AIX-EN-PROVENCE WELCOMES
ME HOME!
Toulon, France
Aboard Regal
Princess
Stateroom C512
Monday, November 7,
2022
Sunny, 70F
Our first stop was the Institute for American Universities where I attended my junior year of college. The building where our classrooms were is now only additional classroom space. We were directed to the new office building located at 8, rue de Littera, about a half block away. We were greeted by Dr. Leigh Smith, Dean, and several students. Dr. Smith was happy to speak with an alumna from so long ago—1967-1968. There are 170 American students there this semester and 240 will be attending next semester—we had about 100 in our class. It was great sharing some memories of my time at IAU, at the time affiliated with the University of Aix-Marseille. Now the IAU offers a 4-year degree, as well as summer, semester, and year long studies.
Leigh was generous with his time and stories, but after a brief chat, TK and I were on our way. There were so many places I wanted to see again. Ironically, a Netflix movie was being filmed, The Nun 2, a sequel to The Nun, and both of these films are a “prequel” to The Conjuring. This is a series I have not even thought of watching. Our path was blocked briefly.
Aside to my dear friend Judy from Nebraska (now Florida), my "partner in crime" in Europe: Leigh was very intrigued about our story of meeting Marc Chagall at Fondation Maeght and his signing a print for two American girls who spoke French. He asked if he could share the story with students now. Of course!!
From the Internet: Here’s the The Nun 2 plot synopsis: “1956 – France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit THE NUN follows SISTER IRENE as she once again comes face to face with the demonic force VALAK – THE DEMON NUN.”
Guess who has watched The Conjuring? Yep, TK.
After walking on just about every street in the old city, we stopped
for lunch at COLDE (pronounced cold) and sat outside. Just for future reference,
a Croque Monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a slice of cheese melted
on top, too—that sounded good to me. TK had avocado toast. Both came with a
salad and tasty crisp fries. Coke Zero is prevalent and an easy choice. By the way, a Croque Madame is a grilled ham
and cheese sandwich with a fried egg inside—Both of these sandwiches are easy
choices.
Believe it or not, there was a shop that sold only jams and jellies. There
was a wall of jams/jellies labeled “Red Fruits of Spring,” “Yellow Fruits of
Spring,” and also divided by colors: Fruits of Summer, Fruits of Autumn, and so
on—strawberry, rhubarb, quince, orange, and so many more. Another wall was
devoted to jams for cheeses, another section was jams for meats. This would be
a culinary delight for someone!
Too soon it was time to gather at the statue of Roi Rene. In case you wanted to know, King Rene was born in 1409 and was Count of Provence, Duke of Anjou, Bar, and Lorraine, and King of Jerusalem and Sicily. Born into a family of kings and dukes, his life encompassed the conquest of Normandy by Henry V and its reconquest by Charles VII. His sister was married to Charles the VII of France and his daughter married Henry VI of England—that is the short version!
On the way to the bus area, I spotted the 2nd apartment I lived in—I have returned to Aix four times, but this is the first time I found the building, near the Hotel Roi Rene and the Fountain of the Four Dolphins!
Back on the ship we were both exhausted. We had a light dinner in the
dining room-I had 3 appetizers (pineapple with dates and mascarpone, pear and
mango soup, and split pea soup). Delicious!
TK had pork cutlets.
Now to get ready for Florence!
Must bring back many fond memories. How many steps are you walking everyday..
ReplyDelete