Day 5/6 (26/27 Sep 07): Aix-En-Provence

AIX-EN-PROVENCE:

We arrived in Aix-en-Provence in good timing, too early even for check-in (2pm), so the alternative was to romp around town. Being tourist, we tried to cover the "must-do"s, and one of them was hang out at where the famous Paul Cézanne & Émile Zola used to chill - Les Deux Garçons (53 cours Mirabeau)


Table mat of Les Deux Garçons - painting in itself!




Dessert at a cafe further up the road, and I forgot the name of the shop!!! :(

The cute little pink sweet is Aix's sweetest "treat" - a marzipan-like local specialty, calisson, chewy, made with ground almonds and fruit syrup, glazed with icing sugar. I personally didn't like it all that much.

Rose syrup flavoured profiterole - very very pretty, but doesn't taste as good as it looks. Still, the artwork was enticing enough for me to part with some EUR!

Salmon orange/pink buildings line the streets, chracteristics of Southern France...

The Circuit de Cézanne (Cézanne Trail)! Just follow these bronze plaques embedded in the footpaths (like wizard of oz), to see where Cézanne ate, drank, studied and painted. This didn't work so well for us 'cos we lost the trail sometimes, right outside some coiffeur (hairdresser's) too and I'm sure Cézanne didn't go there for his haircut.

Paul Cézanne is known for his post-impressionist still life artworks. He was probably one of the more well to do artists, thanks to his Dad who had a stake in a bank, and also a hat shop. Cézanne went to law school too!

Some of his works I got off the website.

Very pretty railing in a museum. I must say the designs and patterns in France are very symmetric. The most asymmetric place I've ever seen is Barcelona (probably because of Antoni Gaudi), but that's another story...

Check out this giant door knocker & key hole! I've placed my palm next to them for comparison. Gosh, can't imagine lugging a key around for this, they must have needed a wheelbarrow! Hmm... maybe, with its size, it served as an eyehole as well, and one can even jab the guest's eye (if he were unwelcomed) through it!!! Woohoo!!!



I think this is Cathédrale St-Sauveur, I can't remember now...

Coloured light dancing on wall of Cathédral, result of sunlight through stained glass

Pipe organ!!! The sound was so ethereal...

Food, as always, is a huge concern. We found a 2-Michellin-Star restaurant - Le Clos de la Violette (www.closdelaviolette.com), but felt too poor to try it, so the next best thing was to take photos harhar!

And so we continue the hunt for dinner...

And voila! Chez Féraud (Provençale) Restaurant: 8, Rue du Puits-Juif 13100 Aix en Provence

The food was so amazing and it cost half of that from Le Clos de la Violette!
So in love with the food ...

I've decided I like warm figs (last picture, with ice cream). We don't get much figs out here in Singapore so it's a nice alternative.

Day 3 & 4 (24/25 Sep 07): Sainte Maxime, Sainte Tropez

ENROUTE TO SAINTE MAXIME:

Les Penitents des Mees, rows of columnar rocks over 100 metres high and over 2 kms long near the village of Les Mees, Alpes de Haute, Provence, France, Europe.

Legend has it that they resemble a procession of Monks who were eaten up with guilt because they fell in love with the beautiful young "Mauresques" women. They were punished and transformed into rocks by Saint Donat. (googled from internet)

Not bad for a moving car shot huh!

SAINTE TROPEZ:

Millions of megayachts berthing like sardines at the marina, having sailed all the way here from London, Cayman Islands... some with interesting names too...

Only tourists would take pictures of anchors lying around harharhar! But hey I've never seen a huge one like this!

Artists line the water front with their easels and paintings...

So romantic...

Before the climb to the Citadelle

Resident bouncer at the citadelle, very amiable...

Very artistic and rare works of art & statues at the Citadelle...

This shoe was made entirely out of pots & lids!!!

View from beach Tahiti...

Looks so nice, sunny & hot, but the water was freezing cold!

SAINTE MAXIME:

Sainte Maxime was very similar to Sainte Tropez, only slightly cheaper, less crowded & quieter. We were very glad Tien accidentally booked the hotel here rather than at Sainte Tropez.

Took a walk along the beach early in the morning the last day and it was SO COLD!!! And we saw a crazy woman swimming nude - crazy 'cos she was swimming at that temperature!!!

Our aerial friends took their morning strolls before we did...

La Tarte Tropezienne, first brought to Sainte Tropez by Alexandre Micka who hailed from Poland with his Grandmother's cream cake recipe among others. The sponge cake with creme patisserie equivalent (filling) is really yummy!

Hotel Jas Neuf. I would recommend this place anytime, but best if you have a car.

Next stop, Aix-En-Provence!