Aix-En-Provence - Chic city

We’re flying down the A8 at 140 km with Sarah at the wheel, heading towards Aix-En-Provence, pronounced (Ex-on-Provence). 140 kph might sound fast but it is the normal speed cars do in the fast lane. Everything is going fine and then we see the sign ‘Bouchon sur 5 km’ which means ‘traffic jam in 5 km’. Wouldn’t you know it! And so for the next 40 mins we moved at snail’s pace covering only 8 km until we came to the tollbooth. This lengthy traffic jam was all due to thousands of cars paying money at the toll booth. There were something like 20 gates open, all automatic and yet it was a slow process. We were wondering why on earth they don’t have transponders. But then that is not the French way of doing things!!!

Aix is a wonderful French town , vibrant and atmospheric, known for its romantic streets, stately houses and for being the birth place of impressionist painter Cézanne. It is all class: its grandest avenue, Cours Mirabeau is shaded its entire length with plane trees punctuated by gurgling, small moss-covered fountains or huge fountains guarded by haughty stone lions. Elegant cafes face the street and the beautiful people sit there sipping espresso on wicker chairs. We became beautiful for a couple of hours ourselves and had a very fancy meal at one of them.

We had come for the markets which are truly wonderful – fresh produce, fish, cheeses, bric-a-brac, clothing and of course flowers. Each was held in a different square and the narrow streets which linked them were filled with interesting shops and galleries, old archways and eye-catching doors and windows. Being Saturday, the biggest market day of the week, meant the town was jumping, and alive with people, music, weddings and colour. We have become used to the French Provencial way of doing things with their creative and artistic flair for decorative display , but Aix is a big step up. It is at a whole new level. It is chic.

Leo had fun looking for the little brass squares with a C on it which led one in a circle around town, visiting all of the places where Cezanne used to hang out. They didn’t lead to the huge church though which we visited. A wedding was in progress, so the centre was closed off, but we still enjoyed the side chapels and cloisters.
Yes, Aix is a very stylish city. In fact I would say if you want to see France outside of Paris then Aix has it all. In fact, both Barry and I felt we would like to come back and spend a minimum of 3 days there to get to know the city much better.

Our long, long lunch

Can you imagine walking up a hill on a very hot day and looking over a railing, down through the leafy plane trees, into a small square and seeing a beautiful fountain surrounded by tables set up for lunch. It looked so cool and inviting. It was irresistible. Adding to the atmosphere were the 3 storey peach coloured French houses with their blue shutters enclosing the square on 2 sides. Waiters in red shirts and black trousers were moving about preparing for the lunch and so we had a decision to make – should we stop at the restaurant now (12 noon) or explore this delightful village of Seillans a bit and then have lunch. Lunch won!

So we settled down for a long, long lunch with the most beautiful food we have had so far. For €26 ($35) I had the 3 course meal, but Barry stayed with his diet of salads (smoked salmon this time). I had gazpacho with roasted prawns on the side for entrée, then roast pork loin with beans and potatoes for main and stewed fresh peaches with a chocolate chip mini muffinfor dessert. Jim kept buying bottles of Var d’Iris Rose which was declared to be top rate. So we sat and sat and soaked up the atmosphere. We studied the beautiful people at the next table with their beautiful blonde children (Germans) and pondered on what sort of work they did. We settled for photographer (girl) and male model (man).

We sat for over 3 hours and then we 3 girls dragged ourselves off to an interesting art and craft shop where the lady allowed us to watch her putting her designs on T-shirts. One small gallery near the restaurant had a downstairs section in part of an old Roman aqueduct lit with a blue light, which was interesting. We did manage to have a little explore of this ancient village though, up and down the narrow cobbled streets. Picturesque stuff. The delightful 13th century church with a statue of Joan of Arc inside was worth mentioning.

This was a wonderful day and is what France is all about – long lingering lunches in beautiful settings with delicious food and wine. Bring it on!

