by Anne Woodyard | Jun 27, 2016 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence market, Ambiance d'Aix, Burgundy, Cours Mirabeau, France travel, provence
Wednesday – Thursday, May 18-19, 2016
Aix en 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?
A flight from Prague to Paris, a bus ride to the train station, then a fast train whizzes us south through the lush Burgundy countryside,
and we’re back home in Aix! A few purchases to settle us in, a check-up of the apartment, which has suffered water damage from upstairs renovations of a neighbor, a good night’s sleep in our own bed, and it’s Thursday, market day. We have a morning meeting with our manager and the contractor who will manage the repairs needed (painting will have to wait until the end of the summer, to allow our three hundred year walls time to dry well) but before they come we happily head for the flower market. 
Full of gorgeous spring scents and colors, one stall after another tempts, until we settle on a gorgeous armful of peonies – white for fragrance, red for color.
After our meeting, where we bravely try to comprehend the insurance requirements and details of repairs in French, we all agree that the damage could have been SO much worse. Isabel, our manager, just HAPPENED to stop by the apartment to drop off clean sheets and towels one morning, and was shocked to see water pouring from a ceiling light fixture and down the kitchen and living room walls. She quickly shut off the electricity, called the Pompiers (fire department) who came and shut off the water, then assessed the damage and dried the affected furniture. It seems that the plumbing problem began earlier the same morning, not before that – or the house would have been flooded! As it is, our home is still comfortable and live-able, with some stains on the walls and ceiling that will be taken care of at the end of the summer. Not as pretty as it was – but it will soon return to its former state – and even better, we hope!
We’ll work on deep cleaning later, but now’s the time to get back out to the markets before they close. Joining the chic shoppers on Cours Mirabeau, 
we take in the change of seasons – colorful summer merchandise is ripe for the picking! 
A new swimsuit? Or a find-me-at-the-beach hat?
Peeking down a pretty lane, 
we take another way home, stopping for some delectable spring produce for lunch.
Peonies for the eyes, a crisp cool rosé to accompany lunch, we’re happy to be back!
by Anne | Aug 14, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence market, Ambiance d'Aix, fountains, Uncategorized
August 10-14, 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?
Here we go, sharing all the things we love about Aix with our grandaughter…
Baguettes, warm from the oven,
from the bakery around the corner,
the fountains,
the markets, of course!
And then there are the charming boutiques that have kept the ancient architectural beauty of the many convents and monasteries that filled the streets centuries ago,
Cathedral Saint Sauveur, with Roman and medieval remnants in the baptistry,
a market-fresh lunch,
the centuries-old cave (storage area) underneath our apartment.
We love the golden stone and beautiful architecture of Aix,and so does Cassidy, claiming her perch on the windowsill,
sketching the neighborhood. 
We love the music in the squares,
shopping for meals at the market,
and making them in our new kitchen!
Every day’s a pleasure!
by Anne | May 8, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Ambiance d'Aix, Cours Mirabeau, Uncategorized
One last post of a party-day in Aix, then we’re off to Barcelona and Prague!
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?
It’s our last day in Aix – one more stroll through the market,
one more round through favorite squares,
one more lunch with friends – on Xavier’s terrace,
high above Place Cardeurs.
And now for the BIG reveal – the bathroom is painted and ready for prime time!
Here it is – up the stairs, where there was a bathtub and shower, is now a shower room, with plexiglass from floor to almost-ceiling on the left.
Looking down from the shower, 
and in the door – we love it!
The Bande Desinée festival kicks off this evening on Cours Mirabeau, with “Little Nemo” floating on his bed amidst dragons, carriages, balloons, dancers – what a party!!
This dragon practically kissed me on the head!Wow, Aix, what a way to say goodbye!
Au revoir – 
we’ll see you again, as that really means!
by Anne | May 4, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence Easter Festival, Aix en Provence restaurants, Ambiance d'Aix, Cezanne, Terrain des Peintres, Uncategorized
Music & Markets April Easter Festival, 2015
Aix-en-Provence, France
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?
Sometimes you’ve got to be creative and inventive on the spur of the moment, and this was one of those days. We walked to Avis to pick up our rental car, ready for a drive north to the Luberon, and what met us there? A big sign on the door with our name (along with a few others) saying that the office was closed today, giving us an option of picking up a car in another location. No phone call, no notice….don’t think we’ll use this company again! So since art is a major interest of Elaine’s we decided to walk (uphill ALL the way!)
to Cezanne’s atelier this morning. 
We’ve often stopped at this beautiful spot, appreciating the spacious grounds with many inviting sitting areas (where we’ve seen poets and artists at work)
but have never gone inside. What a pleasure it was to see his high-ceilinged and well-lit workroom, with many of the props he used for still lifes right there, just as they were during his day (no photos allowed of the interior).
