One of the most surprising aspects of Aix is its size. Guidebooks frequently proclaim it the very heart of Provence, evoking a sleepy town filled with flowers and fountains, which it is in certain quarters.
But Aix is also a bustling university town of around 143,000 inhabitants (the Université d’Aix dates from 1413).
Time marches on, but there are still plenty of decades-old, family-run shops on the narrow streets of the Old Town.
A lazy lunch at one of the bourgeois cafes on the cours Mirabeau is an experience not to be missed.
We visited the Saint Sauveur d'Aix-en-Provence cathedral which was magnificent.
We then were off to Cassis, which is unarguably the prettiest coastal town in Provence. The settlement dates from Ancient Greek times that’s as far back as both Marseille and Nice but its fame rose in the early 20th century, when famous personalities like Virginia Woolf and Sir Winston Churchill guzzled its crisp white wines. The resort recently found a new outdoor-oriented audience as the capital of France’s first mainland National Park since 1979.
The view from the cliffs was one of the most beautiful panoramas I have ever seen!
Cassis today is a paradise for the very wealthy with beautiful seaside cafes, marvelous shops and the smell of fresh croissants and baguette sandwiches...soooooo incredible.
I took a boat excursions to visit the Calanques which are fjord-like inlets carved into the white limestone. The limestone cliffs of a shimmering white plunge into the deep blue of the Mediterranean and provide a magical setting for hiking, scuba diving and rock-climbing.
My chosen doggy for the day is . . . . . .
"Toupee"
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