Oops! We missed St. Tropez

Today we were excited about going to St. Tropez – heart of the French Riviera and the place to see the rich, the famous, the wannabees, the young and the gorgeous. We took the A8 for about 20 km (€1.80) and after another 12 miles we ran into some traffic on the 2 lane highway leading to St Tropez. We weren’t too concerned because we were still 17 km from St. Tropez, and thought it was a slow vehicle or an accident, but after a couple of km going at about 5 km per hour we reached a dead stop. This was starting to get serious and Hamish was all for getting out of there. We continued very slowly until the next turn off and then we realised the sad fact that all this traffic was trying to go to St. Tropez. At a rate of 2 meters in 20 minutes, it was enough for Sarah who was driving, to announce that she had had enough. We had to go somewhere else. And that is how we came to Grimaud. (Grim-oh)

Grimaud is only about 18km from St. Tropez on one of the rolling hills back from the beaches. It was described on the website as being ‘picture, postcard perfect’ which makes you wonder whether it might look fake. There was very little traffic heading that way, so that was a good start. We drove up the hill, parked and started walking into the village to look for a restaurant for lunch. It didn’t take long for Hamish to spot ‘The Café du France’ down through an arched walkway. It had a lovely outlook over a small square, and there was a strolling musician playing bosa nova, so we took our seats on the wicker chairs under the umbrellas, and proceeded to have a lovely meal.

2.30 pm and very hot out in the sun but still time for a wander along the street. This turned out to be more than that though as we discovered more and more interesting streets and buildings. What a beautiful village. Gradually it crept up to the top of the list of the best we had seen, and then finally Hamish gave it the ultimate prize of declaring it to be better than Seguray by which every town is measured since 3 years ago.

Wandering through the village was such a treat. The houses were a lovely warm-coloured stone with the traditional terracotta tiles. Some had lovely gardens with oleanders and vibrant bougainvillea which would spill over walls. Others had contrasting shutters and window boxes of geraniums. There was not a scrap of litter anyway, making it obvious that the residents of this town took great pride in their village. The ruined castle on top of the hill, dating back to the 11th century beckoned us, but the hill was just too steep at that time of the day. We came across a 16th century Renaissance style building with three gothic arches in the ‘Rue des Templiers’ , but my favourite was the tiny stone church which was almost pitch black inside. It was very old, but such a simple church, with steps down into the body of the church. It would only hold about 100 people but it had a strangely welcoming atmosphere about it and felt like a place of solitude and meditation. I loved it.

Our return home was another unplanned adventure. Somehow Camilla (GPS lady) took us onto the freeway. After only 500 mts we had to take the exit, but accidently got into the wrong lane as we approached the toolbooth and not only had to pay €3.40 but then couldn’t get off the freeway for 11 km. We had paid to go to Nice!!! This was our fault as we should have been in the far right hand lane. We made an exit and then had no idea where we were and had lost all confidence in Camilla. We found ourselves on winding roads and by now we were running very low on petrol, but finally saw a sign that said Bagnols en Foret. What a relief after 2 hours of stress.

I’m not sure what to say about St. Tropez other than all we saw were the sign posts to it and a traffic jam of 15 km trying to get into it.

Nice is nice

How does one see the sights on the French Riviera without getting in a traffic jam and also find a carpark when they arrive at their destination? Answer – take the train! Well it works if you are going to Nice. Through the train window we had a taste of life on the Cote d’Azur during summer. Beaches were crowded, jet skis were doing wheelies, every type of craft was on the water and some of the huge yachts and cabin cruisers were out and about. One that went by was like a small cruise ship, maybe it belonged to Bill Gates! There were plenty of marinas with large and small yachts and some magnificent villas on the cliffs looking out to see. That’s where the other half lives! The Mediterranean was not bright blue at all. In fact Lake Titicaca was much brighter with its brilliant cobalt blue colour. The roads were chock-a-block with cars and motor homes jamming the intersections and we felt glad to be looking down on it and not part of it.

Vieux Nice (Old Nice) was the main attraction for us. Nearly everything in it is over 200 years old and some of the churches are Our first square was Palais Plaza, filled with cafes and protected by the huge Palais de Justice building. We collapsed into some chairs and ordered salads and drinks and soon started to feel better. It was incredibly hot. We started our walk at the flower market and walked all around the narrow, shadowy streets, into cosy squares, past baroque churches and a jumble of pastel houses, trying to follow a map but not worrying if we got lost. The sense of discovery with each corner turned was exciting and our cameras were working overtime. It looked and felt much as it must have long ago. There were plenty of small shops and galleries, along with ice cream bars with 50 amazing flavours (rose, lavender, violet, basil, cactus to name a few) and outside clothing shops were racks of Nice trend wear. And places to eat!!! There must be more outdoor café seats per square kilometre in Nice than in any other city in the world. A rough estimate would be between 5000-8000. Even a laneway only 6 feet wide would have a line of tables and chairs up against the wall and a waiter serving.
People watching in Nice is interesting. The first thing you notice is that most people wandering around are eating ice creams. Everyone is very casually dressed and no matter what your age, shape or size you must wear the current trend in clothes. This year it is very short strapless dresses with shirring across the bust. Not for me! No one looks chic. Women show off their cleavage and men generally wear knee length shorts and canvas shoes and have collar length hair and sunglasses. Even balding men! Locals walk dogs of all breeds.
Another interesting observation is that Nice is a city of apartments. For approximately 20 km from the city centre there are no houses at all, only quite high apartment buildings ranging from plain to quite attractive with wrought iron balconies and shutters. Then came some modest houses and by the time we approached Cannes it was back to apartments again.
Nice is a really fun city and one I would love to explore in October or any cooler month when the crowds are not there. Yes Nice is very nice.

