Another Great Weekend

Cours Mirabeau

Realizing we are almost half way through our wonderful year away and still so much more of France we want to see, we decide to take a day trip to Aix en Provence last Saturday.  A beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky makes it a perfect day for exploring the city, just under 2 hours away.  Although Sal and I had visited Aix on our last trip to France, it certainly was much more captivating this time around.

Place Albertas

Aix is an elegant, modern, city with narrow streets that open up into beautiful squares.  We enjoyed strolling and shopping on the Cours Mirabeau dubbed the "Champs D'elysee" of the south. The wide tree-lined boulevard was a beehive of activity and the restaurant patios overflowing with patrons enjoying a meal or a drink in the spectacular January sunshine.

The lively vieille ville was a delight to meander through with lovely shopping, cafes and no shortage of street entertainers. It is certainly an alive and youthful city and droves of people were out in full force on this Saturday afternoon.  Place Albertas with its greenery and cobblestone road is one of the more unique and quaint squares we have seen in France. Hotel de Ville (Aix' city hall) was a beautiful and stately looking building overlooking a charming square.  LaRotonde, a large central waterfall and statute seemed to be the hub of the city, from which several roads emanated.  Madeleine got a kick out of seeing Eglise de la Madeleine which incidentally is where Cezanne was baptized. 

We could certainly see why Aix is a favourite destination for ex-pats.  Enjoying the city as we did, we couldn't help but wonder whether we would have preferred to live in Aix instead Nice.  We all agreed that Nice was the right choice for us since we love being so close to the ocean and its proximity to Italy. 

Fun in the sun

Last Sunday reinforced that sentiment, with bright sunshine and16C we decide to spend some time on the beach, as did many others.  It was a great day to enjoy the sun, listen to the waves and just hangout on the beach.  The kids skipped rocks, played cards and dreamed of the day when it would be warm enough to go swimming again.  In fact there were some brave swimmers out there, but for mid-January we were just content to be able to sit out on the beach. There is something so peaceful and relaxing about being close to the ocean.  I am convinced there are definite health benefits to these moderate winter temperatures and abundant sunshine people enjoy here. 

More fun on the beach

With weather like this we often wonder how we will manage another cold snowy Toronto winter.  Fortunately we don't have to worry about that until next winter.  In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy our winter here, where the only snow we see is far off in the Maritime Alps.

Nancy

January sunset in Nice