My Suite La Duranne Aix-en-Provence

We have at long last arrived in France! We ended up scrapping the visit to Marseille, both since travellers we've met said its not worth the visit, and since we heard it's not really the place to be wandering around the streets at 10 at night looking for a place to stay. So instead we caught the bus up to Aix-en-Provence, which is pretty much the cutest town on the entire planet. We're pretty sure we were the only people ...

... 8230;<br><br>First of all, we had a deadline. Something neither of us are accustomed to dealing with right now. Ferry departs Marseille at 7pm. Brian was concerned about covering the 100 km distance and finding the port in time. So, up extra early and on the road withour even eating breakfast! After all of the worry and fussing, and snaps of the whip to go &#8216;faster&#8217;, we arrived at the port at ...

... Aix...oh, the Brits abroad, mon dieu! Still, best 6&#8364; I've ever spent. We've also been along to the cinema. Embarassingly, it was to see Fame but I'd like to point out how important cinema, and going to the cinema, is to the French. There are at least 3 cinemas in Aix, and there are huge film posters everywhere. 'Le Cezanne', has it's name lit up, and, unlike at home, the seats are like armchairs and there's plenty of leg room. But, like at home, it's bloody ...

... yesterday, Saturday, and it is cooler but still nice. The trip here was spectacular with many olive groves and big mountains. Today we went on a tour to Les Beax - another medieval town with a castle - poor Graham and on his birthday too. Then we went winetasting and to the premier olive oil producers in France. The Mistrql was blowing on the tour and it was very cold but warmer back here in the camp. Tomorrow we explore Aix on foot then we go to Avignon.

... Landing was a bit scary, as the runways in Marseille stick out into the sea, and I was not enjoying our proximity to the water, but of course we hit dry (yes, DRY not wet!) land.<br> Was easy to get from the airport to Aix, just a 30 minute coach journey that cost 7&#8364;, and we arrived safely at the bus station, looking a bit bedraggled and confused about what to do next. A very long walk to the youth hostel followed (we have since discovered ...

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... windswept waterways so why is it in this review? Actually it shouldn't be. See separate entry! But go here if you come this way. Rating: N/A. Nimes was our last stop in Provence, which might have set it up for failure, but it is such a nice place it overcame such a handicap. It is a bigger city and everything is a bit bigger here: wider boulevards, massive squares, giant public buildings, etc. But it has a unique blend of quaint hidden squares, old/new ...

... driver doesn't speak a word of English and with help from his mate we agree a fee of 15 euros to our accommodation. 48 seconds later we arrive at the hotel feeling severly ripped off and with no hope of moving from the hotel for 2 days we were also trapped! However, the owners of the hotel will go down in legandry status as they really made our stay memorable. They gave us a ...

Yesterday I took a new look at Marseille. Strolled down to the Gare Routiere to find the usual line up of Navettes Aix-Marseille ready to depart, paid my 1 euro tarif senior (old gits rate - otherwise 4.8 euro!) and was in Marseille in less than half an hour. The buses now stop almost at the Portail d'Aix, surrounded by its usual sad gathering of homeless refugees and asylum seekers, so I realised it was easier to go to the Metro Colbert (down the street bearing ...

... money you're willing to spend) so today I opted to go to a museum--or more accurately, L'Atelier de Cezanne, Paul Cezanne's workshop. It was pretty awesome and it made the trip to Aix worth it to me. It was a big room with a tall, cracking plaster ceiling, wooden floors, and three large windows that let in a lot of light, on the top floor of a house a little ways out of the center of town. In it were things you'd expect to find in a studio: an easel, a palette, paint boxes ...