by Anne Woodyard | Jul 3, 2016 | Aix en Provence market, France, Musee de Tapisseries, Musée Granet, Pavilion Vendome, Place de Martyrs de la Resistance, Rotonde fountain
Saturday, May 21, 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?
Extravagant? Why? Because there is so much to enjoy in Aix today that we can’t even fit it all in! We begin by meeting friends for coffee at Pain Quotidien, 
catch up on each other’s news, and make plans to get together in August when we return (can’t wait to see Bénédicte,s latest garden folly – a treehouse!).
Then off we go to troll the markets – we need hats for tomorrow’s garden day. What do you think?
Espadrilles, anyone?
We pass by Cezannés last dwelling on our way home, noting the tall and wide window of the studio he had built on the top floor – 
we’d never noticed that before, but recently read about it and looked high to see it for ourselves today.
Later we begin our gallery/museum wander…first the latest expo next door, beside the lovely cloister by the Palais de l’Archevêché.
The artist’s scenes of Venice remind us of our stay there earlier this year – could we fit a canvas in our suitcase??
This evening, from 7 until midnight, is Open Museum Night, and from one end of town to another there are special events in the glorious old buildings, all free entry. We begin at the Museum of Old Aix, where a guitarist strums on the grand staircase as we enter. 
The rooms are filled with treasures of ages past – gorgeous mirrors, exquisite doll houses, 
tall room dividers with scenes from centuries ago. And the building itself, a former home of an eighteenth century nobleman, remarkable both inside and out.
Next stop, the Museum of Tapestries, in the Archbishop’s Palace just beside our apartment. Ascending the grand staircase, 
we pause in a room lined with fabulous tapestries
as an ensemble warbles ancient Jewish tunes.
We’ve visited Aix’s main art museum, the Granet, several times, but step inside the crowded courtyard to watch some energetic and emotional modern dance, then stroll through a room or two of art, 
before walking by the Four Dolphins fountain on the way to Cours Mirabeau.
This evening is also the finale of Journées d’Eloquence, Days of Eloquence, literary performances commemorating the Resistance in France. We’ve seen readings in front of the Town Hall near our home, music and dance in an open-air shopping mall, and tonight, on the Cours Mirabeau,as a chorus sings and a narrator speaks, a line-up of actors dressed in World War II period uniforms and clothes help the audience picture what the words express. 
An officer and staff roll off in the vintage car, flags fluttering, as the program ends.
At the other end of the Cours the full moon peeps above the horizon, and we walk by yet another of Aix’s beautiful fountains on our way to the last event of this extravagant Saturday.
The Pavilion Vendome has been taken over by young artists, and one after the other flash their techno creations on the elegant façade 
as the crowd sits on the grass, oohing and aahing at the sight. A day FILLED with the delights of Aix!
by Anne | Mar 18, 2012 | Aix en Provence, Czech Philharmonic, Mozart Requiem, Musee de Tapisseries, TMTTR
Thursday-Friday, March 15-16, 2012
Aix en Provence, France
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you!
Next on the itinerary: Our spring tours in Barcelona, Venice or Prague
Isn’t it great when a plan works? When we were in Aix last month we saw posters advertising a concert – Mozart’s Requiem at the cathedral – and started brainstorming. What if we return a couple of days earlier than planned, on a flight that gets us here in time to take a nap before enjoying that wonderful music?
Our flights were on time, the shuttle to Aix was ready to depart when we exited Marseilles airport, and our bed was ready for us to fall into. But first, a hearty lunch. The plat du jour ( daily special) at the Archveché Café next door is gigot d’agneau, tender pink slices of lamb.
Delicious- stomachs full, now we can nap.
We can usually purchase performance tickets at the door, but thought we’d better make sure, so called before sleeping, only to hear that the concert was complet – full. Sure didn’t expect that in the huge cathedral. “Oh couldn’t you fit in two more people – we flew in from the States early especially for this concert!” I begged. “M
eet me early at the door and I’ll have tickets for you” Laurent kindly replied.
In the dimly lit cathedral, the glorious music of Mozart surrounds us, packed in with hundreds of others. Although the video is dark, you can get a hint of the beauty of the place and the artistry of the performers from Prague – the Czech Philharmonic and soloists.
Lots of errands to run, as usual when in Aix… and after a Friday morning spent criss-crossing the town, we pause for lunch at Le Piston, on pretty Place Gilly. This area always reminds us of dreams-come-true…. as we sat by the fountain one sunny summer day, enjoying yet another de
licious provençal lunch, we commented “why do we keep waiting to spend more time here, as we’ve talked about for years? Let’s take a month and LIVE here, studying French, working remotely.” So the next January, in 2009, found us doing just that. One thing led to another, and in January of 2010, while in Aix again, we began apartment hunting in earnest…. not part of the original plan, but certainly a dream come true!
Once a year the talented amateurs of Musique et Médecine (Music & Doctors) give a benefit concert, and, happily, it happens to be this weekend – the same program both tonight and tomorrow. We invite our lovely neighbor, Madame Tomme, with whom we enjoyed several concerts in August, to go with us. She’s already booked tonight- the vernissage (pre-opening night) of a special exhibition at the Musée des Tapisseries next door in the former Archibishop’s Palace. She describes the show to us – saying it’s about the history of water in Provence – and asks if we’d like to go with her. So we decide to postpone our concert outing to Saturday, throw on more appropriate clothes, and we’re ready to go.
And what a fascinating evening it is – the exhibition is titled Le Temps de l’Eau, and with the help of interested Aix residents and the director of the tapestry museum, this melange of art, in multiple formats, by artists from many countries, has come to Aix, Ville d’Eau, Ville d’Art – the city of water and art – how appropriate!
At the base of the majestic staircase is a video of a man floating in water,
a powerful wave graces a wall, a video panel shows scenes of water falls,
paper boats “float” on “ponds” in a salon.
This is the first time we’ve been in the museum/palace, so we’re also wowed by the elegant rooms
with a few gorgeous antiques,
and massive tapestries telling the tale of Don Quijote.
After a leisurely viewing, we’re all invited downstairs for introductory remarks, nibbles and drinks. We learn that TMTTR, as they call the exhibition, started ten years ago back home in DC!
What fun to chat with the artists, who are thrilled to be living in Aix for a couple of weeks as they set up the exhibition. A couple of them are from Arlington, and want to get together when we return.
We never know what delights we’ll encounter when we come to Aix – no wonder we can’t stay away for long!
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.