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.