Friends and Family in Aix en Provence

Friends and Family in Aix en Provence

Thanksgiving Week, 2017
Aix en Provence, France

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking ahead to Spring – Aix en Provence for the Easter Festival.

What’s first on the Aix to-do list when we arrive? Flowers, of course! And what a glorious morning we have for our first market foray! The usual produce, flowers, clothes and textiles fill stalls, and the annual Santon Fair is set up beyond the grand Rotonde fountain at the end of Cours Mirabeau – every imaginable figure for your creche scene.Most of the week we’re walking around familiar lanes, but for a couple of days we rent a car to see friends further afield. After a near-freezing morning, we’re off to La Ciotat, where we’re surprised to see hardy souls braving the water – from stand-up paddlers beyond the waves, to swimmers and sunbathers. Our friends Jean-Marc and Kristin (author of one of our favorite blogs, French Word a Day) have recently moved here from a few miles away, and after that chilly start to the day, it’s turned out to be perfect for a garden lunch. Kirk channels Van Gogh in one of Kristin’s hats, and we while away the hours together in the sunshine.After stopping for some big box store supplies outside of Aix while we have the car, we take a side road home and pull off to take in a glorious sunset.One more day with a car, and we’ve invited new friends Jim and Brenda to see more of the area – the lush and varied Luberon north of Aix calls us today, beginning with ochre-toned Roussillon, always a favorite.Rewinding south towards Bonnieux, we pause at Pont Julien, a hearty Roman relic that survived when new bridges perished in floods over the centuries.
Just down the road is bonnie Bonnieux, where we pause for a look across the rooftops and the lower church – to the valley beyond. A few elegant doorways from centuries ago attest to the former wealth of the village, popular again since Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. Pulling away towards Lourmarin, we’re grabbed with the sight of the village tumbling down its hill, framed in glorious autumn colors – wow!Between Bonnieux and Lourmarin we stop for a half kilometer hike down a path beside an old mill trace to a stone bridge built by the pre-Luther Protestants called Vaudois. They left Italy where they were known as Waldensians and where they developed considerable skill as stone masons. This low, short bridge over the insignificant Aigue Brun stream has as an anchor on the right, a stone concave fan. Those Vaudois cut and laid those stones with such skill that the bridge still stands after about 500 years.
Last stop, chic Lourmarin, with its eye-catching chateau. The guys pause for a coffee while Brenda and I peek in the shops.
Mt. St. Victoire greets us in the sunset as we approach Aix, where a surprise awaits us. Our friend Xavier told us to call him when we got back since he had something to bring us. He’s a collector of contemporary art, but has saved for us a piece from his parent’s estate that he gave to them years ago – of a place he knows we enjoy. Venice! We’ve been looking for something for this corner – how nice to have a piece with a personal connection!
Friends and family make life so delightful….the family arrives tomorrow!

 

 

 

Here and There in the South of France

Here and There in the South of France

July 2017
Provence, France

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
Why not join us on our newest tour in September – Bordeaux and Dordogne

Not a day goes by that we don’t walk through the market – a visual feast, which always includes smells – breathe in the lavender, the olives, the goat cheeses – and sometimes tastes urged on us by friendly vendors. So even if we’re on our way elsewhere we must walk through the daily market on Place Richelme.
Evenings find us at friend’s homes – in the countryside near Bandol, east of Aix, or up near the rooftops of Aix on a terrace, where grill-master Xavier tosses something fabulous onto the heat.One day friends come into town for the market, and we meet for lunch at the legendary Deux Garçons, where Zola and Cezanne used to hang out. A couple of ladies order the Plateau des Fruits de Mer, towering piles of fresh seafood, but find they can’t quite finish it up – Kirk to the rescue! Three of the group were our first visitors to Ambiance d’Aix the week we bought it in 2010, so we convince them all to stop by on their way to see the cathedral – first time we’ve ever had 15 people in our apartment! On one scorcher of a day we buzz over to the beach – hot as it is, the water’s still chilly and refreshing, and the sea breeze even cools down everything at night more than in the city, as we find when we spend an evening with friends in Cassis. Out the window we watch as water jousters practice for the upcoming tournament. “Who are you rooting for, the red or the blue?” asks Yann.
Corey’s tablescapes are always as lovely as they are delicious – dig in! As usual, I’m entranced by the view, changing by the minute.Before dessert we all walk out to the lighthouse and back – the purple glow marks Chez Gilbert, and the apartment above we’re getting to know and love.
Thanks, friends, for memorable moments!

 

 

A Day in the Luberon

A Day in the Luberon

Easter Week 2017
The South of France

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
Why not join us on our newest tour in September – Bordeaux and Dordogne

We’re sharing some favorite villages of the lush Luberon region north of Aix with our Aix Easter Festival tour guest today. And as she collects artisanal pottery, we’re seeking out more than just fabulous vistas. At the top of the russet-hued village of Roussillon is a tiny boutique specializing in local ceramics – and now Janice has a few choice pieces that will wing their way to her US home! From atop the Castrum we take in the views – the shocks of red clay amidst the dark green of the pines, a lone poppy in the grass,a chateau nestled far below. It’s a perfect day to take in all the colors of Roussillon. In the parking lot below, market stalls cluster among the surrounding colors. Beside the cliffs, scraped in decades past for their ochre pigments, we pause for lunch, then we’re off to our next village, Lourmarin. On the way we pass Bonnieux, tumbling picturesquely down a hillside – it always demands a photo stop!
After zigagging through the Luberon range, we coast down to Lourmarin, with its elegant chateau, and wander through the peaceful lanes for a bit before returning to Aix.
This evening’s concert is in the historic Jeu de Paume, a restored handball court originally constructed for the entertainment of the nobility in the 1700s. Beneath this elegant ceiling we listen to tenor Mauro Peter sing Schumann, Strauss and Liszt, ably accompanied by Helmut Deutsch on the piano, before completing our day with a Moroccan feast at Le Riad – the best tagines in town!  Our waiter effortlessly pours tea from yards above the cups – that takes some practice, I believe!