Grasse is Fragrant

Time to find a market and it looks like Grasse is the place today. It is a large town spread across some low hills just 15 km north of Cannes. This is considered to be the perfume capital of the world as they began making perfume here back in the 16th century. The old town is much larger than Fayence and is a true medieaval town that has withstood many raids in its time. Tiny streets wind forever between the 17th and 18th century buildings, up and down ancient steps, passing through arched tunnels and sometimes opening out onto large squares. We made our way to the central fountain in Place aux Aires where the market was supposed to be, and found only half a dozen stalls so that was a disappointment. Although they say there is a market every day, Sunday is only a token gesture.

However walking around the streets was wonderful. The camera was working overtime as every way I looked something caught my eye. When I think of Grasse I will remember gurgling fountains and picturesque squares with welcoming cafés, red and yellow ochre houses, and narrow streets filled with tiny shops with interesting merchandise. We gradually made our way up to the cathedral which was very ornate with gilt and carving, and 10 side chapels. Three Rubens paintings were hanging there, plus works by lesser known artists and there were beautiful stained glass windows and statues. All very impressive and added to that, the view over the surrounding hills and valleys made the walk up the hill worthwhile.

The three historic perfume manufacturers - Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard provide free tours of their laboratories so we joined the crowds to see over Fragonard. The museum was very interesting with its displays of bottles and vases that trace the industry back to ancient times, with life size diaoramas of how the people looked and worked long ago. I found the history of the family itself most interesting and how it grew with each generation. We intended doing the tour of the laboratories to see how they extract the essence out of the flowers, but a couple of bus loads of French tourists pulled in before us and the 45 minute wait to do an English speaking tour wasn’t appealing, so we gave that a miss. Sarah and Louise spent up big in the Fragonard shop buying several of their beautiful products. Apart from the perfumes, they sell lovely soaps all packaged up beautifully. We all arrived home smelling of fragrances we had tried out, even the guys who had been trying the after-shaves.

Bastille Celebration

Being July 14th in France meant it was Bastille Day and a public holiday. Jim booked us a table at The Commerce, one of the restaurants in the square in the local village Bagnols (Banyols). A stage was set up for a band and recorded Cuban music was playing as we took our seats at the table. Looking around I could see all restaurants
in the square were going to the busy as tables were filling up fast. Although the huge plane trees kept off the late sun it was still very hot and very humid. When Leo and Ben saw the other children on the dance floor they joined in too - Leo running, jumping and then posing like John Travolta and Ben just sort of flopping to the rhythm, which Sarah declared to the same way Hamish dances.

We all ordered the Plat de Jour which was a 3 course meal for E17 which was very good value. Our waiter wanted to know where we were from and how we had found his village, as he was not used to serving overseas tourists. The crowd appeared to be all from the village with maybe some French tourists. The first course was a Spanish tart (ratatouille with chorizo) second course was lamb shanks with honey sauce which sounded a bit weird but was lovely, and lastly was Crème Brulee which was excellent. Leo wolfed down a 12” pizza all by himself.

During our main course an aging rocker grabbed the microphone and started to sing. He wore black trousers, a black satin shirt with 3-4 buttons undone, and a gold chain. Some of his songs were pure rock and others were straight from Charles Aznevour. He had the music pre-recorded but it was obviously his voice because he missed a few important notes. But it didn’t matter because the atmosphere was so good. We were all rocking along to the beat and children and mothers or fathers with babies were on the floor keeping time to the music. Everybody joined in from babies to 90 year olds. And then they all stood and raucously sang the national anthem, to which we joined in. A couple of other chaps sang, one who was all in white and did Rod Stewart numbers and then the main attraction was the Tom Jones look-alike in black trousers and black velvet jacket complete with sequins. He sang quite well and we were having fun trying to guess which song it was because nearly all his numbers were English songs but sung in French. Even Abba can be hard to recognize in French. All the adults were now dancing and the Barry and I joined in. For Barry to get up and dance these days means it really has to be good music. There was jive, twist, rock and roll, tango, cha cha, and a French version of our Nutbush. All in all it was a wonderful evening and we felt very special to be enjoying a genuine French village celebration. For such a small village as Bagnols it was quite a party, and we have seen nothing like it in Australia. Admittedly they have a band in Federation Square on New Years Eve in Melbourne, but the atmosphere doesn’t compare. It would have to be something like McCrae turning on a party, but without the village square with its restaurants all bunched together they can’t do it. It requires everyone working together in spite of being competitive with each other. Uniquely French.

