As I have said in an earlier blog, our week in Provence was based in Aix-en-Provence… not really where I would have liked, but without a car, we needed to be somewhere central to be able access the beauty that Provence has to offer as easily as possible.

Located just off the main drag, the famous Cours Mirabeau, in the heart of the old town, our hotel is set within the walls of a 12th century convent with a subtle blend of modern and historic architecture- just my kind of thing.

Aix-en-Provence, known simply as ‘Aix’ (pronounced ‘X’) by the locals is a beautiful golden-hued city in the heart of Provence, known as the capital of culture. A beautiful classically Provencal town that is charming… elegant 17th century Baroque architecture…

… churches…

… a pedestrian friendly centre, the wide tree-lined boulevards…

… full of pastel-coloured buildings…

… and numerous fountains, and is often referred to as ‘The City of a Thousand Fountains’.

Hôtel de Ville’s astronomic clocktower dating from 1661 was cool.

It is also a university town with a thriving student population (40,000 of its 140,000 residents being students). It was busy and bustling with a very vibrant nightlife…

… and honestly, we didn’t love it. Too big and city like with chain stores and huge wide streets which didn’t have the colour and character of many of the other places we had been. I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for? I did love the impressive shade canopy of Plane trees (whose bark looks like camouflage) that were apparently planted by Napoleon 250 years ago to shade his troops. The light coming through their beautiful foliage was stunning and we were also often grateful for that shade as it is still unseasonably hot!

It’s apparently the place to go if you love galleries, museums and the history of some of France’s most famous artists. It was the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne and you can visit Cezanne’s studio that remains as a perfectly preserved moment in time or see some of his works and of others at the Musée Granet (which was quite disappointing to me 🤷🏼‍♀️).

The white limestone mountain Sainte Victoire overlooking the city, as well as the surrounding countryside, were frequent subjects of his works.

The famous Aix markets take place most days and span the length of the majestic Cours Mirabeau as well as the nearby plazas. In fact, it seems every spare square in the city is bustling with market stalls selling everything from beautiful linens to antique books, clothing, flowers and the freshest and most delicious strawberries.

We did enjoy a down day strolling the markets and the smaller alleyways a little out of the way of the main hustle and bustle.

Our last (but certainly not least) day in Provence was certainly a highlight… one not easily forgotten and hopefully to be repeated again in my lifetime. I booked myself an extravagant birthday lunch at the Michelin starred Le Saint Esteve- a first for me.

But first we had to get there! Another adventure without a car as it is situated in a small town close to Aix. All dressed up with Anne in her heels (not me these days) we hopped on a bus and headed out to the sticks. The lovely bus driver was not keen to let us out where we requested, obviously with our safety at heart, telling us it was a dangerous road. What do you do? Following Google maps we came to a goat track and Anne said no. So we followed the ‘dangerous’ road… dangerous because there was literally nowhere to walk but right on the road, until we got to the property. But they say nothing good comes easy! We are probably the only people to ever arrive somewhere like this on the bus 😂.

Amidst vineyards and olive groves, this restaurant lies within a luxury hotel with real Mediterranean charm…

… and abuts the icon Paul Cézanne’s beloved mountain Sainte Victoire. It is now the home of chef Julien Le Goff, fresh from Porquerolles in 2019… Fish and seafood enjoy a special place with langoustine, line-fished seabass and lobster, but turf produce is equally well represented with pigeon, beef and venison.

This was a fabulous fine dining experience for us in every way, in a magnificent setting. The view of the mountain St Victoire from the outdoor terrace is beautiful and peaceful with birdsong and butterflies and the sound of running water.

The staff are excellent and very professional but also very fun and friendly. The food was outstanding with a large, fresh, locally-sourced seasonal menu and beautifully presented in every course… and appeared almost sun-soaked…

… and the wine selection extensive.

Anne experienced the cheese trolley- something neither of us had seen before… so many delicious types of cheese!

… while I, of course had dessert!

Sadly we did have to rush off to make the return bus as the next one was two hours away and we would have missed our next activity. We had really been looking forward to our fun and unique evening activity of grape stomping. Sounded like so much fun! So we were terribly disappointed to realise that there was just no way for us to get there without a car without spending another $300 for a driver. I had thought the vineyard was in Aix (or at least on the outskirts) but it was miles away with no transport at night. No grape stomping for us 😩. What a waste… and we could have sat longer and enjoyed the ambiance in our lovely restaurant.

So farewell to Provence… to its peaceful and romantic countryside, miles of vine covered hills and fruit trees, it’s ancient towns and perched villages… rustic and quaint where every corner bears new treasure… every cobblestone a gem…. that stunning golden afternoon light and faint breeze that makes you want to skip through the fields or linger on a terrace amongst the streets with the wafting air of fresh pastries…. its plunging gorges, blue lakes and cool mountains… Landscapes so stunning that the beauty overflowed our eyes and rolled down our cheeks. Ahhh Provence- you have filled our hearts and made dreams come true!