A Seaside Favorite in the South of France

A Seaside Favorite in the South of France

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, continued
Cassis, France

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking ahead to Spring – Prague and Budapest, or Venice and the Veneto – join us!

We’ve got a few errands to do, while we have a car, on the way home from Jean-Marc and Kristi’s, but we can’t pass the exit for Cassis without stopping! Yes, our favorite seaside village awaits – 02021604 cassis colorswith the beach much quieter than when we were here in August with our grandaughter Cassidy!02021603 to cassis beach unlike augStrolling down towards the lighthouse, 02021604 cassis out to lighthousewe take our time, awaiting the sunset.02021604 cassis out to lighthouse1 As it slips below the western cliffs,02021604 cassis til sun sets in the west the lights twinkle on by the port 02021604 lights twinkle onand in the fortress above.02021604 twinkle fortAfter finding just the right light for the renovated kitchen (the last bit of work – replacing the dangling lightbulb) in the large shopping area nearby,  we’re back in Aix.
Just around the corner02021605 back in aix resto around the corner are a couple of new restaurants, and tonight we try The Bistro on Campra, a haven of very traditional French cooking. Dinner is delicious – 02021605 back in aix new resto trad frenchwe’ll recommend this to Ambiance ‘d Aix renters!

 

 

Farewell to Aix

Farewell to Aix

Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Aix en Provence, France

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
How about celebrating Mozart in the matchless city of Bath, England in November?

One last day…and it’s a market day. No, we won’t buy anything else, but we’ve got to walk through and just take it all in one more time. Passing another sweet door-topper, 08251501 am walkand a mysterious sunny corner,08251501 sunlit corner

we stroll through the bustling squares, passing a beautiful fountain or two, 08251501 fountainthe warm scents of fresh-baked bread, 08251501 market breadthe best paella man – yes, it’s going fast!08251501 paella going fastIt still feels like summer here  – need a flirty fedora? 08251501 summer fedorasBut fall’s encroaching, we’ve walked over crunchy leaves in our square, and here the fall colors creep in to the market. 08251501 market fall colorsWe’ve got another taste or two that we don’t want Cassidy to miss, so amble over to a favorite restaurant, Le Bouddoir, on lovely Place des Tanneurs, 08251502 for lunch for lunch. 08251502 lunch bouddoirLeave room for dessert – you’ve GOT to try Café Gourmand! 08251503 cassidy has to try thisCassidy agrees, it’s a fabulous French invention…who wouldn’t like FOUR desserts rather than just one?!
One more stop – a new pirate-themed candy shop, where she stocks up for the long flight tomorrow. 08251503 gotta show you thisWe take the long way home, peeking in on another favorite square, Place Albertas, 08251503 long way homeand walking through our adjacent square, where lunch is still in session.08251503 still lunchingThen I get to work packing and cleaning, and Cassidy studies on the windowsill, still her favorite perch. 08251503 studying while i packOk, chores done, we can fit in a final concert or two – and we begin with the group we heard rehearsing earlier right next door, the Percussion and Brass sections of the OJF,08251504 concert from the windowsill video too French Youth Orchestra – here’s a Spanish themed piece. They’re terrific musicians all!
And last of all, a choral group in the cloister, also just next door.08251504 last one in rarely open cloister Aaah Aix, we’re going to miss you!

Friday on the Isle

Friday on the Isle

Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking ahead to summer – join us on the fabulous Amalfi Coast in July?

Not a sea isle, but a river isle today, as we head north to L’Isle sur la Sorgue, the delightful river-laced town known for its weekend antique mart. 04101501 am isleNo antiques for us today (but we’ve got several choice pieces in Ambiance d’Aix, found right on these lanes!), just a stroll around a favorite town, with the obligatory coffee pause at the historic Café de France, a charmer outside 04101501 cafe isleand in – we’ve stepped back in time…04101501 cafe pop inWe find a lovely florist/housewares/tea shop that has me wishing for more time to explore,04101501 elaine choose lunch spot and check out cute boutiquesand show Elaine a couple of our favorite restaurants so she can make a choice for lunch since she has invited friends to join us. It’s been twenty years since she was last here, staying nearby for a couple of weeks, and the Untours hosts for her stay still live on the outskirts of town. They’ve invited us for an apero in their garden – how nice!04101502 apero at max andAnd then join us for lunch by the river back in town, Elaine’s treat – merci!04101502 dine at pretty riverside tableA lovely couple, Max and Regine have welcomed travelers to the area for many years and have now passed on that Untours job to someone else. 04101502 pleasant company thanks elaineWe enjoyed their stories of life here and Elaine’s memories of lovely times exploring from this base.
Back in Aix, Elaine packs up for her journey to the Côte d’Azur tomorrow, and we begin our packing as well, then squeeze in a stop at a gallery opening up the street before dinner. We’ve noticed posters advertising Won Choi’s work and love her Aixoise and Provence scenes.04101502 won choi delightful work vernissageKathleen of Galerie Imbert invited us to the Vernissage (opening evening) and we enjoy meeting Won Choi and appreciating more of her beautiful canvases. 04101503 galerie imbertOne more delicious dinner together, at welcoming Millefeuille, where the chef/owner delights our palates from beginning04101503 millefeuille first courseto end (yes, a millefeuille is always on the dessert menu!).04101503 to namesake dessertOnce again we’ve met a charming new Music and Markets client and enjoyed a wonderful week…our guests are the best!