Visit to a ‘perched village

Today’s selection of village is Fayence, one of the ‘perched villages’. It was only a short drive of 24 km north from Bagnols and there are 8 such villages on the hills but Fayence would be the pick of them. From a distance it was eye-catching and as we wound our way up the charming, narrow streets to the top we could see that this was going to be one of the best we had seen so far. It was obviously very old, but well preserved, and as we came under an archway and saw all the tables set out invitingly under the plane trees we couldn’t wait to find a restaurant and sit down. Jim and Louise joined us after a barrage of texting and lunch turned out to be very pleasant – nice salads. I have made promise to myself not to have any more French fries!

We started our walk in what they call the old town, which made us wonder where we had been having lunch. Steps led down to a square in front of the church and the stage told us that this was where they had celebrated Bastille Day. The exterior of the church was almost identical in shape to the one in Trinidad, Cuba. It was the same soft salmon pink colour and inside was cool and dark and made a lovely retreat from the heat about 40 minutes later. Very narrow, cobbled streets led out in all directions from the square and the further we went from the church the narrower they became until they were only about 6 feet wide. The houses were all about 3 stories high giving some shade to the laneways, but now and then there would be a mini square, usually filled with sunshine and hanging baskets of flowers, and we came across a mother and toddler kicking a ball around in the only space available. The houses were of soft pastel tones and shuttered with contrasting colours. Large pots of flowers marked each entrance. We came across an open doorway and inside was a life size diorama of a baker’s kitchen set up exactly as it would have been 500 years ago, with a husband, wife and child working.

By this time the streets were just a maze. We had no idea which way was out, so thought if we went up we would come to the main road into the town. That was right and we walked back to our lunchtime restaurant and then down the steps to the church, stopping to buy an ice cream on the way. Sarah and Louise had been spending time in the shops around the square and Jim was having a bad time with his mobile phone. He was set to have a tantrum and throw it on the ground and stamp on it when we caught up with him. A cold drink at one of the restaurants was the only answer. The temperature was about 33 but the humidity was the main problem, hence it is no wonder the French in this part of the world (except those in tourism) hibernate between 12.30pm and 4.00 pm.

First Impression of the French Riviera

Traffic, traffic, traffic!!! Followed by roundabouts and more roundabouts. They seem to come every 100 metres. There are road signs to 6-8 places at every point and no time to read them. It is just as well we have ‘Camilla’ (GPS) in the car telling us what to do and making ding dong sounds when it is time to turn. Once you get on the freeway (A8) then it is wonderful and you can travel very quickly between places, but once off the freeway it is bedlam. We have seen the odd traffic jam but so far haven’t been in one ourselves.

Our house is up a small mountain in the village of Bagnols en Foret (Bagnols in the Forest) which is near the town of Frejus, which is north of San Tropez. We have to climb 8 km up a steep, narrow, twisting road and some of the rocky outcrops remind me of the Australian bush, but not the trees. It is reasonably attractive but I much prefer the fields of sunflowers and vines from Languedoc last year. The house is quite good though, although Sarah tells me that French houses never turn out to be quite what they advertise. For instance, one house she rented forgot to mention the fleas! We haven’t got those thank goodness but we have inherited a 20 year old mangey angora cat which the owner requested we feed as she is too old to be moved. We have the most wonderful swimming pool surrounded by great pool furniture, plus a hot tub and a sauna. The garden is huge and filled with flowers, olive trees and birds. The outlook is towards treed hills and 15 minutes walk away is the very quaint village. So all things considered I think we are going to settle in quite quickly.

The joy of seeing the grandchildren was fairly shortlived! Lovely as they are, living with them is another matter. My tolerance level for noise is very low these days and I find myself having to escape into the garden frequently. Luckily the wine is good and cheap. Remarkably good rose comes in 5 lt bags and costs about $1 a litre.

Driverless trains – Now that’s freaky!

