by Anne Woodyard | Dec 2, 2017 | Aigue Brun, Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence market, Aix en Provence restaurants, Ambiance d'Aix, Bonnieux, Cassis, Cours Mirabeau, fountains, France, France travel, French Word a Day, La Ciotat, Le Riad, Lourmarin, Luberon, Pavilion Vendome, Place de Trois Ormeaux, provence, Roussillon, Santons, south of France, truffles
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!
by Anne Woodyard | Jul 24, 2017 | Aix en Provence, Cassis, Deux Garcons, France, provence, 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!
by Anne Woodyard | Jun 13, 2017 | Aix en Provence, Bonnieux, France, Le Riad, Lourmarin, Luberon, Plus Beaux Villages de France, provence, Roussillon, south of France, Theatre de Jeu de Paume
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!
by Anne Woodyard | Feb 14, 2016 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence restaurants, Cassis
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 – 
with the beach much quieter than when we were here in August with our grandaughter Cassidy!
Strolling down towards the lighthouse, 
we take our time, awaiting the sunset.
As it slips below the western cliffs, the lights twinkle on by the port 
and in the fortress above.
After 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 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 – 
we’ll recommend this to Ambiance ‘d Aix renters!
by Anne | Sep 9, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence market, Aix en Provence restaurants, Café Gourmand, fountains, France travel, French Youth Orchestra, Le Bouddoir
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, 
and a mysterious sunny corner,
we stroll through the bustling squares, passing a beautiful fountain or two, 
the warm scents of fresh-baked bread, 
the best paella man – yes, it’s going fast!
It still feels like summer here – need a flirty fedora? 
But fall’s encroaching, we’ve walked over crunchy leaves in our square, and here the fall colors creep in to the market. 
We’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, for lunch. 
Leave room for dessert – you’ve GOT to try Café Gourmand! 
Cassidy 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. 
We take the long way home, peeking in on another favorite square, Place Albertas, 
and walking through our adjacent square, where lunch is still in session.
Then I get to work packing and cleaning, and Cassidy studies on the windowsill, still her favorite perch. 
Ok, 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,
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.
Aaah Aix, we’re going to miss you!
by Anne | May 8, 2015 | Aix en Provence restaurants, Isle sur la Sorgue, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Millefeuille, Uncategorized
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. No 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 
and in – we’ve stepped back in time…
We find a lovely florist/housewares/tea shop that has me wishing for more time to explore,
and 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!
And then join us for lunch by the river back in town, Elaine’s treat – merci!
A 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. 
We 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.
Kathleen of Galerie Imbert invited us to the Vernissage (opening evening) and we enjoy meeting Won Choi and appreciating more of her beautiful canvases. 
One more delicious dinner together, at welcoming Millefeuille, where the chef/owner delights our palates from beginning
to end (yes, a millefeuille is always on the dessert menu!).
Once again we’ve met a charming new Music and Markets client and enjoyed a wonderful week…our guests are the best!
We find a lovely florist/housewares/tea shop that has me wishing for more time to explore,
And then join us for lunch by the river back in town, Elaine’s treat – merci!
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we're interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We've visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and in the the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with you.
Aix-en-Provence, France