One Day in Aix-en-Provence

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After spending a morning in Grasse, Ryan and I then drove on to Aix-en-Provence. We took the narrow, winding back roads of Provence, past national parks and remote houses, preferring a scenic route over the toll highway. I was driving a good 20 km/h below the 50-70 km/h speed limit, as there were blind corners, no lane demarcations, and narrow passes throughout. Apparently I was holding up traffic as cars and vans, big and small, passed us and sped out of sight in the blink of an eye. The drive was gorgeous though, full of olive groves, vineyards, scrub brush, and red rocky outcrops – real Provence!

After about two hours we hit the old highway which actually had lanes and no blind curves, and we were able to speed along with traffic. I pulled over once or twice to look at olive mills or fruit stalls (where we got deliciously fragrant melons, 3 for €2.50, sugar sweet white peaches, and shiny, perfect cherry tomatoes).

Our hotel was near the highway, on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, since it had free parking. They graciously stored our cheese and pate in their fridge, and then Ryan and I went out for dinner!

Lined with grand, leafy plane trees and studded with picturesque fountains, the Cours is lined with restaurants and street vendors. Ryan and I found a place called Bistro Romain, a classic French bistro that seated us immediately on the patio. Ryan ordered the lamb shank on pureed potatoes, while I had tagliatelle with cepes and foie gras. Everything was spectacular, and the portions generous, so we didn’t have any room for dessert.

After paying, we strolled briefly along the Cours to see the little shops. We bought some famous Aix Calissons, little pointy oval pastries made from almonds and egg white (but more delicious than nougat) and we were tempted to buy products made from cork, such as purses (!), belts (!), wallets, and trivets. There were also some lovely woven cotton blankets, leather belts, gingerbreads, and madeleines.

By now it was late, so we returned to our hotel for an early night. The next day we toured the Camargue, and then returned to Aix-en-Provence for dinner. This time, we wandered around the old town a bit and ate at the Beffroi Art Cafe, under the patio umbrellas. I had Le Grand Aioli, which included a hunk of steamed cod served on a bed of steamed carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes, and served with steamed mussels and whelks, all with a little pot of garlicky aioli. It was very tasty but filling, and I couldn’t eat all the whelks – the textures were a bit too gross for me. Ryan got a tasty pizza with ham, pepperoni, and an egg, which was also very tasty. Again, we were too full for dessert, and returned to the hotel.