Dubai excels at having the biggest and the best at so many things, and their brand new, state of the art railway line is certainly one of them. Everywhere you drive in Dubai you see the line above you, like a monorail (which it is not) and the glass cocoons which are the stations. You buy your ticket and then make your way through the gate validating your ticket, and come to the platform. You find yourself in a ‘bubble’ with the line on the other side of glass doors. Every 6 minutes a train glides silently into the platform, glass doors open in the bubble and the train, at exactly the right position, you enter, the doors close and off you go. No chance of suicides or people getting on to the stations without paying because there is no access to the lines. We travelled ‘Gold Class’ (1st) and the ride was quite good because we were up high and looked down on the houses. Once in the city area we had wonderful close up views of the skyscrapers , especially the Burj Kailifa, the highest building, a mere 180 storeys. When I think about our poor old Melbourne system with its graffiti ridden trains, MyKi problems, timetable disruptions, safety issues and overcrowding it leaves me in awe. We can do it so badly and yet the Emirates can do it so well.

It's snowing in Dubai

We might think we know what shopping malls are in Melbourne, but you haven't seen anything until you have seen some of the malls in Dubai. Yesterday we visited Mall of the Emirates which contained Ski Dubai. It was a huge ski slope like any European or Australian ski centre and believe it or not had snow lightly falling. Features included a long moderately sloped ski run, a lift, a luge course through a mini mountain, tobogganing, ski lessons, a huge clear plastic ball a person could get inside and then be rolled down a slope and for littlies there was the fun of making a snowman and throwing snowballs. It was very busy and all children were wearing navy and red ski suits, and adults had long black ski jackets to their knees which they wore over their dish-dashes or abijahs. We had waffles and coffee in one of the lounges facing onto the ski run and watched the activities through the enormous windows. Groups who were enjoying the snow would often come to the window laughing and chattering and pose for photographs for their family who were watching from the coffee shops.

The Dubai Mall, a different one, is the largest shopping centre in the world -as big as 50 football fields and includes, aquarium, underwater zoo, ice skating rink, Kidzania( mini world where kids play at being grown ups and have to earn money doing jobs) 22 cinemas, 1200 shops, luxury hotel, car parking for 14,000 cars and so the list goes on. I tire pretty quickly of shops but the quality of the merchandise is something extra special and the window displays are magnificent.

Anyway outside the mall is this fountain. It is not based around a central point, but is spread out like a snake along the length of the lake, making loops. It is nearly 1000 ft in length and is choreographed to a range of classical and Arabic music. The water shoots up and sways as if dancing to the music, with the finale being water shooting 490 ft into the air. Each show lasts about 5 minutes and then it rests for 25 minutes. It was still daylight when we saw it but it must be even better at night when it is illuminated by the 6,600 lights and 25 colored projectors. What a spectacle. I believe it cost US$218 million to build. Dubai never ceases to astound. I wonder what Dubai residents think when they visit other places!

Luxury Living

Sarah planned a memorable birthday treat for me this year. She booked us in to the Burj Al Arab for afternoon tea. That may not sound so incredible, but anyone who knows about the Burj Al Arab will understand. It is a 7 star hotel shaped like a huge sail and stands on its own little island about 100 m off the coast. Afternoon tea here consists of 7 courses and costs in the order of $80 per head. (D250) We gave our reference number to the gate man and proceeded to the front door where half a dozen liveried doorman awaited. We took photos near the sign, then stepped in through the revolving gold and glass doors to the lobby. WOW!! Just does not capture it. It appeared to be all gold, red and royal blue. The first thing I really noticed after the initial flash of colour was the grey granite water wall in front of me, reaching up to the next level. Water was shooting out in arches making pretty patterns. Above that the magnificent interior of the hotel reached up to the sky, 80 stories, in royal blue, gold, green and white. Very attractive. We went up the escalator to the first floor level and here was a huge fountain with water making amazing shapes and patterns and then shooting up very high in a final burst. Lights flashed on and Benji was stamping his feet and squealing with excitement. It was a tremendous display and we watched for a whole cycle then took the lift to the restaurant.

The entrance to the restaurant was through a mirrored, silver, jewelled corridor with mini fountains and hanging lights like crystals. Obviously the interior decorators have been given free reign to dream up whatever they could with money being no object. We were seated by 2 waiters and shown the menu. Papadams were immediately placed on the table and a silver container with 4 different sauces. Sarah selected some wine and it was poured into our 12” high glasses. Tea choices were green, jasmine or English. Then the real courses started – fruit salad in edible cups, sushi, Chinese delicacies, soup, chicken satays, dessert of petit fours and interesting individual things such as a lychee in a tiny basket. How did we get through all that? Well you may ask. I have no idea but we waddled out of there like a family of ducks and didn’t eat until the next day.