I’m sure this rear window was not covered with branches in his day. 
You can barely see, from the outside, the top of the 6 foot tall narrow iron “door” on the left through which he slid his landscapes when he wanted to be outside to work on them. After wandering the grounds,
we walked still higher up the hill to the Terrain des Peintres, a favored perch from where Cezanne painted many of his views of Mt. Saint Victoire.
With views like this no wonder he chose this spot!An easy downhill walk all the way to Cours Mirabeau, and we’re seated in the sun for a delicious lunch at L’Estello,
so bright that a “hat” is required!
Welcome to our place for an evening aperitif! 
And then a robust Mahler symphony, the stage packed with an orchestra 200 strong, PLUS a chorus of hundreds! Quite a contrast to last night’s two-person concert, and that’s how we like it – we include a variety of venues as well as ensembles, from full orchestras in a symphony hall to a duo in an historic intimate theater on a Music and Markets Tour – we love it all! 
Mahler’s Second Symphony is known as the “Resurrection” and as the choir quietly joins the orchestra in the final movement, we’re waiting for what must be coming…the powerful full-voice jubilation of “Rise again, yes, you shall rise again, my dust”. I get goose-bumps just remembering it!
by Anne | Apr 28, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence restaurants, Ambiance d'Aix, France travel, Uncategorized
Thursday-Friday, April 2-3 , 2015
Aix-en-Provence, France
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?
We say goodbye to a gray drizzly Paris, (and after an hour and a half whizzing south, finally see the sun somewhere over Burgundy)
then hello Aix, where the sun almost always shines!
Settling in, we take it easy since we’re still struggling from the colds we got from standing out in the rain before going to Paris, stroll around at sunset, and by Friday we’re ready to go.
We walked through the flower market on our way home yesterday just a little too late – the vendors were loading blooms into their trucks. But friendly Martine is on Place des Precheurs today, 
and I walk home past a favorite square with an armful of spring pastels for our mantel.
Long-stemmed tulips in a pale apricot – delicious!
Music and Markets Aix Easter Festival Tour starts tomorrow, and today we’re running errands: picking up concert tickets, finishing up bathroom painting, and trying out new-to-us restaurants. Aix’s one historic center Michelin-starred restaurant, Pierre Reboul, has a playful, less expensive, sidekick next-door, Petite Pierre. Is this the coolest take on caesar salad?! 
After an interesting and delicious main – a Pastilla of lamb, shredded and wrapped in phyllo, chocolate, always a good choice, is the finale.
More errands,always a pleasure when there are so many interesting things to notice as I walk – such as this Spanish-themed Repetto window. 
We take the “long” route to dinner, just to enjoy a few more views on the way to try out another new to us restaurant. 
Hidden in plain sight, right on a main shopping drag, is a creperie in an old olive oil mill. We’ve passed it for years, never noticing, until Lynne wrote about it on her Aixcentric blog. Well obviously everyone else knows about it – as we sit and enjoy our dinner every table is eventually filled – good thing we called to reserve!
And the crepes are delicious, along with some unusual pear cider. Yes, we’ll be bringing our Music and Markets guests here, and telling our Ambiance d’Aix renters about it too! 
Good night, Aix – it’s wonderful to be back!
by Anne | Feb 21, 2015 | Aix en Provence, Aix en Provence market, Ambiance d'Aix, Uncategorized
Valentines Weekend, 2015
Aix en Provence, France
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking ahead to Spring – how about the Prague Spring Festival in May?
What better place for Valentine’s Day than romantic Aix en Provence?! Mimosa is in season, golden masses tumbling from the florists buckets. I’m imagining this guy asking a friend “what do you think she’d like?”We choose Valentine’s flowers together – stems of red Amaryllis, which will slowly open, extending the pleasure through the week ahead.
Another vendor has added a few rows of single rosebuds to his stand – a Valentine’s special.
And I’ve never seen so many men walking through the streets with a lovely bouquet in hand!
Patisseries are also doing a brisk business – the line’s out the door at Aix’s best, Bechard.
We’re planning to cook dinner together in our new kitchen, and peruse the market stalls for just the right ingredients. Shall we start with snails?
No – we’ll keep it simple at home, but start out with an apero at Cave d’Yves, a cozy wine bar.
Then a romantic stroll through favorite lanes
and squares. Recognize this one? There’s usually a bottle or two of rosé cooling in the fountain….in the warmer months.
We continue celebrating on Sunday, sharing our new kitchen with friends. First an apero in the living room – see those amaryllis shyly opening?
Xavier called to let us know he would bring a starter….and what a starter it is!
Truffled eggs!
Happy Valentine’s Weekend!
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