I'm not really quite sure what it is about Cote d'Azur which makes it feel a little bit less classy than it should. Don't get me wrong, it is an incredible part of the world and I am very fortunate to be able to spend some time visiting. I really do love the place, it's just strange that it seems to have this odd vibe to it. It might be the seaside nature of the place or the type of people it seems to draw, but it does have a bit of a griminess at times and something about the buildings feels very... 70s.
The next place I went to was the exact opposite of this. I hopped in my car and I drove into the heart of Provence. I was headed to Aix-en-Provence. The drive wasn't too long, and only took two hours. In that short amount of time I could see the landscape around me changing from the sparseness of Cote d'Azur to the greener countryside of Provence. Once I reached Aix-en-Provence, there was only a little bit more of a trip before I was able to find the main parking garage in the very centre of town.
This place was stunning in every regard.
The buildings were beautiful. The streets were elegant. The people were attractive. Everything about Aix-en-Provence (or simply "Aix") seemed to be well packaged and polished. I was quite surprised that there was even a big change in how everyone was dressed, and I was impressed by how all the girls were fashionably dressed. In Aix, the girls were definitely adopting a truly French sense of dress, with a very refined and chic style of fashion. The image in my mind's eye of how French people should look was how the girls in this city dressed!
I wasn't just here to look around though. I was here for a very specific reason. My old housemates, Manon and Gabby were back living in France and were by chance, both now based in Montpellier.
A drive from Cote d'Azur to Montpellier was a bit too far for me to do as a simple day trip (it was about 4 hours drive), so we decided instead to meet in the middle in Aix. I had a bit of time before they arrived, so I wandered around the town for a bit.
The historic old town of Aix isn't too big, so it's an easy place to explore walking. The churches were beautiful and the houses were large and clearly built during a time of great wealth. That was probably my main take away from wandering around Aix, the whole place just exuded a feeling of wealth, money and privilege. Every building was designed and built with the highest of standards and the gardens were all meticulously maintained. There wasn't anything in particular which seemed to stand out as a tourist attraction though. That was fine for me, much like many other parts of France, it was clearly more the ambiance and atmosphere which a visitor should embrace in this town.
After walking around for a few hours, Manon arrived! I hadn't seen her for a few years, so the happiness we both felt seeing each other was incredible. She and Gabby used to live with me and they were like my little sisters. After I left Australia, one of the toughest things I went through was moving from an apartment where I used to see them both almost every day to living by myself. There was a sense of community and family I had living with the both of them that I missed dearly. Gabby hadn't arrived yet, so Manon and I wandered around Aix a bit more. We went and bought and ate some calissons (which Manon first introduced me to and which I still love to this day) and then found ourselves a nice cafe to sit and chat.
Time past, but we didn't feel like moving. There wasn't much to do other than enjoy the surroundings and one another's company. We stayed in our seat and just kept chatting way. The waiters came and brought us more drinks and offered us small snacks of bread with fish and olives. Manon saw a plate of popcorn, which seemed to be far less French, and grabbed that to munch on whilst she drank her beer.
After sitting for a little longer, Gabby arrived. Seeing both of them again made me immensely happy. They both screamed with laughter being together and I really felt like I had my two kid sisters back with me. The last time I had seen the two of them had been back in our apartment in Coogee and now we were all wandering through the streets of Aix. It was a strange flip as well. Back in Australia, I was the local and whenever there was a need for any additional language expertise or knowledge of the area, they would both come to me. It was strange that I was now relying on them to guide me. We went to a restaurant that had been recommended to Manon to get some dinner. There, I was once again surprised by these two French girls. Both of them are incredibly slim, but when it came to the ordering they didn't hold back. The each ordered a pot of foie gras as an entree and then they each ordered a grilled sirloin topped with a slab of seared foie gras. Maybe there is some truth to the old rumour that French girls don't get fat....
We walked back to our cars after dinner through the now dark streets of Aix. The city was still beautiful and the people were still well dressed. It was strange to say goodbye to them. When you get accustomed to having someone around, goodbye is normally just a polite comment, a passing statement until you see them next. When you say goodbye to someone knowing that it'll be long time before you catch up again, the words become so much more charged and tinged with sadness. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long till the next meeting.
The next place I went to was the exact opposite of this. I hopped in my car and I drove into the heart of Provence. I was headed to Aix-en-Provence. The drive wasn't too long, and only took two hours. In that short amount of time I could see the landscape around me changing from the sparseness of Cote d'Azur to the greener countryside of Provence. Once I reached Aix-en-Provence, there was only a little bit more of a trip before I was able to find the main parking garage in the very centre of town.
The buildings were beautiful. The streets were elegant. The people were attractive. Everything about Aix-en-Provence (or simply "Aix") seemed to be well packaged and polished. I was quite surprised that there was even a big change in how everyone was dressed, and I was impressed by how all the girls were fashionably dressed. In Aix, the girls were definitely adopting a truly French sense of dress, with a very refined and chic style of fashion. The image in my mind's eye of how French people should look was how the girls in this city dressed!
A drive from Cote d'Azur to Montpellier was a bit too far for me to do as a simple day trip (it was about 4 hours drive), so we decided instead to meet in the middle in Aix. I had a bit of time before they arrived, so I wandered around the town for a bit.
We ended up at a cafe called "Le Grillon" on the main street. It was a classic French cafe, with the old wooden chairs and tables and ornate decorations all along its front. We watched the world pass by as we ate crepes and I drank my first Kir.
We walked back to our cars after dinner through the now dark streets of Aix. The city was still beautiful and the people were still well dressed. It was strange to say goodbye to them. When you get accustomed to having someone around, goodbye is normally just a polite comment, a passing statement until you see them next. When you say goodbye to someone knowing that it'll be long time before you catch up again, the words become so much more charged and tinged with sadness. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long till the next meeting.
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