Let's play catch up! Aix-en-Provence

Hey, guys! So guess where I spent the fall break? Barcelonaaaaa! I had an absolutely fabulous time, but I still have a little bit left from my Marseille trip last weekend so let me just say that you will hear all about it next time, and I'll keep this one pretty short.

So I'll take you back to last weekend, where I was free as a bird on my third day in Marseille. Word from the locals: buses depart to and from Aix-en-Provence every 5 minutes all day, for 10 euro round trip. So, before you could say "bust a move," away I went.

Then, I arrived. Realizing that I was at a bus station with little or no direction, I followed the signs that looked the most promising and made my way to the presumed center of town. There I found the tourist office, got myself a handy map, and all was well. I basically spent the day exploring the city's artsy side. I wandered in and out of tons of artisans' stores, had some good conversations, and eventually followed the indicators on the map to see what this place was about.

This photo captures the mood of Aix: Chill, creative, and utterly cool.

My favorite time of the day was linked, unsurprisingly, to the old church tucked away in the heart of town. It's called Saint Jean de Malte, and it was certainly pretty enough from the outside:

Once again, too big for the frame!

I heard some music when I wandered close, and I decided to go in and see. As it turned out, I had come in while the organ player was rehearsing for the mass the next day. The music was extraordinary, and I had to sit down and just listen for a few minutes (which turned into 15?). It really was a joy to listen to, and the chapel was exquisite as well as nearly empty. The occasion didn't call for many photos, but I did end up snapping a few for memories' sake.

That's quite an instrument you've got there, sir.

Great acoustics, and stunning stained glass!

Afterward, I noticed that there was a museum directly to the side of the chapel, so I searched on my map and it said it was the Musee Granet, and apparently it's pretty famous. I decided to give it a shot: as a student, I got in free, and I was absolutely STUNNED at the art there. Photo taking was forbidden (and very strictly enforced: there were guards in nearly every room, and even though I was the only person wandering through some, just moseying slowly and enjoying what was there, I was followed. Like a duck. It was a little ridiculous. One woman guard got so into her job that after she haunted me at every step, I turned around and finally gave her a frustrated look. That solved that problem, and eventually I found myself in the area of the museum with the cute security guards. The portraits were nice, too. =)


Okay, seriously. I wish I could share the museum with you all. It was amazing in spite of how unassuming it was, with fantastic sculptures, landscapes, and even portraits and scenes that were 7, 8 feet tall. I spent hours there, and eventually I left, got myself something to eat at a kebab stand (yum!) and found my way back to Marseille for the evening. There, I met some friends at the new hostel and chatted for awhile while I made dinner. Eventually we shared bread, cheese, and beer, but I declined going out on account of how pooped I was. The next day, I woke up late, went to mass, and the weekend ended well. I'm going to go back at some point. The weather and construction made me miss a couple things, but overall I love love loved the town. I'd highly recommend it to anyone...alone, or accompanied. Stay tuned for the account of my trip to Barcelona!!

Until next time!