Goodbye Arles and off to Aix en Provence

Onions in hypermarche

Canal

view from lacoste

View from Lacoste

I am writing this 3 days after events as I have been quite sick with a type of flu and so by the time we get back to the room I am wiped out. Now am much better so will get you up to date.

Leaving our farm/villa in Arles was hard as it was just such a great place to stay, sort of decadent and luxurious at the same time. Our final dinner which I mentioned earlier was exceptional and the dessert I spoke of was Chocolat noir et genoise rhum-caramel, coulis caramel sale - best dessert ever..

Fix prix menus are popular and range in price from 15 euros for 3 courses upwards. I think to get a really good meal you need to spend 25 plus. The meal mentioned was 29 euros plus wine - wine being good value. Barbie seems to have a thing for french waiters which is embarrassing.

Our road trip to Aix was planned and first stop was l'isle sur la sorgue which was a super cute little town with this really strage canal running through. Strange insmuch as the water was unbelievably clean and there was all this very bright green water flora within. Other than that, it was a bit of a tourist trap village, tons of antique and cutesy type shops . Nice but time to move on.

Barbie with another frenchman

Next stop was Lacoste and on the way past the area where the book - A year in Provence was written. Lacoste is famous as it has the castle where Marquis de Sade lived. After a long climb, we entered the castle which is now owned by Pierre Cardin and the view was classic Provence and we read that this was Provences answer to Tuscany .

The French are really good with tourism, so far we have never felt ripped off and when we went to the restaurant below the castle, it was in that classic location you would expect crappy food and high prices to compensate for the magnificent position. But no, we ordered our regular Rose and I got boef tartare plus a lesson in how to put it together - so so good. A nice relax and on to Aix.

I was here 30 years ago and remembered a vibrant student town. We have a hotel in Mazarin area and an easy walk to main roundabout and Cours Miraboux, the main street.

I note at his point I had mainly been Barbies ventriloquist dummy - she would tell me the French and I would do all the actual talking. It has been working pretty well and since most converstation is transactional, we are getting less and less english back from the people we deal with. Now Barbie is in her stride and speaking french herself, we are feeling more comfortable.

My cough reached a crescendo today and I thought I was going to collapse walking around town but was saved by going in a bar and having a medicinal aperitif. I booked tickets to a tour of Cezannes house and his studio at the tourist centre then headed back to hotel and must have been feeling really sick to order room service for dinner.

Main roundabout at end of Cours Mirabou, Aix en Provence