Aix- en- Provence

 This is me making a picture of our hotel bathroom in Aix-en Provence. I am wearing my newly acquired french clothes bought at  a street market  explained  here.  Shelia, who writes the blog, Note Songs, has inspired me to finish writing  posts about our trip to Provence.  Her bathroom Diva's fun got me going today.

http://notesongs.blogspot.com

 We stayed in a fabulous hotel in Aix named La Maison d'Aix. It  is in the Mazarin quarter of Aix-en-Provence and is a 3 minute walk from the Cours Mirabeau.

This is the address and was a little hard to find because the sign was so small.

Do you see the sign to the right of the window? When we parked and walked around we found it. Later we found out due to the historial integrity of the area they did not allow large signs.

Our room was on the third floor.

We meet co- owner and  one of the architects, Laure Juhen that refurbished this private mansion now boutique hotel in Aix En Provence. She had come in to pick up several things as we were about to have breakfast. As it turned out that morning we were the only guests and had a delightful visit with her as she told us about the history of this home that took three years to refurbish. There were strict regulations about refurbishing a historic building.

The fresh figs and apricots were the best I have ever eaten!

I have forgotten the concierge/ chef's name. Such an interesting experience. Glad he was there to carry our bags to our room on third floor. I believe they were not allowed to install an elevator because of historical restrictions.

Our breakfast served on Juliska dishes. I was so impressed!  We were on cloud nine with the espresso.  So good!

This picture was hanging in the dining room. Our hostess told us about this very beautiful woman that owned the mansion. She was a noted courtesan that had famous clientele. The website for La Maison d'Aix describes  Mademoiselle Henriette Reboul as a renowned antiques collector and a love priestess that bought this private mansion dating from 1789 in 1903. She reputedly had numerous celebrity friends, lovers and mistresses, who all took abode in this magnificent residence.
We could have talked to Laure for hours but we were in Aix-en Provence and had to pull ourselves away to begin our short stay there seeing as much as we could in a short amount of time. As we left for the day I remember Laure saying," Enjoy strolling among the fontaines."

As we began our walk just across the street I peeped in this doorway because workers were busily going to and fro. It was very beautiful just as it was.

This was the first fontaine we strolled past. It is called the fountain of the four dolphins and dates back to 1667! So beautiful and exciting!

Can you image the excitement I felt as we turned the corner and saw this!
It was beautiful.

Look at that quatrefoil.

Church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte is a thirteenth century gothic church, the first in Provence. We went inside and felt reverence and awe at the beautiful paintings, architectural features and worshipful atmosphere.

Now, we are on the Cours Mirabeau and now I am understanding what strolling among the fontaines meant. Cours Mirabeau is a grand boulevard and is alive with people strolling along perusing the shops, stopping for espresso or aperitifs, people watching and checking out restaurants for dinner. All the fontaines have names but I did not take notes.

Shops and cafes line both sides of the street.

Architectural features abound.

This was the grandest fontaine, Fontaine de la Rotonde a cast iron fountain built in 1860.

Unlike the other towns in Provence we visited Aix en Provence had traffic. It is a city and once we parked our rental car we did not use it again. Finding a parking place was a nightmare.

Unfortunately we only had two nights and one full day in Aix. I would love to go back because there were so many other wonderful sights. I especially wanted to see Cèzanne's atelier.

A night view of Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence.
Look at the lush plane trees just beginning to leaf out in early April on the Cours Mirabeau. There were so many choices of restaurants it was hard to decide where to have dinner that night. It is a challenge to read a menu in french  and when an english menu was available we were pleased.  Only on one occasion did we get something we didn't order due to the language barrier and it was good just not what we ordered! We enjoyed all the food especially the artistic presentation. Observing the french culture and the welcoming atmosphere of the french people made our stay a great experience.

The night view out of our hotel window. I enjoyed sharing my memories with you. Would you believe we went to Provence in 2011. Now, why have I waited so long to post more of my pictures? We visited Orange, Chateauneuf'du Pape ,   Pont du Gard, Avignon, Arles, Les Baux-De-Provence, Bonnieux, Roussillon, Gordes, L'Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, Saint Rèmy-De-Provence and I am sure I will remember others and left from Marselles.  I still have other pictures to share that I hope to get to soon. Do you enjoy travel posts?  My other posts can be viewed here:Provence posts:
 "Provence....One trip is not enough!"
  Provence-Part Deux
  Provence-Part Trois
  Voila! A gift to you from FRANCE!

Aix-en-Provence


I am excited to FINALLY join, The Tablescaper at Oh, the Places I've been. Thanks again Shelia, for inspiring me with one little bathroom pic to post more pictures from a wonderful trip. It was a dream come true.

Paris, On MY MIND!

Oh, I hope "Midnight in Paris", wins tonight. I love the opening scenes- they are so beautiful and meaningful to me. I recognize and can name the location of most of the scenes. My husband and I have lost track of how many times we have watched this movie. It inspired my husband to read one of Hemingway's books and I enjoyed reading more about many of the artists and writers depicted in the movie. I have a special affection for Marion Cotillard and Rachel McAdams.

Some of my favorite Paris snaps.

Fingers crossed for "MIDNIGHT IN PARIS" and "THE HELP!"

PROVENCE...One trip is not enough!

   Visiting Provence is like exploring the United States because there are so many wonderful sites to see and explore. The small perched villages,  market days, the brightly colored harbours with fishing boats, the festivals, the country homes, the medieval abbeys, the lavendar fields, poppies and grape vines and olive trees and the most pleasant slow paced atmosphere. We only scratched the surface.

Our journey began in Paris for two days and nights then we took the fast train to Avignon and rented a car. From there we drove to Saint-Remy-de- Provence. We based out of Chateau- de-Roussan pictured above for four nights and enjoyed day trips in the surrounding area. It was love at first sight and I was addicted making pictures of the chateau grounds and interiors. The original mas was built many years before the grand chateau which was built in 1702 or 1704.  

 An alley of hundred year old plane trees frame the ambience of the Chateau. Chateau Roussan truly exceded all my expectations. 

 As we drove to the back I was so excited. 

  

 Adjacent to Chateau Roussan was a beautiful scene with sheep grazing.

 I felt as if I was in the movie, " A Good Year".

A group of college students were eating outside as we arrived.

 I could not get enough of making pictures of the grounds. It was addicting. 

 It was unbelievable that I was photographing staturaries that were four hundred years old.

This was my favorite scene.

 There was an interesting water system that utilized a natural spring to channel water from parts of the grounds.

View from the back of the Chateau from the greenhouse and pool flanked by the statues.

 The large plane trees were beautiful and shaded the property. It was so pleasant to view the grounds.

The friends that recommended the Chateau to us mentioned viewing swans from their window. We learned the pretty swans had fallen prey to some fox. 

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner that night at the Chateau.

L'addition (the bill) was presented in this darling bird cage!

The sunset was glorious! This is just a small part of our first day. Stay tuned for more of our adventure.
Provence posts:
 "Provence....One trip is not enough!"
  Provence-Part Deux
  Provence-Part Trois
  Voila! A gift to you from FRANCE!
 Does this street market make me look fat?
Bathroom Diva in Provence

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Between Naps on the Porch, and Wow us Wednesdays.