"Driving Through Provence" a Aix-en-Provence Travel Page by SFHulaGIrl

He'd promised me a day in Provence, and I wasn't about to let him out of it. We left Sete early with our map, binoculars, and snacks packed by his mom. I actually wanted to stop in Arles first, but he by-passed it and went straight to Aix. It was exactly what I'd pictured when reading books on Provence. We were there on a Saturday morning, market day. I took so many pictures of the farmers' market and the flea market, but he accidentally exposed the film; now all I have are the memories. We bought herbes de Provence, the Marseille soap, dried lavender, a bag made with Provencal fabric, and a teddy bear of souleiado. We ate lunch at a cafe on the main street in town. The trees, the sun, the fountains... I was so happy.

I finally returned, accompanied by a friend, to Aix-en-Provence in July, 2006. We came via Paris on the same train, neither knowing if the other was actually ON the train! I had taken a train from Normandy back to Paris that morning, switched train stations and jumped on the train to Aix. She had left her hotel in Paris that afternoon, gone to the train station and also jumped on the train to Aix. Since neither of us actually saw each other at the train station and weren't able to call each other, we were in suspense until we arrived in Aix, as to whether the other had actually made it!

We arrived in Aix the evening of the Italy-France football final. The streets, bars and restaurants were packed with (mostly) young men all hyped up about the game. In the meantime, our first order of business was to eat. Once we finished, we joined the others in the street, craning our necks to see what we could of the game. The air was abuzz with excitement. However, when people quickly began walking away and we spied men crying, we knew the sad outcome. We'd been hoping to party till dawn in celebration of France's victory, but that was not to be -- this year.

Market Day in Aix dawned bright and early. The markets were awash with color and scent. At the Marche aux Puces, I will forever regret not buying the boutis quilts that were priced 2/49E!! I wanted the blue and white toile one SOOO badly, but couldn't figure out how I would manage to pack them both and load them on the train to Paris.