The Land of Cézanne

How many of you know about this Cézanne fellow?? Not this kid. Even after our trip to Aix this weekend, having seen his birthplace, his mother's home, his favorite restaurant, I got nothing. Evidently, he is a pretty famous guy. While I may not know every much about him; I will say that his choice of towns is fantastic. Aix is a peaceful, green, college town with plenty of soul to go around. John and I really enjoyed our visit to Aix last Thursday. We didn't have a plan of attack like we usually do so a stop at the Office of Tourism was necessary. The kind French man recommended the "Steps of Cézanne" walking tour which leads you through all of the major artist sites as well as the most important places in Aix. 


Over the course of the next few hours, we covered the city pretty well, all the while searching for a public restroom. I am not sure how many of you have traveled in Europe, or maybe it is just a France thing, but there is a definite shortage of public, free, toilets around here. And for this girl, with my love of water and teeny-tiny bladder, it is very often a problem. So, my travel tips for you are #1- either don't drink very much when out in Europe, or #2- start prepping your bladder now, or #3- be prepared to spend a lot of money on pay toilets. But, I digress. Back to Aix. They had a GAP!!!! Ohhh happpyyyy dayyyyy! It was a really joyful moment for me because I love Gap, and also because the public RR we had been searching for was just outside. yehh! 


Other great moments in Aix-

The tree-lined Cours Mirabeau with its fantastic fountains and fun market

Pizza-by-the-slice for lunch

and

The Quatre Dauphins fountain

La Rotonde fountain, leading the way into town

Fantastic local pastries and even better street musicians

And, our fantastic campground, although we could have lived without the 45 degree temps that night. brrrrrrr