Blogs from Aix-en-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 15

This morning wandered throughout the old town of Aix-en-Provence and figured out what this Provencal life was all about. It's about taking things easy, wandering down narrow streets, originally built for horse and carriage, and enjoying simple pleasures like good food, good wine and pretty flowers. We meandered through the narrow streets of Aix's market this morning, croissant in hand, and saw fruit that we've never seen and tasted like we've never tasted. The strawberries, the apricots, the canteloupe, the raspberries, the cherries. You name it they had it and it was like none of us have ever had the pleasure of tasting back home. Typically, we bought a baguette, some cheese, prosciutto and the aforementioned incredible fruit. We also scooped a bottle of rose wine for 5 euros! A bottle! The corkscrew we had to ... read more

You wouldn’t be inter-railing if you didn’t spend at least one night on a train, so I travelled overnight to Marseille. After a two hour wait, there was then a train to Aix and, when I eventually managed to track down a pay phone that took cash, I met up with my cousin who went to university here and has since made it her home. Provence is incredibly laid back - as is made clear in the book “A Year in Provence”. It was great to take it easy, drink Pastis (a local drink that tastes a lot like Pernod or the Greek equivalent, Ouzo), eat great food and watch everyone else do the same. My cousin really looked after me and showed me all the sights of Aix and the rest of Provence. She took ... read more