AIX-EN-PROVENCE WELCOMES ME HOME!

AIX-EN-PROVENCE WELCOMES ME HOME!
Toulon, France
Aboard Regal Princess
Stateroom C512
Monday, November 7, 2022
Sunny, 70F

TK's beautiful sunrise over the Mediterranean at Toulon

French Navy across from our ship

The hour ride on the bus from Toulon to Aix seemed like it took forever, I couldn’t wait to walk those streets again.  The ride was familiar, the cypress trees, the yellow, red tiled roofs, glimpses of the Mediterranean and yachts in port, the perched villages high on hilltops, the limestone mountains, olive trees, grape vineyards, palm trees, and finally Mont St. Victoire (the mountain that Paul Cezanne painted over 80 times, the mountain I could see out my window each day). We were there! The guide was fine with us separating from the group tour when I explained that I had lived there. He told us to meet the group at 3 p.m. by the statue of Roi Rene. I knew exactly where that was, I passed it on my way to school and “home” every day.

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. 

Janie at IAU/The American College of the Mediterranean

 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.

Leigh Smith, Dean of IAU, Janie, and TK

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.

Filming Nun 2

Filming Nun 2

After a brief hold up for the filming, we continued to Cours Mirabeau, the main street of Old Aix and used the ATM to get more euros.  The old city has changed a lot and I think I would describe it as like a huge quaint outdoor mall—there are so many boutiques, women and men’s clothing shops, bookstores, shoe stores, children’s clothing stores, jewelry shops, cosmetics stores (all of these are mostly French vendors, but Lush, Apple, Swatch, and other stores are there too).  Small restaurants were everywhere.

 

Flower Shop

Bakery/Boulalngerie

Breads at a market

Boulangerie

Calissons shop

Fruits and vegetables

There used to be a bakery, pastry shop, candy shop, butcher shop, and “mom and pop” grocery store about every other block, but no more. It was disappointing to see so few bakeries and pastry shops, but the larger grocery stores are in the suburbs and people are certainly more mobile. According to the tour guide we left behind, Aix is a college town with as many as 50,000 students with three universities and many smaller colleges. We saw students lining up at the pizza shops.

 

Pizza!

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.

 

TK at Colde

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!

 

Cours Mirabeau

Considered one of the most beautiful streets in Europe

A fountain in the middle of Cours Mirabeau

The Fountain of the 3 Graces, at the 

opposite end of  Cours Mirabeau

Roi Rene

One end of Cours Mirabeau

Cours Mirabeau is about 6-7 blocks long

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 2^nd 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!

 

My apartment building for part of the year in Aix

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.

I am disappointed that TK's photos did not arrive in my email yet--slow Internet.  Be sure to check Aix tomorrow because he took some great ones--sunrise, French Navy!

Now to get ready for Florence!

 

TK’s Takes: TK is not as charmed by Aix as I am.   He mentioned that Friend Hal might not have liked Colde, the restaurant—the tables were light and kind of unstable and we sat on a slope. The tables and chairs were bistro style. He wanted to try Calissons, a specialty candy known to Aix, made of citrus, almonds, and melon. I love this candy, but we did not eat it yet.

Aside to Son Randy: Resizing the photos makes a huge difference in speed!  

TK: 11,500 steps

Janie: 13,000 steps

MY BELOVED AIX! AND A YANKEE DOODLE!

Saturday, October 20: Marseille. Tour Aix en Provence--my city

Aix-en-Provence (usually simply called Aix) is a small, classically Provençal town, famous for being home to Cezanne. With a population of 143,000, Aix boasts three universities and several French-language schools for international students to produce a very strong student presence.

Aix has always been a rich city. There is a high contrast between Marseille (only 30 km and half an hour away). Whereas Marseille is one the poorest French cities, Aix is perhaps one of the richest. As in all Provençal towns, the city center consists of narrow streets, lined with interesting buildings from 17th century hotels to paved plazas.

I will always love the Cours Mirabeau, a wide street planted with double rows of sycamore trees and decorated by fountains in the middle of the street. It follows the line of the old city wall and divides the town into two sections. The new town extends to the south and west; the old town, with its wide but irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, lies to the north. Banks line one side of the street and on the other side are cafés and the Monoprix (a department store with a grocery store in the basement now and when I lived in Aix). One café is the Deux Garçons, the most famous brasserie in Aix. Built in 1792, it has been frequented by the likes of Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola, Ernest Hemingway, and MaryJane Phillips Koenig.

 I told the tour guide that we would meet them back at the designated area, that we would tour by ourselves. As soon as we got off the tour bus, we headed to a café for strong French coffee and a restroom at Le Cézanne. When I am in Aix, I feel completely at home. Aix is a beautiful old friend that I will never forget.  We strolled along the Cours Mirabeau to 46 Rue Manuel, where I lived from August to November 1967. I did not have the exact address in 2008 and could not find it. Today I understood why I could not find it because the exterior had been changed. It was a 12^th century stone building and though not unusual for Aix, it was unusual for me in 1967! I moved to another apartment after November 1967.

From there we walked to a luscious fruit and vegetable market near the Palais de Justice. I took Tim to another market area, showed him the Hotel de Ville (City Hall), the 12^th century clock tower that I passed on my way to school every day,  St. Saveur where I attended Mass on Sundays, and then my school. I doubt that any of this was what Tim expected, but I was home. The many streets, the alleys, the small stores, the patisseries, the boulangers, the papeterie, the cafés, all home. I showed him the post office we used all the time, too. All still there!

We took another break and stopped at Le Grillon for coffee and a Coca Cola Light. The bathroom was up the winding stairs. I have never seen an automatic flush toilet, but now I have. It is just like the hand towels, one waves a hand over the sensor, and Voila! The toilet flushes!

 We only had a half hour more so we headed back to the bus area. I purchased something fun for B1 and B2 on the Cours Mirabeau, something I am sure they can use and something they will never see in the U.S. The busy Tabac where I made the purchase sold lottery tickets and I doubt they expected to sell the two items I bought to an American. Inside the store I met an elderly gentleman who asked me if I were British. I told him I was American and he brightened up and told me that he was a translator with the U.S. Army in World War II. He told me he was captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war. He asked me if I was a Yankee Doodle or a Dixie. I told him we were Yankees and he sang Yankee Doodle Dandy to our delight. I truly loved this experience in my Aix.

With regret I left Aix behind and we returned to the Epic. We will arrive in Barcelona tomorrow, but I don’t think we will get off the ship. We will have days and days to recuperate from the extremely intense schedule of visiting ports every day for 8-9 hours. Today was a short port day. I do think about the people who return to the States tomorrow and go back to work on Monday or Tuesday.

The day was sunny and warm.