If you have never been to Aix before, I would say it is equivalent to Paris minus all the great sights and museums. In other words, you get the perfect taste of quintessential France without all the tourists, crowds, and congestion.
We have done very little here. It feels good to have no agenda, and great to walk around without a camera! Today is 90 degrees with a breeze, which is the coolest it has been yet. It has been closer to 100 degrees so when we go out, we can only tolerate it in little bits.
We are in staying in the center of a very large pedestrian zone. After traveling for a month, I now know how important it is to me to not dodge cars. Additionally, this pedestrian zone is unique in that it has few bicycles and no hordes of people!
Cours Mirabeau is the main street, comparable to Champs d'Elysee, yet I can't figure out why so few cars drive along it.
Out of the blue, Kate announced today that she likes it here in Aix. Of course it makes me happy that she is happy! I think she likes that it feels like we are staying in an old-world mall. Everything she could possibly need is a few feet from our front door. There are food options and clothing stores surrounding us for as far as she has cared to explore!
Every store has big signs in their windows: SOLDES. The host of our apartment explained that it is the ~2 week period when the stores have sales. I am a little skeptical Aix's version of a sale is nothing in comparison to the sales we have every day in California! And we will see if the signs are still there in 2 weeks.
I truly hate not knowing at least a little more - a lot more - French. Unlike other countries who automatically assume we can't speak their language, here they only speak to us in French - which is exactly what I would expect. And then I stare at them like a complete idiot. I always get the gist of what they are saying but I never know exactly what they are saying...and I hate it. They will switch to English but I just wish I spoke French. So much for simulating!
Our biggest inconvenience has been the Aix-en-Provence parking. It is 25 euros each day here. The apartment has a spot for 10 euros per day, which I assumed we would use, but for some reason the owner won't let us use it. "I told you that the best option for your family is Parc Relais, " she explains. For 2.20 euro each day we have to park two miles away and take the public bus. Hmmm...so far I am not agreeing with her.
Our daily outing(s) has been shopping. On Sunday, we were just plain stupid and didn't get to the main grocery store before it closed for the day. Essentially the city is closed on Sundays. On Monday we thought it would be a good idea to drive ~5 miles to the huge grocery option called Carrefour. It is Walmart on steroids; the Carrefour in Aix is five times the size of our Walmart! We got gas and a car wash, and then attacked the grocery store. We were overwhelmed very quickly by all the options - it has a massive cheese aisle instead of a 1-2 foot selection! We realized that paying more for fewer options in a store around the corner is much easier!
The streets are deserted on Sundays.
Cours Mirabeau Sunday market ... very little else is open.
The booth we shop at to get our fruits and vegetables from at the daily Farmers' Market at Place Richelme.
This evening we tried something new. Many of the cities have petit trains which give you a tour of the area. The train offers a different perspective, a fresh breeze, and some basic information!
Aix Petit Train
Waiting for our tour to begin
How We Chose our Long Term Stay in Europe:
I had no idea where we should home-base in Europe. We really like Italy but decided to go with Southern France because of its proximity to everything that we have never seen. I eliminated the Cote d'Azur for two reasons: 1) the men in our family do not love the beach 2) it is mostly modern and does not have the old-style European feel we were looking for.
I came across Arles as my first choice. However, I ruled it out after I "walked" through it in google maps street view. The central area near my chosen rental house looked like a bunch of ugly, graffiti'd alleys. Next I explored Avignon. It was ruled out because July is its month of Festival, and I was afraid we would feel like we were living in a circus.
We chose Aix for three reasons: 1) Nicole suggested it 2) It is central to many other locations 3) I found the perfect rental.
If you are looking for a home base for only a week - and plan on exploring the area each day on day trips - I recommend not staying in Aix. Choose a smaller town and an apartment/hotel that you can have your car nearby. When we go on our outings, we spend far too much time getting our car from the parking lot, and then driving out of town.
