Day Two and Three
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
Waking from a well deserved night of sleep, we dined with a portly pigeon in the hotel’s restaurant. While he took care of our crumbs, we enjoyed more croissants and bread with my absolute favorite topping-Nutella! Peanut butter is yummy, but compared to a chocolate spread with a hint of hazelnut, it’s got nothing.
After fueling up we set out on a walking tour of Aix en Provence. I wish we would have done the walking tour yesterday, because there was so much more of the city that we didn’t venture into, including some really neat stores. Its odd to me that we had all that free time yesterday without a tour because in previous travels, we were always given the tour then allowed time. Either way, Aix is still amazing!
Elaina pointed out the signature sweet-calissonnes. These little marquis shaped cookies were commissioned by King Rene for his wedding as a way to impress the attendees. The treat stuck with the bakers of the city because they are still produced today and are unique to Provence. I have to say, I would definitely prefer calissonnes at my wedding rather than the silly candy coated almonds.
As we dodged delivery trucks on the narrow cobblestone streets, we moved further into the city. We came across a square which I recognized from yesterday, except today it was bustling with a farmers market. The sites and smells were overwhelming as we wove through the isles looking at the beautiful produce and handmade home goods. I tried some taponade as recommended by Elaina. It was absolutely delicious, so I bought two jars to share with my family because I know they would love it too. Then I spotted a vendor with an array of bar soap. I bought my mother five bars for eight euro, a steal compared to in the stores. Of course I had to deal with a flirtatious old man in order to buy it. He said “You have Washington in your eye.” I guess that was his way of identifying me as American, he just had the wrong coast.
Further along the tour, we were witness to a wedding at the Hotel de Ville. This is the City Hall and where all weddings occur. In France, it is unusual to have a large fan fare wedding that we are accustomed to. The larger church ceremonies and receptions are for the richer population and only after the legal union in the city hall. The majority of French people have their legal union at the city hall and then maybe a small party to celebrate the marriage later on.
Elaina also brought us into an old building known for it’s tromp l’oeille painting. Tromp l’oeille translated into English means trick of the eye, and is probably Chuck Thompson’s favorite phrase. It was really neat because it made the inside of this two story building appear to have five more stories and five more balconies than it actually did. It also added inlets and doorways with people sitting or standing on your way up the stairs. I hope the pictures I took will do the artwork justice.
After less than twenty four hours in Aix we had to depart for our next destination. En route, we made two stops. The first stop was Les Baux de Provence. It is a small walled town with a village chateau at the top of the hill. It was steep hike to reach the top, but worth the view. It was also worth the little shops!
Tiny stores were filled with gorgeous pottery, olive tree products, linens and jewelry. I resisted a lot of purchases because Elaina forewarned us that there would be more, less expensive shopping in Arles. I did however find a cute appetizer plate for my mother, decorated with olives, another signature of Provence.
We waited patiently on the bus for two stragglers (Ted and Anouar) before we could head off to our second stop, Mas de Rey, a beautiful little wine vineyard. Surrounded by 120 acres of grapes vines, this small farm house is the site for growing, picking, pressing, bottling and labeling Mas de Rey wine. During the tour and wine tasting, the mother and daughter team explain to us their business and products. We sampled their Van Gogh white wine, a rose wine and a desert red wine along with baguette, taponade and bull’s sausage to cleanse our palette. Surprisingly, my favorite of the three was the white. I am usually a red fan, but this red was very dry and too strong for me. After nearly everyone bought at least one bottle of wine (I bought three for mom) the mother followed us onto the bus and told us in French “You warm my heart. I love you all.” What a sweet lady. I think we made their day!
We finally landed in Arles, our home for the next two nights. This dingy Best Western doesn’t compare to Hotel Roi Rene, but it still beats some other places I’ve stayed in Europe. Once we settled into our rooms we headed out with Elaina who brought us to a square full of cafes include Le Café Nuit, made famous by Van Gogh’s painting. Minus the flashing pharmacy sign in the background, it looked just like Van Gogh’s rendering, and my favorite painting. The entire group of students ended up eating at the café, which was not as good as I expected. They were definitely riding on the fame or the art and not their reputation for food. The steak I had which tasted fishy gave me an upset stomach the rest of the night.
Thursday, May 17th, 2007
The fishy steak got the best of me. I stayed in sick all day with a fever, headache and upset stomach. I couldn’t even enjoy our Provencal dinner.
