Wrapping up Aix

After mountain climbing, Angie and I checked out the Musee Granet. As part of the Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture 2013 (www.mp2013.fr for more) they had a special exhibit called "Cadavre Exquis."

Musee Granet

It was an interesting exhibit - a mix of painting, photography, and performance art. The permanent collection was also very good with a fair number of Picasso's and a beautiful Van Gough still life.

On Wednesday before leaving, we visited the Cathedrale Saint Sulplice. What a beautiful church! The baptistery was full of light and lined with paintings created by Aix artists.

 

Ceiling of the baptistery.

Beautiful colors!

We were also given access to the cloisters by a kind caretaker (normally only open for guided tours). What a beautiful space! Each column has a unique decoration at the top.

On our way to the train station we walked through a market!

And next stop...Marseille!

 

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Mount Sainte Victoire

When Angie and I arrived in Aix, we asked at the tourism office how to visit Sainte-Victoire, a picturesque mountain to the east of the town. The woman asked, "Are you sporty?" and we responded with a yes. She gave us directions and said it was approximately a 2 hour hike for sporty people like ourselves.

We're in front of the Bimont dam - Sainte Victoire in the distance.

 

On the Bimont dam

The hike was pretty and the views kept on getting better as we climbed through some rocky terrain.

Angie being sporty!

 

Up, up, up

The cross at the top was our destination!

 

View from the mountain - that speck in the sky? A fighter jet.

 

So close!!!!

 

The 17th century priory - so happy to reach this!

Beautiful

We turned around from there and made our way down the slope.

We climbed a mountain!

PS Mont Sainte Victoire was made famous by Paul Cezanne, a painter from Aix.

 

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Next stop: Aix-en-Provence

From Bordeaux, we made our way east on Monday towards Provence. Aix-en-Provence, better known as Aix, is a beautiful little town where we stayed for two nights.

On Monday we explored the town. There was a lot of shopping - Provence is known for its olive groves, almond trees, and lavender. We tried Calissons, diamond shaped sweets made from products of the region (almonds, melon, lemons, and honey).

Artisan Olive Oils from Provence and a little dwarf olive tree

There were also a lot of fountains! The town has many natural springs.

Fontaine de la Rotonde

Place Albertas

We walked up the Main Street, Cours Mirabeau, lined with plane trees and cafes.

Cours Mirabeau

 

The town hall square was also beautiful with an adjacent clock tower.

L'Hotel de Ville

 

Clock Tower

 

Clock tower

 

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Saint Emillion

On Saturday morning, our group took a trip to Saint Emillion for a wine tasting and guided tour of the town.

Entrance to the chateau (in Bordeaux this means a winery, not castle)

We visited Chateau Faugeres in Saint Etienne de Lisse. It's a recently named Grand Cru Classe.

Very modern production - the wine is produced by gravity flow into French oak barrels. These barrels are turned 40 times daily!

 

Group shot while wine tasting

We drove into the town of Saint Emillion next. Simply beautiful. It's a medieval town that's a UNESCO world heritage site.

Saint Emillion

Group shot in front of the largest monolithic church in Europe

Erin and I climbed the Tower of King Roy and received a beautiful view for our efforts!

View of St Emillion from the Tower

Statue of Baccus at the Hotel de Ville in St Emillion.

 

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Bordeaux

Erin and Jen met us Friday afternoon in Bordeaux for a little McCombs reunion in France! We walked across Pont du Pierre and explored the cathedrals in the Vieille Ville.

Saint Pierre (one of the stops on the St Jaques de Compostile pilgrimage)

Cathedrale Saint Andre in Place Jean Moulin

The bell tower for St Andre is not attached because the church could not support the weight of the bells

 

Bordeaux had these great bronze models of the sites throughout the city.

After a stop in a cafe with a view of St Andre and the Hotel de Ville, we went to Le Wine Bar for dinner. It was absolutely delicious!

Le Wine Bar is actually Italian food (Venice's flag is behind us). The owner took this picture and put on country music for us Texan girls.

Saturday afternoon we visited the Botanical Gardens to take advantage of the nice weather.

In the early evening, after Julie headed back to Paris, we went to the Maison du Vin to try some more of the Bordeaux wines. And chocolate!

2010 AOC Cerons - Caves Fleury

The carnival was in town, so we went to check it out. The fun included a riding the Ferris Wheel and Crazy Gliss, but also a lot of people watching and cotton candy!

Jen and Erin on the Ferris wheel. One of my favorite pictures!

View from the Ferris wheel - the carnival was on the esplanade des quinconces.

So many cotton candy flavors!

Erin and Angie on Crazy Gliss!

On Sunday we went to the Place de la Comedie for a coffee before Jen and Erin headed back to Barcelona. Angie and I walked to the river to a Sunday market. We walked the length of the market checking out everything and came home with a delicious lunch of tomatoes, comte cheese, and pain de noix.

Huitres! A specialty of the region.

Confiture

 

Des fruits et legumes!

Music under the bridge Pont de Pierre

I absolutely loved Bordeaux, it was a great visit!

 

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