Monaco & Aix-en-Provence.......like ya do.....

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Geo: 43.7503, 7.41284

The bike race is done, I guess it's time to move on....

We headed to our little boulangerie only to find them closed on a Monday, so we went in search of another. We found one that was just as tasty, but bigger and less quaint. But it served the purpose of fueling us for a bit, so that was the important part.

Then it was off to Monaco, dahling.

Really, we were a little underwhelmed. There were a couple of cool cars (McLaren, anyone?) parked here and there, but nothing that had us drooling.
We walked along the marina and gazed at the multitude of yachts that are docked there.
I looked up a few on my phone, and the ones I could find info on were owned by oil millionaires -- nobody we'd ever heard of. But we did learn that the Lady Moura's emblem is actually 24 karat gold, which was an interesting little tidbit.

We walked from one side of the marina to the other then paid the €2 each to take the bateau bus back across the marina. It's basically a taxi -- nothing sightseeing about it. The mailman was the only other passenger on our crossing, and he and the 2 crewmen were having a lively conversation.

The casino was closed until 2 (and really, did we honestly think they would be letting us in? Probably not), so we decided to get on the road to Aix-en-Provence.

We spotted a leftover race arrow on the outskirts of Eze, so we pulled over to help clean up a little more, then swung into the small grocery to grab a bit of lunch for the road (they didn't sell pliers, but we figured sandwiches & chips, they could probably scrounge up).

Once we found ourselves in Aix-en-Provence, Little Miss Google Maps took us down some roads that we probably weren't really meant to be on. But on the 2nd pass-thru, we did manage to find our way to the parking structure that our hotelier had advised would be the closest.

We'd let them know that we thought we'd be arriving around 5 pm, but we were there more like 4:30. And the door to the hotel was locked, nobody home.
Well, it IS a little chilly, so maybe we just walk around a bit, and see if anyone has a cheap jacket for sale, seeing as how I packed only a very light jacket (hey, I thought it would be warmer than this in the south of France!).

I spotted a rack of discount sweaters on a rack outside a shop, and upon closer inspection, they were only €25 which seemed like a reasonable price. I picked out a beige one (not my preferred color, but the best of the choices), and took it inside the teeny little shop.
The merchant man was busy with another customer, so I looked around the 2 walls while I waited. It's Europe, and everyone seems to have a scarf, so perhaps I'd better add this sage-colored one to my purchase.
The other customer was escorted out without her purchase -- wonder what the deal was there? -- and he turned his attention to me.
I presented my 2 items, and handed him my card. He somehow picked up on my Americanism, and tried the card, while explaining that his credit card system seemed to be down. Sure enough, the machine spat back an error, so he escorted me out the door as well-- and down the lane a few feet, until he could point me down another lane, where I'd find an ATM.
Ah. It all makes sense now.

I got some cash and went back. Handed over my €40, and he promptly went about the business of folding tshirts on the wall behind him. Dejo & I just kindof looked at each other....should I not expect a receipt, or a bag? Were we done here? It was very awkward....until the merchant turned around, holding out a fawn-colored shirt, and asked if I liked it.
Well, sure, but I really just needed the sweater and the scarf, I tried to explain.
He indicated that he was throwing this in for free. I....uh.....but.....okay, I didn't want to be rude, so I said "Merci...beaucoup!".
This large, most likely boisterous-in-a-bar, man pointed at the admittedly narrow door to his shop, and said "My door may be small, but my heart is big!"

Now, how do you say "No" to that??

We'd killed enough time that the hotel owner should be back, so we headed there to check in.
We were staying at l'Epicerie, a little 4-room hotel, run by a delightful gay couple (I presume), Luc & Laurent.

We were shown to our room, where we allowed ourselves a short nap before heading out to find a place for dinner.

Restaurants: Aix-en-Provence has them in abundance!

After looking at the Yelp and Google reviews for many, we decided to try the one literally feet from our hotel.

Poivre d'Ane was one of the best decisions we've ever made!

Our reservationless selves were seated at the last table that wasn't reserved, and embarked on a full evening of culinary delight.

Every course was better than the last, and the very kind hostess/waitress spoke lovely English. We opted to have one menu in English, and one en Francais, so that we could sortof compare and learn.

If I had a Euro for every time my eyes rolled back in my head from the pure enjoyment of these marvelous flavors, I'd have been able to pay for the meal easily (which by the way, was right around €100 -- well worth it!!).

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Photos

The Lady Moura
That logo? 24 karat gold.

Helping clean up
Or you could call it liberating another sign....

Pam's debilitatingly delicious dinner
Noix de st-jacques à la poutangue, filetto croustillant et laitue de mer
or
Scallops with bottanga, crispy "filetto" and sea lettuce

Dejo's palate-pleasing plate
Filet de boeuf en croûte, girolles et foie gras, crème de champignon
or
Crusted beef fillet, girolle mushrooms and foie gras, cream of mushroom