After a Sunday of a Monday, reorganizing what little of a mess I have in Paris, I have been wondering how I ever kept things straight in the real world. Jobs, school, homework, volleyball, copious amounts of tequila later, I guess I wasn't. I have been spring cleaning my mind and life in France without even knowing it. Last weekend, KK and I decided to further this feat and start taking advantage of our location in Europe and our none existent work hours to spend a bit of time in Aix-en-Provence, a town in the South of France, where the cultures of the two hardest working societies combine: le francais et l'italiano.
There is little to do here besides take part in a slow mode of life which includes eating, shopping, walking/exploring, coffee, drinking, coffee, and then more drinking. With the frigid weather outside, one doesnt really have a choice but to sit, relax, and prolong each activity under the not hot enough space heaters. Instead of loading more things to worry about on your mind, you hash them out with stories, laughter, and cafes. You talk, you dont rush, and you begin to take in all of your surroundings and actually absorb what you are seeing. A nice change from the hustle and bustle of marking things off a list.
Le centre ville is beautiful, old, and full of even more beautiful Frenchmen. People are nice here. Whoever characterized all French to be uptight and snobby, obviously never came to Aix-en-Provence. The most welcomed change from Paris? They loooove it when Americans stumble over their French...apparently we have a beautiful accent?
ahhh..home. The farmers market. The best one so far...if you can even begin to rank them. I love this lady....
Cheeeeese
Look at those colors!
We visited M. Cezanne's studio and wow wow wow was it beautiful. We rummaged through his empty cognac bottles and clothes and even got to walk in the semi-forest that was seemingly part of his inspirations. O greeness...it had been too long!
My favorite boys. They were rocking out in the streets and could have been in the Lower East Side if not for their adorable Frenchie accents.
But yes, yes.... it was a wonderful time. We came away nearly frostbitten, but it was just a way to paralyze the elated looks on our faces. But the balance of this simple lifestyle spending hours doing nothing, making sense of everything...lets you take in and enjoy other things more fully.... i dunno, like Mexican Fiesta night....
Americans, Englishmen, Frenchies, Greeks, and the in between combined for one great night, spent taking care of fajitas and tequila and making sure to laugh in the process. J'arrive.
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