We headed south out of Sablet, and arrived in Aix shortly before 10, right when our car was due to be returned. The city streets were a mess of construction, but following the GPS on my phone we eventually arrived at the Hertz office. I had hoped to stop at our hotel first to drop our luggage, but the stress and confusion of just getting to the rental office made us rethink that idea. I knew our hotel wasn't far from the rental office, so it wasn't a bad walk, even dragging our bags.
Our little hotel, Hotel Cardinal, is on rue Cardinale, not far from the center of town, and just down the street from the Eglise Saint-Jean-de-Malte. It's an old hotel, reasonably priced, and it has a small lift. The breakfast room is charming, and breakfast is an extra 8 euros. I've stayed there a few times over the last 20 years, and always found it to be comfortable, and the employees to be friendly. I love the view of the church at the end of the street.
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| The church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte viewed at the end of the street |
We got to the hotel at about 10:30, knowing that check-in wasn't for several hours. I thought maybe we could leave our luggage somewhere near the lobby and go look around town. We had a walking tour scheduled at 2:30, so we had some time to kill. The desk clerk checked our rooms, and said that since one of them was ready we could put our stuff in that room until check-in time for the other room. So nice! Oh, and Caterina's 5 kilos of clothes left in Sarlat had been delivered, so all was well!
We headed out toward Cours Mirabeau, the main street in town. It was just a few blocks from our hotel and the outdoor market was in full swing. We saw lots of clothing and other home goods, and it was very busy. This was Saturday, after all, and the sun was out. We shopped around for a bit and then looked for a place to have lunch. Ricardo and Marco were drawn to an Irish pub, The Four Courts, since a beer sounded good right about then. They both had beer, and Caterina and I had a glass of local wine. We decided to have some lunch there, and actually the food was rather good. Burgers, fish and chips and salad were all tasty, and really not too expensive for a place right along the Cours Mirabeau, an area known for overpriced, mediocre food.
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| Is there an Irish pub in every town in the world? |
At 2:30 we met our guide, Erin Jordan, of Aixploring Provence, in front of the Patisserie Bechard, the oldest and most venerated patisserie in Aix . One of their specialties is the famous calissons of Aix, an almond flavored marzipan candy, which is definitely an acquired taste.
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| The most famous patisserie in Aix |
Erin is an expat American and personal tour guide, and can customize your walking tour of Aix to include your particular interests. We went on her general walking tour, which took about 2 hours. This is how we found the magic of Aix! I told her I'd been here a few times, and though I liked the city, and saw some pretty streets and fountains, I just didn't feel the spirit of the city, didn't see the magic. Two hours later, I can say that I know and love the city in a way I never would have on my own.
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| Here's Erin guiding another group through Aix. Photo courtesy of Aixploring Provence |
What I thought was the "old" part of town, the part where our hotel was located, was not the old part at all. Known as the Mazarin Quarter, it was relatively old, but nowhere near the oldest. Erin walked us through the charming streets, pointing out museums that I didn't know about, and market squares "cours" in other parts of town, where the locals buy their fruits and vegetables. We went through leafy little squares where you could sit in the shade and have a drink or a meal. It was nothing like the busy Cours Mirabeau. We wound our way through the truly old part of town to the Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur, and even with a service in progress we were able to see the beautiful areas of this old church. Erin stopped at her favorite macaron shop and treated us each to the flavor of our choice. Delicious.
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| So many ornate buildings |
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| Another fun statue in the old part of town |
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| A little clock or two in the old part of town |
According to Erin, we were lucky to have such nice weather in Aix. They'd had a very wet spring, like the rest of southern Europe, and this particular Saturday the whole town was out celebrating the beautiful weather. Our tour ended at the Fontaine de la Rotonde, which is currently surrounded by construction work. Next year it should be back to its wonderful self.
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| Fountain de la Rotunde in all its glory. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Rainbow 0413 |
The Cours Mirabeau has several fountains lining the center of the street, dating back to the time when Romans settled there. We especially liked the ones that were like a big rock covered with moss. The water for these fountains comes from the thermal hot spring under the city.
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| One of the old fountains on the Cours Mirabeau |
We wanted a special restaurant for our last dinner in France, and Erin had lots of suggestions. She made a reservation for us at Jardin Mazarin, just down the block from our hotel. We had a wonderful dinner there, treated by Marco and Caterina.
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| At Jardin Mazarin, scallops served with forbidden rice, and popcorn? |
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| This has to be breast of duck, which Ricardo almost always orders in France! |
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| Baba au Rhum for dessert. That little bubble-looking thing is actually a vial of rum, turned upside down so it drips into the cake. |
Then back to our little hotel for our last night in France.
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