it’s famous as a university town, very popular with international students, which is reflected by the existence of a large amount of bars and cafes all around town.

Having parked our car, we started our tour on Cours Mirabeau, the finest street in Aix, apparently. And a fine street it is, with its fountains, and lined with fancy shops and cosy (and perhaps slightly over-priced?) cafes and restaurants. From there we walked past the statue of Good King Rene, through the old town, towards our destination – Paul Cezanne’s house. The famous post-impressionist (that’s something I got from my trusty old Lonely Planet, I must admit that I in my ignorance always thought we was an impressionist) was born, lived and died around Aix-en-Provence. Unfortunately our 10 minute uphill walk was without reward – the museum was unfortunately closed. So back we headed to the town centre, where we spent a good hour walking around the quiet streets of Aix. We liked the place – Aix gives the impression of a tidy, prosperous and refined place, quite unlike the chaotic and noisy Nice, and nearby Marseilles. It kind of has a character of its own, with its tree-lined avenues (a friend of mine who used to live there tells me the trees are quite useful, since they provide some welcome shade in the summer heat) and numerous fountains, for which Aix is famous.

We had a look inside the imposing Cathdedral-St-Saveour, which quite unusually for the region, was built in the Gothic style (a lot of the churches on the Cote d’Azur are at least more Baroque). Unfortunately it seems that the artistic highlight in the church, The Burning Bush, can only be viewed as part of a group. By now are stomachs were growling, so we started hunting for an open restaurant. We ended up in a nice enough place on Cour Mirabeau, and even found a table outside in the sun. As we basked in the sunshine, enjoying the food, we once more reflected on how fortunate we are, living in this corner of the world (not many places in Europe where you can enjoy lunch on a terrace in January…).

Having finished our lunch, we thought a bit of a hike would be nice, to burn off those calories. So we popped into the tourist information centre, where we got some good advice. Off we set again, in the car, driving through the Axois charming hinterland to the dam of Bimont. And what a lovely spot it was, with with the nearby hills and the bright blue sky providing a dramatic background for the crystalline lake Birmont. We spent a very relaxing hour or so, crossing the lake on the dam, and walking around the well-marked footpaths on the other side.

A bit disappointed about having to head back, but revitalised by the hike, we got back in the car and drove back towards the motorway. We did make a short stop in one of the small villages on the way, Vauvenargues. We got out of our car, crossed the typical Provencal village on foot and headed for the local chateau. We were greeted by a rather interesting sign, which informed us that “the castle is closed, the museum is in Paris”. I take it they don’t like tourists and/or Parisians too much around here… ;-) Kind of an amusing end for a great Sunday!